Around 1700 years ago, a group of devout Jews settled the southern edges of Judea in the Hebron Hills. Their hearts were directed towards Jerusalem, the eternal site of the Shechinah (The Divine Presence) where the Temple once stood in all its Divine glory. However, the Roman Empire which destroyed the Temple in the year 70, was determined to separate the People of Israel from their Biblical roots. They banned Jews from living in Jerusalem or its outskirts and established an idolatrous colony in the city. Jews moved south to the edges of Judea and established the original Sussya.
The poor residents of ancient Sussya suffered rampant Roman persecution throughout the Land of Israel. But more than anything, they valued prayer and their ongoing relationship with God. Therefore, their synagogue was the focal point of the community. They adorned the synagogue with beautiful mosaics depicting the vessels in the Temple. They also constructed their synagogue to face Jerusalem where the Shechinah still dwelt, yearning to bring God’s presence within their midst.
Centuries later, in 1980, Jewish pioneers with the same commitment to the Bible and the Land of Israel, revived the city of Sussya. Symbolically binding themselves to ancient Sussya, the residents of modern Sussya constructed a synagogue resembling the original synagogue built some 1700 years earlier, with four pillars at the entrance holding up the roof. Like the people of ancient Sussya, Sussya’s current residents teach their children to love the Bible and Land of Israel.
You, our dear friends of the Biblical Heartland, have helped modern-day Sussya grow and flourish. Several years ago, you gave Sussya a fire-fighting trailer for fending off arson attacks. Sadly, since October 7th, the extremist Arab population in the Hebron Hills have only been emboldened. Most recently, Arab terrorists have taken advantage of the dry summer months by launching a new, major wave of arson attacks in the Hebron Hills and the rest of the Biblical Heartland. The pioneers of Judea and Samaria need your help once again to acquire additional equipment to battle ongoing arson attacks. You can protect the people of the Biblical Heartland today!