A View from Gush Etzion - Jerusalem's Southern Gateway

White chocolate liquor, ambrosia in a glass at the Winery.
The highest zip line in the country, soaring many meters over the terraced valley below.
Horseback riding through the desert near Tekoa.
An institute, Tzomet, where cutting edge research combines science and Halacha .
The Gavna tea house whose reviews entice food connoisseurs from miles away..
Cherry festivals in early summer, thousands flocking to the area
to gorge in the orchards of Kibbutz Rosh Tzurim.
The highest concentration of specialists in emergency medicine in Israel live in Efrat.
Manufacturing of the most advanced lifesaving bullet proof vests at Kibbutz Kfar Etzion.
Goat cheeses and yogurt, organic fruits, mushroom truffles, boutique wines, nectarines, walnuts, raspberries, pomegranates, apples and kiwi, many produced by private enterprises
A petting zoo specializing in therapeutic care in Moshav Elazar.
Tens of Yeshivot and top educational institutions
Herodian, the palace and likely burial sight of the paranoid king

All this and more are a part of the life and landscape of Gush Etzion in 2007/5767, 40 years after Jewish resettlement in 1967, ending the Jordanian occupation of 1948.

The region south of Jerusalem and north of Hebron is known today simply as 'The Gush'. Most of the kibbutzim, towns and community villages are under the auspices of the Gush Etzion Regional Council; Efrat and Beitar Illit, while geographically a part of the Gush, have their own local municipalities based on their larger size. There has been a Jewish presence here since, well, pretty much since there were Jews in the world. Originally given to the tribe of Judah after the Joshua-led conquest of Eretz Yisrael, these Judean hills and desert have been part and parcel of nearly every event in the sojourn of the people of Israel in its homeland.

Rachel Imeinu is not buried with the other Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Ma'arat Hamachpela in Hebron but lies just outside Jerusalem near Bet Lechem, where she apparently witnessed the exodus from the Land. It's due to her impassioned plea to G-d to allow the children of Israel to return from exile that we came home. After the Six Day war in the summer of 1967, when the Arab world refused to negotiate land for peace, the refugees of '48 decided to 'Return to their Borders'. Stopping at the then modest, domed building, they 'received her virtual blessing' and from there went on to re-establish Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, the first Jewish community to be rebuilt in Judea and Samaria. The 19 'Judenrein' years, after a pretty constant 3500 Jewish presence in the heartland, were finally over.

Derech Avot, or the Patriarch's Way, is what archeologists believe is a section of the original road from Jerusalem to Hebron, which continued south to Beer Sheva. Roman mile markers- exactly a Roman mile apart- dot the path, attesting to its importance as the route taken by conquerors of Eretz Yisrael as well. Accessed today from the Gush mountain ridge of Neve Daniel and Rosh Tzurim, one can see the sun glint off the Mediterranean Sea to the west after watching it rise over the hills of Moav to the east. Children on bikes and hikers can be seen enjoying the view and the connection to the past. Army bases, antennae and the simple topographical facts speak for themselves regarding the modern security importance of overlooking the coastline from these heights. The more things change…..

Every place has a favorite son and ours is probably David, son of Yishai, the shepherd-warrior-poet King from Bet Lechem whose genealogy is recounted in the Book of Ruth, read on Shavuot. It is that early summer festival that really makes clear how agrarian Judaism is; how tied it is to the land, and not just any land, but specifically the Land of Israel. Bet Lechem means House of Bread and much of the drama takes place in the wheat fields surrounding the town, clearly a 'breadbasket' of that era. Original 'shomriyot' huts where our forefather farmers stayed during harvest can still be seen west of Highway 60, connecting us with what happened right here over 3000 years ago.

Remnants and signs of Jewish settlement abound from all historical timeframes. Bat Ayin had to reroute their entry road when a Second Temple era village was discovered, a wine press, mikva, mosaics and niches for pots still clearly identifiable. Too numerous to count are coins and other rare antiquities that have been found in the hills and desert. Low stone walls dated to First Temple farmers still hold the soil on the terraced hills, preventing more erosion of the previously scorched and denuded terrain. They are still used today, as grape vines, flowers and trees again take root in the now fertile soil.

Numerous mikvaot dot the landscape, including those mentioned in the G'mara with a wall down the middle of the stairs separating the pure and impure. Close to the Temple, those who converged on Jerusalem 3 times a year for the festivals would gather here for the final night and dip in the purifying collected rainwater. Guitar strumming teens (with accompanying portable barbeque grill) can be found any warm summer's eve just hanging out- near a 2500 year old natural pool. The precipitation that falls in these hills accounts for the abundance of natural springs and underground water sources and testify to the dependence on Divine goodwill that led to the many prayers for rain that are still a critical component of our liturgy. The clouds blow in from the sea, encounter the hot air over the Jordan Valley, warm up and then release the rain over the hills of Judea and Samaria. Much of the rain ends up in aquifers on the coast of Israel, providing forcritical water needs of the densely populated center of the country.

