Preparing to start her day on a bright summer morning, Ruthy Mann excitedly slaps on her cowboy hat before heading to her therapeutic ranch just outside the community of Alon, a short drive east of Jerusalem.
“I am living my dream,” she says with a wide smile and an obvious display of contentment.
Ruthy’s lifelong dream since childhood was managing a farm of her own. Towards that end, she became a certified animal therapist at Hebrew University. Raised in Jerusalem with familial roots in the land spanning multiple generations, Ruthy also grasped the importance of rebuilding the Land of Israel at a very young age. That solid foundation drove Ruthy to search in the Biblical Heartland for a home and a location for the farm of her dreams. While touring the Judean desert with her family two decades ago, she found the perfect spot.
“As we came to Alon, we saw Anatoth, the ancient Biblical city where Jeremiah purchased his cousin’s field to signify the eventual restoration of the Land of Israel,” she said.
At the ranch, Ruthy and her staff help their patients not only heal but obtain a new sense of self-appreciation and selfsatisfaction. The patients also learn to channel their emotional trauma in a positive direction by empowering others burdened by similar past trials and tribulations. Some of the children treated at the ranch even become new staff members. Ruthy’s ranch also offers patients an accredited course helping them to become certified animal therapists themselves.
For Ruthy, her ranch is not merely the fulfillment of a childhood dream but also a calling.
“I truly feel blessed because I am not only giving life to the Land but to the People of Israel,” she said. “God led me here to provide people with a safe haven.” Following the devastating attacks on October 7, 2023, Ruthy made sure to extend that safe haven to refugees who were forced to flee their homes near Gaza and temporarily move into hotels by the Dead Sea. Families with as many as four and five children crammed into one small hotel room were treated to therapy animals including guinea pigs, turtles and rabbits. Ruthy followed through on such an undertaking even though her husband was called up to the IDF reserves and two of her sons were dispatched to fight in Gaza.
“Today, we all need the tools to stay emotionally resilient and unafraid of our enemies,” Ruthy reflected. “In the Bible, peace was always achieved when our enemies knew that we were stronger.”
Ruthy expressed deep appreciation to CFOIC Heartland for recently playing a pivotal role in her dream’s success story. Originally located within Alon, Ruthy’s Farm needed to move to a new location just outside the community due to zoning regulations. However, the farm’s horses could not be permanently transported to the site without security parameters in place. With CFOIC Heartland’s help, an autonomous solar system was just installed at the ranch’s new location, which enables surveillance cameras to operate throughout the night.
“I want to send a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all our dear Christian friends at CFOIC Heartland for giving me, my staff and patients a powerful reminder during such challenging times that we are not alone,” Ruthy said. “You are all a part of our success story, and we will not forget it!”