An Eye on Zion: Yakir
The pioneers named the nascent community “Yakir,” meaning “precious,” the precise Hebrew word used by God to describe His “son,” Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:19).
The pioneers named the nascent community “Yakir,” meaning “precious,” the precise Hebrew word used by God to describe His “son,” Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:19).
It is hard to believe that another year has gone by—another year of seemingly unending war, tragedy, loss. There are still 100 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. While at least 36 have been murdered, it is not clear how many of the remaining 64 are still alive.
Drawing their inspiration from the Biblical figure Avigayil (Abigail), Elisha and his friends decided to establish a new community in the southern Hebron Hills. They parked an old bus on a plot of land facing Maon, the ancient Biblical site where Avigayil lived.
What an astounding result in the US elections! While this regime change will have significant effect on many issues in the US, as an Israeli, I want to share with you my thoughts, which reflect the thoughts of so many in Israel, on how this change will affect Israel.
On Friday evening of May 2, 1980, a group of students from Nir Yeshiva, located on the outskirts of the Biblical city of Hebron, excitedly headed to the Cave of Machpelah. There, they joyfully welcomed in the Sabbath with uplifting prayers.
That evening, however, terrorists threw grenades and fired bullets in the direction of the students, murdering three of them.
We have just finished celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles and it was a really special holiday. For weeks leading up to the holiday, we were all wondering, debating, discussing, how would we celebrate the holiday, especially as it marks the one year anniversary of the terrible massacre of October 7th last year.
In 1927, a group of pious Jews from Yemen and Jerusalem sought to restore the Judean hills, which had lain barren and in ruins for almost 2,000 years.
In this year of unprecedented hardship, the People of Israel were inundated by a tidal wave of hatred and cruelty that upended our lives and shook us to our core. You, our Christian friends, stood beside us as beacons of hope, and your unwavering support has been a source of immense comfort and strength.
Last week, we learned that thousands of Hezbollah terrorists were surprised by the sudden explosion of their pagers. Knowing that Israel is able to track the location of its enemies via their cellphones, some time ago, Hezbollah warned all of its terrorists to stop using cellphones. But they needed some system for communication. Enter the pagers.
During the Feast of Tabernacles in 1977, an idealistic couple heading to visit the pioneering community of Kedumim suddenly found themselves taking on a new mission.