A few years ago the children of the area started returning home covered in mud, with clothing stains immune to bleach and Tide. They had discovered the ancient aqueduct system that supplied the Beit HaMikdash with water. Our forefathers were apparently brilliant engineers who, although bereft of modern calibration equipment, were able to channel water to thirsty Jerusalemites from distant sources, over miles of difficult terrain. Through the ancient 'pipes' water still flows. A section has now been dredged out and in the summer one can rent spelunking boots and helmets with lights and descend underground into the frigid water, ascending in the fields half a kilometer away between the communities of Efrat and Elazar. Not for little kids or the claustrophobic but great fun for everyone else.

Lower in the Judean hills the limestone is quarried; the porous nature of the rock accounts not only for the flow of water towards the sea but also for the stalactite and stalagmite caves resulting from the minerals in the rock dripping into caverns and forming magnificent 'sculptures'. That's why 'Jerusalem stone' doesn't make a good kitchen countertop, though, beautiful as it is. One spilled cup of punch and you realize that porous is forever.
Burial caves have been discovered dating from the early Iron Age- corresponding to the time of Joshua- through the Byzantine era. Many have been plundered by Arabs and their contents sold on the antiquities black market. Tour guide lore has it that a very old, decorated grave was found a few years ago near Carmei Tzur, one that had clearly once been the site of homage but with no clue as to its occupant. A forensic exam yielded the strange result that whoever was buried therein had been crushed to death by an elephant. Could this have been the grave of the youngest Maccabee brother, Elazar, who died as the royally bedecked elephant he speared in an erroneous attempt to kill the general of the Greek-Assyrian army collapsed on him? We know he died in the area, that's why the former moshav of Elazar is so named. An intriguing question, not the only one by far.

Speaking of the Maccabees, although they are associated with the Modiin area they did much of their fighting in their 30 year war against the Greeks and Hellenists here in Judea. The aforementioned Herodian, which towers like a mini volcano over the Eastern Gush communities of Tekoa, Nokdim, Kfar Eldad and Ma'ale Rechavam, is riddled with passageways used by the Maccabees and later the Bar Kochba rebels. It's also where many Gush residents go on Tisha B’Av to mourn the destruction of the Temples. Reciting Eicha by flashlight while gazing at the rebuilt Holy City from the same spot that fleeing Jews watched her burn over 2000 years ago adds much meaning to the day.

The Bar Kochba revolt, 60 years after the destruction of the Second Temple and bolstered by the spiritual backing of no other than Rabbi Akiva, was defeated at Beitar, in the northwestern corner of the Gush. Nearby is today's ultra-Orthodox community of the same name, one of the fastest growing cities in the country with an average of 5 births a day. (The Jewish population of the Gush stands at about 50,000 today with Beitar accounting for a whopping 60%. Their dynamic mayor served in the army and has done much to identify his city with the rest of the Gush). The Romans, after their victory, figured that they had crushed the upstarts, exiled the remainder and erased the name Judea forever, calling the country Syrio-Philestine and starting a trend -that continues till today- of renaming the Land of Israel in order to try and sever the Jewish connection. Despite it all, there was always a Jewish presence here, albeit a handful at times and in extremely harsh conditions. A visit to really Rome brings home the miracle of a return after the long, long Galut. 'Judea Capta'- Judea is captured-carved into the Arch of Titus along with pictures of the musical instruments from the Temple being carried into Exile by Jewish refugees. And yet today, Jews once again live and thrive in Judea, speak Hebrew, learn Torah, circumcise our sons, as a sovereign, free nation. And the Roman Empire lies in that overflowing dustbin of history.

What we now call the Etzion Bloc, or Gush Etzion, was initially established in the 1930's by a businessman, Shmuel Holzmann who funded kibbutz Kfar Etzion. ('Etz' is Hebrew for 'Holz', 'German for tree). The Arab riots of '36-'39 ended the attempt. An agricultural village called Migdal Eder, near today's Migdal Oz, had met the same fate in 1929. Its founders, Yemenite Jews, fled lest they meet the same fate that as the Hebron Jews did that year, when 69 were killed in a pogrom. A few years later the JNF organized the return of the Kfar Etzion group, joined by new kibbutzim Massuot Yitzchak and Ein Tzurim. These 3 Mizrachi affiliated religious communities were joined by the secular Hashomer Hatzair's Revadim and together these 4 were known as Gush Etzion..

