judea

​ Amir and his wife Yemima knew that they wanted to make a difference in the community by enhancing the lives of those who call the region home. They understood a major challenge faced by settlers is finding meaningful employment. By establishing Herbs of Kedem Amir has been able to strengthen the settlement and create employment opportunities. While his team is small, he has a vision of sustained growth leading to the employment of hundreds of local residents, which certainly will “make the desert rejoice.” In keeping with Torah commandments, his company observes the biblical law of shmita, which means...

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 means red) that were part of the topography, the area became known as Ma’ale Adumim and maintains its name till today. After the Yom Kippur War, a group known as the ‘Ma’aleh Adumim group’, which was organized in Jerusalem and included members from all walks of life and from all walks of life set out to inhabit the area of Ma’aleh Adumim. After much effort, in the year 1975, the Government of Israel decided to approve the establishment of a residential camp for the workers in the area (the area now called Givat HaMayasdim) and henceforth a new Jewish community was established. Ma’aleh Adumim is a community largely comprised of families. As such the municipality does a great job of giving the residents a quality family life. One example of the family-friendly nature of the city is the Bnai Zion Municipal Library. The library works to provide maximum access to a wide range of books, reference books and consultation for the purposes of study, enrichment and leisure, with 85,000 titles in the library. New books in various languages, such as Hebrew, English, French, Spanish and Russian are available there. The library’s memberships includes approximately 4,800 families and 16,000 readers. Ma’ale Adumim is located within the jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, but has its own locality due to its size, making it a city. In 2015 it had a population of 37,525, making it one of the largest cities in Judea and Samaria. The city is located in the portion of Israel that was designated for the tribe of Judah.

​ Boaz with 3 of his children In Alonei Habashan, Boaz was a part-time farmer and a high school teacher for teenagers with learning disabilities for 6 years. From Alonei Habashan, he and his family moved to Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu (a farm co-op), in the Jordan Valley. Boaz continued to teach Torah, only this time, to retired army veterans. “After 7 years in Sde Eliyahu I felt that I had enough ,” Boaz said. “I felt that I was doing so much talking, but was lacking in doing physical work. It was then that I began...

Walking the Living Bible: Judea & Samaria Where Prayers Still Echo The First Deed of Belonging In Hebron, Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah to bury Sarah – Israel’s first deed of land. That act was more than a burial; it was a declaration of belonging. Today, Hebron is once again alive with the sounds of Jewish children, echoing the days of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. Families who live here carry forward the first footsteps of ownership written into the Bible. Ruth’s Faith and David’s Song In Bethlehem and the neighboring Gush Etzion, Ruth gleaned in the fields, binding her...