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Heartland Stories

Heartland Story: “A Second Home” for The Children of Naaran

 On the morning of March 28, schoolchildren from the small community of Na’ama located just north of ancient Jericho in the Jordan Valley, boarded their school bus ready to start another typical school day. They had no idea that they would soon encounter a most terrifying and harrowing experience. As the school bus passed the … Read more

Heartland Story: Keeping One Step Ahead of Terrorism

Perched on the hills of Samaria just west of the Jordan Valley, the small community of Migdalim has persevered in the face of enormous challenge. Relatively isolated, surrounded by Arab towns and quite distant from Israel’s main population centers, Migdalim was founded in 1984 by a hardy group of pioneers focused on securing the People … Read more

Heartland Story: Protecting Samaria’s Residents after October 7th

As the sun sets of Fridays and the hustle and bustle of the week fades into the background, families in Judea and Samaria nestle into the sacred embrace of the sabbath. But one Friday evening, tranquility shattered as a sinister plot unfolded in Shaked, located in Northern Samaria.  As parents tenderly tucked their children into … Read more

Heartland Story: Protecting Lives with “Smart” Lenses

One early morning in Sansana, a community nestled in the western tips of southern Judea, Omer, a contractor, was ready to start another day earning an honest living for himself and his family. Omer approached his equipment consisting of a tractor and two trucks, but to his surprise, he saw a suspicious person leaning on … Read more

Heartland Story: Moving A Mountain Roi

How do you move a mountain? It starts with unwavering determination, divine assistance, the power of a united community, and one shovel at a time. Two years ago, Tohar Greenberg took on the role of community coordinator in Roi, located in the Jordan Valley. The task before her seemed insurmountable—breathing cohesiveness and unity into ancommunity … Read more

Heartland Story: Saving Lives in Kedumim

It was the dead of night. The community of Kedumim was shrouded in fog. Most families were fast asleep, dreaming of the week ahead. But for two women, sleep was the last thing on their minds. As they hunched over a wall of computer screens, their eyes were vigilantly fixed on the flickering images before … Read more

Heartland Story: Protecting Unborn Babies

It was a moving ceremony! Cutting the ribbon were Yossi Dagan, Mayor of the Samaria Regional Municipality, and Sondra Oster Baras, CFOIC Heartland director, flanked by the dedicated staff of the Samaria Urgent Care and Regional Medical Center. Between them stood a brand new, state-of-the-art ultrasound machine. It was the realization of a dream come … Read more

Heartland Story: Finding Her Purpose

Finding a sense of meaning in life can be difficult for anyone, but it can be particularity challenging for individuals with special needs. At Sadna – a unique educational community- helping each student find and realize her purpose, regardless of disability, is a primary focus.  A hunched figure shuffles her feet down the path toward the … Read more

Heartland Story-Nurturing Plants, Nurturing Boys

The boys enter the greenhouse, some in animated groups while others tentatively wander in alone, nervously surveying the space. Idan walks in, his head held high, and his young, strong body at ease. With visible confidence, he begins dragging a bag of compost and organizing his tools. With a loud whistle, Noam Schwartz, the gardening … Read more

Heartland Story-Saving Lives in Dolev

It was a quiet Saturday morning last spring, in the pastoral community of Dolev, when suddenly the Sabbath peace was interrupted. As he monitored the surveillance cameras’ live feed, Zev, Dolev’s security guard, noticed two suspicious figures approaching the security fence. Since most members of this religious community spend Shabbat mornings in prayer at the … Read more