During the Second Intifada—the Palestinian uprising between 2000 and 2004, when even the most dedicated pioneers were tempted to leave Samaria to seek safer pastures, the Ben-Saadons were defiantly establishing roots in the area. In 2003, Vered and Erez Ben-Saadon established their family business, the Tura Winery, in the Samaria community of Rechalim. “We lost … Read more
When amatzia was seven, his parents decided to follow a dream. The family of 9 left their home in Jerusalem and joined thirty families on the barren hilltops of Karnei Shomron in Samaria. When they moved their pioneering settlement to nearby Kedumim they exchanged their tents for one large room for the family with a … Read more
Growing up, Moshe recalls hearing the shoemaker’s story. People would come to the shoemaker with shoes that needed repair. And this wise man would talk and listen as he worked, unerringly uncovering and discovering a need. And he would mend both the troubled soul and the broken sole. Moshe wanted to be this man, this … Read more
Your Guide to Biblical Israel Mickey Bar-Neder’s profession as a tour guide allows him the privilege of traveling the breadth of his glorious land, educating people with hands-on-lessons about Israel’s history, geography and archeology. This summer, Mickey led a Birthright tour, a discovery program designed to allow Jewish students and young adults who have never … Read more
Natan Greenberg, known back then as Johnny, grew up in the U.S. He visited Israel for the first time at the age of 12 and he was hooked. His second visit was a few years later and he told his parents that he was moving. Naturally, they felt he was too young. Not deterred, he … Read more
Noah’s Magic Touch Twelve years ago Noah Mandelbaum was a kindergarten teacher for four and five year olds in Carmei Zur, a community in the Etzion Bloc. A chance encounter with a Jerusalem family introduced her to their Down Syndrome child who was not finding an appropriate school placement. Noah had this boy on her … Read more
Born in Detroit, Michigan, David Goldman made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) with his family in 1975, when he was thirteen years old. After high school he enrolled in a Hesder Yeshiva program, combining mandatory army service with Bible studies, in Kiryat Arba, adjacent to Biblical Hebron. Little did he know how vital Kiryat Arba would … Read more
The voice of Gush Katif can be heard from the scattered exile of hotel rooms, dormitories, tent cities and high-rise apartment buildings all over Israel. Not a voice of divisive political mudslinging or baseless hatred, but the strong and mighty “orange” voice of faith, creativity and innovation that made the desert bloom. The voice … Read more
Do you think it’s possible to find a real pioneer today? The kind that legends are made of? In the legendary community of Kedumim, founded in 1975 as the first Jewish community in Samaria for 2,000 years, it isn’t too hard. One such pioneer is Raphaella Segal, a founding member of Kedumim and an active … Read more
Determination in a Desert Outpost It takes special people to settle the Judean Desert. And there is little in Chaya and Shimon Ben-Dor’s cosmopolitan upbringing that would foretell the ability to successfully adapt to the desert’s pace and rugged landscape. Yet despite many hardships and obstacles, the Ben-Dors established Mitzpeh Chagit in 1999 – braving … Read more