Unique library with writings on zionism and its forefathers inaugurated in presence of natan and avital sharansky. If you would like to know more about the history of kfar etzion and the etzion bloc, the following are available online in english. Fulfilling words of prophets, children of gush etzion return and rebuild. The etzion industrial area is located between the local council efrat and kibbutz migdal oz. To the arabs of hebron and the surrounding area they were unwelcome visitors.
Gush etzion has played a part in much of israels state and prestate history, and the area is rich and deep with biblical lore. Nestled in the judean hills, some 15 minutes south of jerusalem, is gush etzion, a bloc of israeli settlements whose history goes back to 1920s. New york times article from december 15, 2015 in an article entitled west bank shopping center, a symbol of coexistence, is shaken by violence, the times gave more detailed history than typical. The impact of deir yassin massacre on the palestinianarab community was much stronger than the impact of the gush etzion or haifa massacres. Robinson, the ceo of the jewish national fundusa, the story of gush etzion mirrors the history of modernday israel. The fraud of gush etzion, israels mythological settlement.
Firstly, the history of gush etzion of 1948, chevron massacre of 1929, safed pogroms of early 1900s, establisment of neighborhoods of meah shearim and sharei chesed in early 1900s, the trips made by rav sonnefeld and rav kook to settlers of the galile, rav aryeh levins loving relationship with irgun soldiers, construction and subsequent. First established in kfar etzion, it moved to alon shvut, where it developed into a major. And as israel prepares to celebrate its sixtieth anniversary in may 2008, gush etzion, the etzion bloc, continues to develop into a. After viewing this video, i had two profound feelings. In the 1967 war, jerusalem was reunited and the gush was liberated by israel and new kibbutzim were built, creating a flourishing and prosperous settlement bloc. Gush etzion is an area located just outside jerusalem on route 60 take the gilo city exit. The library has received special collections of rare and antique books as part of the yeshivas educational message of incorporating modern and renewed jewish life, in eretz israel and gush etzion with the deeprooted and stable traditions of our nations ancient torah.
An additional fraud was then introduced on a national scale. Kfar etzion resources and photographs books by yael. Gush etzion atvs offers 12 hour long offroad atv tours through one of israels most historic. The fields and vineyards are still farmed using traditional methods, and you can follow the same ancient paths trodden by patriarchs and pilgrims through the. Legalistic arrangements were made in order to allow israel to declare privatelyowned palestinian land state land, which was then turned over to jewish settlers for development. His perspective on israels current political reality, relationship with other countries around the world and solutions for future prosperity and security are clear, bold, bottom line facts that everyone invested in understanding the region needs to hear. The area called gush etzion today is more than 30 times the size of the historic gush etzion. Massacre that marred birth of israel world news the.
The story of gush etzion became a microcosm for the story of the jewish people and its relation to the land of israel, said mordechai shvat, a gush etzion historian, former tour guide and resident of rosh tzurim religious kibbutz in gush etzion. Video activism participants hendel seif, jason hertz and jesse benjamin slomowitz bring us a first hand account, from real people that lived and made gush etzion what it is today. There is an audiovisual show at kfar etzion that tells you about the importance of this area to modern history, atv rides and the longest zip line. Gush etzion, a group of four kibbutzim kfar etzion, massuot yitzhak, ein tzurim and revadim was established about 20 kilometers north of hebron on the road to jerusalem during the british mandatory period. Yehuda amital, a prominent rabbi and jewish educator was asked to head the yeshiva. He is the author of an internet shiur entitled talmudic methodology with over 5,000 subscribers, and authors an audio shiur for kmtt ki mitzion teitze torah the torah podcast, entitled. Gush etzions flourishing archaeological and historical. History of israel books, jewish history books judaica web store. A unique library comprising of writings and books on zionism and the founders of zionism was dedicated tuesday at the oz vegaon nature preserve in gush etzion, in the presence of former head of. Fulfilling words of prophets, children of gush etzion. The authors evaluate the torah by examining the text, not midrashic interpretations of it, even though midrashim have sermonic values. And if one can imagine a scenario in which gush etzion jews will once more be uprootedboth tekoa and nokdim, on the wrong east side, are rumored to be on the chopping blockone may also venture the. This har etzion book contains fortyfour essays by seventeen male rabbis and one female. Its natural green landscapes provide the perfect backdrop for fun family outings and meaningful activities.
