For more than several centuries thereafter, Shiloh served as the spiritual heart and center of life for the Children of Israel where they made regular pilgrimages to bring offerings, chief among them the annual Passover offering.
This past year, the community of Efrat launched an initiative designed to help former reservists, teens and young adults heal from past emotional wounds and trauma through various forms of art including ceramics, drawing, music and mixed media.
In 1983, a group of pioneering families following in the ideological footsteps of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin established a new community in the hills of western Samaria.