Jewish History

Get closer to the Holy Land and feel the love of the people and the land itself! Imagine the feeling you have when you receive a present you’ve wanted for so long on your birthday. Or when a loved one surprises you with a thoughtful gift that brings love and joy to your heart. These are the feelings and emotions that subscribers to our Israeli gift boxes experience every month when they receive 7-9 unique products infused with the love of the pioneers who produced them. It is this level of closeness to the pioneers and the Holy Land we...

Explore the vibrant tapestry of Gush Etzion, from its historical landmarks to economic initiatives. From this article, you’ll gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Gush Etzion’s role in shaping Israel’s past, present, and future. The Rebirth and Flourishing Community of Kfar Etzion Kfar Etzion was established in the 1920s but was abandoned during the Arab riots of 1929. It was re-established in the 1940s by a group of Jewish settlers. The settlement was a focal point of conflict during the 1948 war. In May 1948, just before the establishment of the State of Israel, Kfar Etzion fell to Jordanian...

Wherever one treads in the Land of Israel, they are likely to encounter archeological evidence or ancient artifacts attesting to the deep Biblical history going back thousands of years. Discover some of the most iconic sites in the Land of Israel and connect to the stories of the Bible! Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) Located in the mountain range of Samaria is the ancient city of Shechem. This was the first place that our forefather Abraham stopped when he reached the Holy Land in 1737 BCE and where God told him that the Land of Israel would be given to...

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 temple. The city’s maintenance workers were accompanied by an archaeologist as they carefully started breaking up the ground to access the pipe. However, the team were soon told to stop digging when the archaeologist noticed some unusual stonework beneath the ground. It turned out to be part of a stone staircase from the biblical Pool of Siloam. Following this discovery, archaeologists started exploring the adjacent area, and it wasn’t long before they found the entrance to the pilgrims’ road.Excavating this ancient road was a feat of modern engineering. The excavation team knew they couldn’t close off the Old City or the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan in order to carry out a traditional dig. So, they worked underground while the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem life went on in the streets above them. They had to use special fibrotic cable cameras to decide where to dig, and a team of engineers worked to ensure the ground around the excavation was strong enough to support the people and buildings above. The official opening ceremony for the pilgrims’ road was held on June 30, 2019 after 8 years of excavation. In a bold display of solidarity with Israel and the Jewish right to be in Jerusalem, two top US diplomats - Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and US ambassador to Israel David Friedman - attended the event. Speaking at the ceremony, Friedman addressed Trump’s recent decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem: ‘Were there any doubts about the accuracy, the wisdom, the propriety of President Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, I certainly think this lays all doubts to rest.’ The incredible discovery of this pilgrims’ road raises the question: What other structures and artefacts from temple times are hiding beneath the stones of the ancient Jewish city of Jerusalem?

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 item G-d put in this time capsule is Shiloh. For hundreds of years, after the conquest of the land and before Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the Hebrew Tabernacle resided in Shiloh and was the divine portal to commune with the Creator. Shiloh is where Hannah urgently and insistently entreated her Lord for the blessing of bearing a child, and where G-d granted her request. Shiloh is where Hannah’s son Samuel, the last great judge of Israel, grew up and where he first heard the voice of the Lord. We know and believe this because of what was recorded in Scripture, but isn’t it amazing that locations and archeological excavations give support to this? Even more exciting is the fact that the Jewish people have now returned, standing on the promise given by G-d. While Shiloh today is more of a historical site than a spiritual center, it does hold a new piece of the time capsule: Hebrew agriculture. Ahiya Farm is one of the signs that the Jewish people have returned to the land promised to their forefather Abraham. The olive trees and the rich olive oil that Ahiya Farm produces is no random business enterprise. The large areas with olive trees and vineyards are cultivated with a keen awareness of love and purpose to build the Land of Israel through revived Hebrew agriculture. Fittingly, Ahiya Farm is known for having one of the largest olive oil presses in Israel, just as old olive presses have been unearthed at the archeological site at Tel Shiloh. Through Lev HaOlam, you can be part of the vision for Hebrew agriculture in the Land of Israel, and your support will have a direct impact on continuing the living history of the Jewish people.

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 He had made with Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham. Biblical and archeological evidence reveals a Jewish presence in Beit El throughout the centuries. The town prospered during the reigns of David and Solomon, and in the days of Elijah a school of prophets existed there. Archeological remains point to a flourishing Jewish town during the period of the Maccabees. In modern times, Beit El was one of the first communities in Judea and Samaria to regain a Jewish presence after the Six Day War of 1967. A courageous group of Jewish pioneers set out in 1977, just like Abraham nearly 4000 years earlier, and set up camp on the rugged mountain terrain of ancient Beit El, so fulfilling the prophecy given to their ancestors on that very site. The community has come a long way since those early days with no electricity or running water, cooking food and trying to keep warm using simple gas stoves. Beit El now boasts a population of nearly 7000 people with thriving cultural, educational and religious institutions. If you visit Beit El today, you may be forgiven for thinking you have stepped back in time to a world more innocent than today. This unspoiled hillside community where children play outside, and signs warn drivers to be careful of them feels like a little oasis. Yet the reality is that this idyllic picture exists against a backdrop of danger. Beit El is surrounded by six hostile Arab villages that want to erase the Jewish presence from this biblical town. The threat of violence is never far away. What’s more, Beit El’s many skilled artisans and producers, making everything from sheep’s wool blankets to fine wine are facing economic hardship due to the effects of the BDS movement. Some may ask whether the covenant G-d made with Abraham thousands of years ago, and confirmed with Jacob, still stands today. But for the Jewish families living on the front line in Beit El, risking their lives to dwell in the land promised to their ancestors, their faith in G-d’s covenant is as sure as the rocks they’re standing on.

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 functioning for more than 2000 years. Here the forefathers and foremothers of the Jewish people were buried - Abraham and Sarah, Yitzhak and Rivka, Yaakov and Leah. Muslims added minarets to the Jewish construction of The Cave of the Patriarchs to give the building a Muslim look. For 700 years of Muslim rule (the Mamluk, Turkish, and Jordanian), Jews were forbidden to enter The Cave of the Patriarchs. 3. It is considered that Adam and Eve were buried there first. The cave held significance even before Abraham purchased it. After Adam was banished from the Garden of Eden, G‑d Himself prepared a place near the entrance to the Garden, hewed out of rock, where he would bury Adam, the patriarchs and the matriarchs. The cave belonged to Ephron, but only Abraham was spiritually sensitive enough to know of its significance. 4. Jews live in Hebron for thousands of years. In addition to the references in the Old Testament and archaeological finds, there are also written evidence found in both Jewish and non-Jewish historical documents, as well as in travelers’ records, starting from the 1st c. AD 5. Today, Jewish citizens of Israel are allowed to be in 3% of the total area of the city.