For the modern regional council, see gush etzion regional. Reading the megilla is a timebound positive commandment, as the obligation to fulfill it is limited to the day of purim. The history of gush etzion in israel and the stories of the people who were involved. Gush etzion is a cluster of jewish settlements located in the judaean mountains, directly south of jerusalem and. Siege in the hills of hebron book by dov knohl available for sale online. The third attempt was in 1943, when different affiliated groups established four settlements, the rebirth of kfar etzion. Aharon lichtenstein moved from the united states soon after it was established to join amital as rosh yeshiva. There is no area in israel that more symbolizes the flow of jewish history than the gush etzion region, situated just fifteen minutes south of jerusalem. A wonderful presentation explaining the history and bond of the jewish people to gush etzion. The defenders of gush etzion were the only ones who stood between the jordanians and jerusalem. Israel is a small and relatively young country, but its turbulent history ha. The new york times actually tried to give its readers some history of gush etzion for a change. If history is any guide, there is reason to believe that, for the foreseeable future, gush etzion will need to be defended by force of arms. The core group includes four jewish agricultural villages that were founded in 19401947 on property purchased in the 1920s and 1930s, and destroyed by the arab legion before the outbreak of the.
And now im lucky enough to be learning at yeshivat haretzion in alon shvut, one of the premier centres of torah scholarship in the world. Book your tickets online for the top things to do in gush etzion, palestinian territories on tripadvisor. Jewish settlement in the hebron mountains and the etzion. The braita derives from the first pasuk in parashat mishpatim that men and women are equated when it comes to all mitzvot in the torah. The gush etzion foundation was established in 1997 to assist and promote the communities and residents of gush etzion. This rule notwithstanding, the gemara establishes that women are obligated in this mitzva. Its time to learn the facts about judea and samaria the. See information about events, happenings, activities, outings and hikes throughout the region. Rabbi tuly weisz, founder of israel365, explains in his commentary on the book of genesis, published in the israel bible, that rachel was buried there, rather than in the family plot in hebron, because years later this would become. Yes, my leftleaning political views place me in a minority here.
The etzion bloc gush etzion jewish virtual library. Today there are 24,000 residents in 22 communities. Because of its strategic location, the bloc was heavily contested during israels war of independence in 1947 and 1948. A day in gush etzion can include a visit to a 2000 year old mikveh on the path of the patriarchs, where abraham, isaac and jacob walked, a stop at a local winery, or perhaps the local microbrewery. One of these settlements is kibbutz kfar etzion, where a museum chronicles the areas history and especially the bloody battles waged on gush etzion and its supply lines by the arab legion in 1948. After the region was recaptured in 1967, many children of the original founders, along with other settlers, returned to establish the etzion bloc as an integral.
The etzion bloc gush etzion in hebrew, which today consists of 18 communities and nearly 40,000 residents, is located between jerusalem and hebron. In 1968, shortly after the sixday war, a movement was founded to resettle the gush etzion region. For 2,000 years, am yisrael yearned to return to eretz yisrael, shvat told breaking israel news. In addition, rabbi taragin currently teaches at the stella k. Gantz visits gush etzion settlement, praises strategic.
