samaria

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...

In 1984, he and six other families moved to Itamar to settle the land and reintroduce a Jewish presence there. He dreamt of providing a livelihood and economic independence for people in the area, and that’s where the story of Perfumes Itamar begins. When Shimon and his family arrived in Itamar, it was a bare hilltop with stunning views of Samaria and little else. The families who settled in Itamar faced multiple challenges, from security to lack of infrastructure and jobs. Shimon and others worked odd jobs and often traveled great distances to find employment. After some years of living...

From the Samarian Hills of Itamar, Batya Erdstein channels all her energies into her pottery kiln, producing a stunning variety of ceramic pieces with designs inspired by the Bible and the Land of Israel. Meet Batya, a ceramist who puts all her love into her products. Originally from San Diego, California, Batya’s original career choice was quite a different one from that of a ceramicist. Back in the US, she was a nurse, earning a nice salary and enjoying a pleasant, if not very fulfilling, life. However, Batya has always been a very spiritual person, deeply connected to Judaism and...

Batya told us that her and her husband had always been interested in living in Judea and Samaria. “When we first got married, we lived in Bat Ayin , but then we moved to Tsfat and then we found ourselves back here in the Shomron again… It’s one of the most beautiful places in Israel,” Batya tells us. Batya continued to tell us about the ‘why’ that brought her and her family to Samaria. “I could have lived my life in San Diego, California working as a nurse and making a lot more money, but I believe that being here...

As he started to tell us about his life, we were no longer sitting on his couch in Kohav Hashahar, but instead were taken through space and time to his childhood home in Jerusalem. We observed two children playing in war trenches. It was before the Six-Day War, on a street bordering what was then Jordan. The younger child, Eliezer, and the older one, Yitzhak, were very busy at play. Their tunnels transforming into secret passages to a magical kingdom and the barbed-wire lining the border becomes the waves of the sea. The game abruptly stops when their mother calls...

Upon entering Eli, the community where Boaz lives, a beautiful panorama brimming with vast rolling hills could be seen ahead of us. Boaz was already waiting outside to greet us. He would later point out the view of the nearby community of Shiloh – the place that the Mishkan (Holy Tabernacle), the precursor to the Temple, first rested in the land of Israel. Pondering the name of his community, I inquired where the name Eli came from. Boaz smiled and enthusiastically answered that his hometown name was inspired by the name of the Biblical priest Eli, who had served and...

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...

The Story Behind the Shoresh Body & Soul Candle From Miami to the Hills of Samaria Nicole did not grow up imagining she would one day live in Samaria. Raised in Miami, she made Aliyah in 2005 and moved to Israel as a young woman seeking something deeper. The transition was dramatic. She left behind a familiar life and found herself adapting to an entirely new culture, language, and reality. “It was scary to move from Miami to the middle of nowhere,” she recalls. Soon afterward, she enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier and served in...

Samaria’s landscape is marked by its rolling hills and fertile valleys, making it a historically significant area for agriculture. The biblical city of Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, was a center of political and religious activity. As described in 2 Kings 17:5-6, it was conquered by the Assyrians, leading to the exile of its people. Today, the region continues to be a place of cultural and religious significance, drawing interest from historians and tourists alike. The agricultural richness of Samaria is highlighted in passages like Deuteronomy 8:7-9, which describe the land as a place of wheat,...

Samaria’s history offers insights into the complexities of ancient Israel. The Founding of Samaria Samaria was established as the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel by King Omri in the 9th century BCE. This strategic choice was more than a mere political maneuver; it represented a new center of power away from the traditional tribal territories. The Bible provides an account of Omri’s purchase of the hill where Samaria was built, marking a significant development in the urbanization of the region (1 Kings 16:24). The city’s founding would set the stage for future religious and cultural evolution. Samaria’s role...