Almost 3,800 years ago, the great-great-grandchildren of Joseph, excitedly surveyed the lush hills of Samaria comprising the tribal territories allotted to them by Joshua. However, the tribesmen of Manasseh and Ephraim, the two sons of Joseph, faced an ostensible dilemma: How would their mountainous territories accommodate and provide for their large populations? (Joshua 17:14) Joshua revealed to them that the mountainous terrains they inherited in fact held much more promise than appeared. The trees covering the mountains of Samaria could be cleared and used for agriculture, providing them with bountiful wealth. But they wouldn’t receive such blessings on a silver platter. Both tribes needed to take initiative to reap fruits from the mountains of Samaria.
Fast-forward to 1975. Eight years after the People of Israel liberated the Biblical Heartland, thousands of young, ideologically-driven pioneers seized upon the very spirit that Joshua had bestowed upon Manasseh and Ephraim. That winter, on the eighth night of Hanukkah, they braved the windy, rainy weather with a mission to resettle Samaria, which remained empty of Jewish communities. Their destination was an abandoned railroad near Sebastia, the site of the ancient Israelite city that bore the name “Samaria.” Having chosen a spot that was in proximity to Elon Moreh, where God had promised the whole of the Land of Israel to Abraham (Genesis 12:7), these pioneers committed to rebuilding the Biblical Heartland in its entirety. Due to their unbreakable persistence, the Labor government, reluctant to build any communities in Samaria, offered a compromise allowing 30 families to settle in the nearby military camp of “Kedum.” The young families that settled Kedum lived in isolation with limited transportation, no running water and barely any electricity. Yet, they were determined that the new community of “Kedumim” would lay the foundation for the restoration of the rest of Samaria.
The valiant pioneers of Kedumim were rewarded for their initiative in May 1977 after the election of Menachem Begin as prime minister of Israel. Knowing Begin to be a staunch proponent of repopulating Judea and Samaria, the nascent community invited him to a dedication ceremony at their makeshift synagogue composed of just two mobile homes. Addressing all the attendees, Begin stood on a platform of cement and declared emphatically that Kedumim would indeed be the first of many more Jewish communities to be rebuilt in Samaria. Soon thereafter, Kedumim was officially recognized with many other new communities sprouting forth all over Samaria. Now a population of over 5,000, Kedumim stands as a role model for the rest of the region. Its Lehava high school instills young girls from all across Samaria with Biblical values, ensuring that the next generation will carry on the torch in preserving an eternal legacy in the Biblical Heartland. Tragically, 18 Kedumim families have lost immediate family members, who were fighting in defense of the Land and People of Israel since October 7th. But with a strong resolve and a solid foundation centered on Biblical principles, Kedumim will never be deterred!
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