Judea & Samaria

When Israeli archaeologists uncovered a series of ancient chambers that had been hidden underground for thousands of years just meters away from the Second Temple, everyone was overcome with mystery and intrigue. The Israel Antiques Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation presented the extraordinary discovery last month, just ahead of Jerusalem Day. Barely thirty meters from the ancient Jewish Temple, archaeologists found two rooms connected by a staircase and an open courtyard. This complex was used by Jewish people in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago at the time of the Second Temple. Artefacts found at the site – oil lamps,...

Nahal Prat is made up of 3 natural water springs that run all year round. Its course cuts through the rocky Judean mountains, and its shores are home to a rich variety of plant and animal life. The stream runs for a total of 28 km and has several rock pools where visitors can take a cool dip in the desert heat. It’s only been in recent decades, since the site came under Israeli governance, that Israeli excavations have uncovered the canyon’s incredible history and made it accessible to the public. Nahal Prat is mentioned several times in the Bible....

For many people, the words ‘Judea and Samaria,’ evoke images of right-wing Jewish extremists stealing land that doesn’t belong to them. This picture is false on so many levels, but it goes to show just how successful the anti-Semitic propaganda put out by Israel haters and BDS activists around the world has been. The truth is that the Jewish claim to Judea and Samaria dates back to the days of the Patriarchs. Abraham bought a piece of land in Hebron. This was where he buried his wife Sarah, and later where he and the other patriarchs and their wives were...

Even people who know very little about Israeli politics know two things: the people of Gaza are suffering terribly and it’s all Israel’s fault. This is, in fact, a myth. There’s no doubt that people are suffering in Gaza. But if you take the time to find out the facts (and don’t just listen to the anti-Semitic lies told about Gaza by Israel-haters), you’ll see that the Jewish presence in Gaza brought enormous blessing for the local Arab people. Here are some of the lesser-known facts about the history of Gaza: Fact 1: Egypt ruled Gaza before Israel – and...

There are few places in Israel where the sense of injustice suffered by the Jewish community is felt more acutely than in Shechem. The centuries-old attempt to erase Jewish history from this town has been so successful that many people today have never even heard the name Shechem. They only know about the Arab town called Nablus under the administration of the Palestinian Authority in the area where Jews are forbidden to set foot. In fact, the name Nablus is a derivative of ‘Flavius Neopolis’ – the name the Romans gave Shechem in the first century as part of an...

On Wednesday night, the 19-year-old son of one of our suppliers was murdered in cold blood by terrorists as he returned to his yeshiva in the Gush Etzion region. Dvir Sorek—son of Rachel Sorek, one of our artisan jewelry makers—had been in Jerusalem the day he was killed. Always kind-hearted and quick to serve others, he had volunteered to buy books for his yeshiva rabbis on behalf of his classmates as an end-of-year gift. Dvir never got to give his gift or see the smiles on his rabbis’ faces. On his way back from Jerusalem, before he reached the yeshiva,...

In yet another archaeological find that confirms the biblical account of events, experts believe they have uncovered the ancient city of Ziklag. Ziklag was the city that the king of the Philistines gifted to David when he fled from Saul and took refuge amongst the Philistines in Gath (1 Samuel 27). The Bible says that Ziklag, previously a Philistine city, remained in Jewish hands from then on. On one occasion, while David was away from Ziklag, the Amalekites invaded, burnt the city to the ground and took David’s wives and animals captive. David pursued the Amalekites, ambushed them and took...

While many around the world are trying to airbrush Jewish history from Jerusalem, particularly from the contested eastern side, archaeological findings continue to confirm its deep Jewish connection. One remarkable discovery made in recent times was a Jewish road dating back over 2000 years to the days of Herod. This road connected the major holy sites for Jewish pilgrims in temple times, including Temple Mount, the City of David and the Pool of Siloam. The pilgrims’ road may have been hidden forever had it not been for a burst water pipe in 2004, some distance from the site of the...

Beit El (meaning ‘House of God’) is a community in the heart of Samaria, to the north of Jerusalem. Its connection to the Jewish people dates back to the days of the Patriarchs when Abraham built an altar to the Lord there after G-d covenanted that his descendants would be a great nation and inherit the Land of Israel (Genesis 12:8). Later, it was at Beit El (often called Bethel in the Bible) that Jacob had his famous vision of a ladder up to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it (Genesis 28:12). Here, the Lord confirmed the covenant...