The book is worth reading for an introduction on 1948, beyond that, there are many other books that are better. Gush etzion winery 2020 all you need to know before you. Regarding all timebound positive commandments, men are obligated and women are exempt mishna, kiddushin 1. Gush etzion hosts a yeshiva, yeshivat hamivtar, in the town of efrat that allowed me to study in just that sort of open orthodox environment. Gantz visits gush etzion settlement, praises strategic value for israel. Located to the south of maale adumim and organised as a community settlement, it falls under the jurisdiction of gush etzion regional council. For over four decades, the yeshiva was headed by two of the most outstanding scholars and community leaders of our time harav yehuda amital, ztl, and.
Herodion national park this desert fortress is both the palace and the gravesite of king herod. Yeshivat har etzion, founded in 1968 in gush etzion, has become one of israels outstanding institutions of learning, inculcating in its students intellectual excellence, spiritual growth and national commitment. The first comprehensive yet accessible history of the state of israel from its inception to present day, from daniel. The recent furor surrounding the governments decision to declare nearly 1,000 acres at gvaot in gush etzion state land is a classic example of the ignorance of history and law that. The second attempt was made by shmuel holtzman in 1935, who established the village of kfar etzion and after whom gush etzion is named holtztreeetz. The etzion bloc, or gush etzion as it is called in hebrew, is located on the main road from the south to jerusalem, northwest of hebron. You can find activities there that can take you back to the time of king herod visit his palace or to the time of the 67 war and the founding of many of the communities. Gush etzions deep jewish historical roots americans.
Payments can be made by conveying credit card information by phone, to the yeshiva office 029937300, to the nj office 12127324874. Unfortunately, it still missed the critical points. Zionist library inaugurated in gush etzion inside israel. The etzion industrial park was established in order to assist the demographical development and the development of the settlements in gush etzion, and to provide employment for the residents.
Abraham beit midrash for women of yeshivat har etzion in migdal oz in gush etzion. View of the reconstructed kfar etzion courtesy of the kfar etzion archives. This article is about the evolution of the historical etzion bloc of settlement. Stories of the matriarchs, patriarchs, and as the setting for the book of ruth, gush etzion holds great importance to not only the. Sharanskys inaugurate new gush etzion library bringing.
Tourism in gush etzion gush etzion is the rural area just 10 minutes from jerusalem. A simple reading of the book andor others would easily validate this. A fundamental principle concerning obligation in mitzvot states. It is an area filled with history, fun and adventure. The massacre at kfar etzion, as it was called in 1948, moulded the israeli psyche, spawning the israeli settlement project.
Gush etzion gush etzion is a group of israeli settlements on the west bank between bethlehem and hebron, about 950 meters above the sea level. The history of gush etzion in israel and the stories of the people who were involved in its creation is an example. From his home base in jerusalem, daniel gordis delves into more than just whats written in the history books, writing about israels political. Abraham passed through this area on his way to bringing isaac to mount moriah, the site of the binding of isaac. A history of gush etzion and the massacre of kfar etzion online article. History and heritage archives gush etzion foundation. This splendid book by a young american jewish scholar is the.
Scripture has made woman and man equal regarding all the laws in the torah. The triumph and tragedy of israel, which purports to. Josh hasten is an important voice representing gush etzion in particular and judea and samaria in general. At the time, david bengurion said of the settlers, if a jewish jerusalem exists today, the thanks of jewish history and the whole people must first go to the fighters of gush etzion. David morrison gives us a wellwritten and very emotionally moving history and description of gush etzion and the affect that it has had upon the culture of the state of israel. In this sicha, we will discuss how to understand various sources in. On and off the beaten track in gush etzion jewish action. Etzion bloc is a cluster of jewish settlements located in the judaean mountains, directly south of jerusalem and bethlehem in the west bank. Today, we will explore the area more deeply and learn why this area is called gush etzion. The four kibbutzim communal settlements of gush etzion are associated with several sad and glorious chapters in the history of modern israel, and with a massacre carried out by arab palestinians. The 5 best things to do in gush etzion for travel after. Historically speaking, this area is the scene of many biblical stories. During the months bridging the vote on the partition plan november 29, 1947 and the birth of the state of israel may 15, 1948, gush etzion came under siege.
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