Have you ever thought about how the Jewish people is G-d’s living time capsule? When we read about the patriarchs, judges and kingdom years in Israel, we are reading about events that took place thousands of years ago. So much time has passed that all people groups from those ancient eras have disappeared, save one. Only the Jewish people have an unbroken historical identity that survives to this day. It’s remarkable when you think of it. We know this because the Bible is a time capsule that allows us to connect with what happened those thousands of years ago. One...

Hebron houses the history of Israel’s ancient beginnings, but the city is also a reflection of the intense challenges that brave Jews have to overcome to claim their heritage in the land of Israel. Hebron’s Jewish community is not giving up any time soon, but they need your prayers, help, and support to maintain their small community of less than 1,000 souls in the midst of nearly 250,000 hostile Arabs. Can you imagine? Outnumbered 250 to 1!! Continue reading to learn about the importance of Hebron for Israel’s past, present and future, and discover how you can help secure Israel’s...

The Cave of the Patriarchs, also called the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron 1. Hebron is the second holiest city after Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, he is mentioned 62 times. According to the Old Testament, Abraham, the founder of the Jewish people, paid 400 shekels of fine silver for the Cave of the Patriarchs, also called the Cave of Machpelah. Hebron is one of the oldest cities in the world, it was here that King David began to reign. 2. The Cave of the Patriarchs, (the Cave of Machpelah) is the oldest building in the world that has been...

Ma’ale Adumim Ma’ale Adumim (The Red Rock Ascent) is perhaps the closest community, of Judea, to Jeruslaem, located approximately seven kilometers north of the city. The city boasts magnificent views of the mountains of Jerusalem, including Mount Scopus and the Mount of Olives. The name dates back to the times of Joshua. The ancient city rested on the line separating the biblical portions of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Due to the fact that the area served as an assent (which is the translation of the Hebrew word Ma’ale) and due to the red rocks (Adumim...

Etz Efraim is a village located in the Samarian hills, between the cities of Ariel and Rosh HaAyin. Etz Efraim, which translates to the “Stick/Tree of Efraim”, was founded in 1985 by members of Shkunot B’Yosh (The Judea, Samaria, and Gaza Neighborhoods). Its name derives from the book of Ezekiel, which says, “…take for yourself one stick and write upon it, ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel his companions’; and take one stick and write upon it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions’.” This quote references G-d’s plan to reunite the kingdoms...

“We call it Judea and Samaria. It’s the biblical name of it. And we deal very straight. This is our homeland. It was the here for thousands of years. We don’t speak politics, we speak the truth about our history about our rights here by the Bible, by the history books.” Transcript: Reporter: Hundreds of supporters of the Jewish state from Norway Germany and Finland have just come together at a conference on how to fight back against BDS. Joining me now with more is attorney Nati Rom, the founder of Lev HaOlam, which organized this conference and...

Yafit is a moshav (collective community) located in the Jordan Valley. Moshav Yafit is off the main road and at the foot of an ancient hilltop fortress constructed by the Hasmoneans called Alexandrium (also known as Sartaba). It was built in the 1980s by a group of French immigrants that had been attracted to the beautiful desert area. The name “Yafit” means beautiful, and was chosen because of the beautiful desert. But the name was also chosen to honor and remember Yossi Yafa, an IDF commander. In 1992, Moshav Yafit absorbed many Russian immigrants. Then during the 1990s, Yafit had...

Bat Ayin is located approximately twenty-five kilometers south of Jerusalem, in the area of Judea known as Gush Etzion (or Eztion Block in English). All of the communities of Gush Etzion are adjacent or connected to a road called Derech Avot (road of the fathers). This road, which still exists, gets its name from the fact that it is the road that all of the Jewish patriarchs traveled while they resided in Israel. Bat Ayin was established by seven families led by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburg in 1989, on land originally purchased by Jews before 1948, which, under Jordanian rule until 1967, was treated as...

Pictured above is IDF commander Sharone Asman speaking with soldiers stationed in the Gush Etzion region. At a ceremony in the Gush Etzion (Judea) region of Israel – in commemoration of the jubilee or 50 year anniversary of the return of the Jewish people to the Judea, Samaria, the Golan and the Jordan Valley areas of Israel – soldiers who are currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) received packages from Lev Haolam. These soldiers held senior positions in the IDF and were presented the gift packages by the Gush Etzion regional commander, Sharone Asman. The IDF specifically wanted...