In May of 1948 the Bloc fell to the Arab Legion after months of attacks following the UN Partition Plan. The bravery of the 35 soldiers (the Lamed Heh) who died in an attempt to relieve the siege has entered the annals of modern Israeli heroism. All but 4 of the defenders of Kfar Etzion were massacred after they surrendered and fighters from the other kibbutzim were taken into captivity. The Arabs razed the communities to the ground, uprooting all but one tree. This old oak is the symbol of the rebuilt Gush and gave the town of Alon Shvut (Return to the Oak) its name. The significance of the courageous stand of Gush Etzion in protecting Jerusalem was well understood by no less than David Ben Gurion: Israel's official Memorial Day ever since then has been the day before Independence Day, for it's the day that Kfar Etzion fell.

A map that hangs in the office of Shaul Goldstein, mayor of the Regional Council of Gush Etzion, shows the delineation of land in the Gush and that much is Jewish owned. Most fascinating is that this map belonged to none other than King Hussein and was found in 1967 when the region was liberated in the Six Day War. He purposely built refugee camps, such as El Arub south of the Gush Etzion Junction, on JNF owned land, but with the exception of some mini forests on a few hilltops the Hashemite King did little else here. As the Jews returned home and began to build towns, the infrastructure for electricity, water and roads was done by Israel for the Arab villages as well. There are now about 18,000 Arabs in their towns in the Gush, and many in illegal buildings in the valleys between the Jewish communities area.

Before the late '80's there was coexistence in the area, and till today many of the laborers that work in the Jewish towns are local Arabs. The sentiments are not the same, however. With a quick look around one notes that the Jewish communities have fences and security systems while the Arabs don't, belying the myth of the aggressive settlers in a glance. There have been many incidents on the road between the Gush and Jerusalem that ended in Jewish deaths and even suicide bombings inside the communities. Boys from Tekoa were stoned to death near the town and many people were injured and traumatized by the terror, mainly on the roads. Thankfully, that is in the past as the IDF has once again taken security control from the Palestinian Authority, but the simmering animosity is there, fomented by the imams and violent Moslem societal mores.

The Israeli government has decided to respond by building a massive fence and wall just east of Efrat, cutting the Gush in half in a shortsighted and misguided attempt to stop attacks. The amount of terror is down because our boys in khaki are in a 24/7 manhunt against terrorists of all stripes and organizations everywhere. The fence is but a stopgap measure; once the army is pulled to the western side not only will the communities on the 'outside' be subject to attack but missiles and tunnels will breach the barrier as we are seeing in Gaza and Lebanon. An Israeli leadership that won't assert Jewish sovereignty over this historical area is in retreat. Though it's ludicrous to contend that Jews have no rights to here (see above), they are foolishly establishing a 'border' based on Supreme Court decisions providing Arab access to the fields they claim.

A huge terminal will determine who gets into the Tunnel Road, causing Israeli citizens in the Land of Israel to go through a border check to get to Jerusalem, eerily reminiscent of the Kissufim Road and access to the other Gush, Katif, destroyed in August 2005.

Despite the possible uncertainty of our future, people continue to move into the area and housing is even hard to find in some places, mainly west of the fence. Buoyed by the 'consensus' of Israeli public opinion that Gush Etzion should remain under Israeli control; or certain in the demise of the leftwing government; or seeing the Arabs continuing to miss every opportunity to resolve the conflict and renounce terror'; or full of faith that we won't be exiled again; or all or none of the above, spirits here remain mainly high and life goes on. There is a religious Zionist cast to the Gush but it's by no means homogenous and there seems to be a sense of tolerance that is an important dynamic to life here.

We continue to do chessed in our own communities and for others, such as hosting thousands of Northerners during last summer's war. We feed soldiers soup, tea and cake at the 'Pina Chama', established for this reason by the widows of 2 murdered Gush men, one a world renowned cancer specialist. Rav Rimon's Jobkatif, to find employment for the displaced of Gush Katif is based here. The Mandell's of Tekoa run camps for terror victims as a response to their son Koby's murder. Soup kitchens and many gmachim and tzedaka organizations are supported by locals, publicly and anonymously. We work and teach in universities, colleges, yeshivot and more all over the country.. The "Raise your Spirits” women's drama company has given talented women and children an amazing outlet, as have other amateur productions. Current and former Members of Knesset call the Gush home and we have representatives of every profession living here. Some residents even commute to jobs outside Israel in order to have the income to stay and raise their children here.

Most educate our children to Torah and 'mesirut nefesh' – dedication to their people specifically and to be a light unto all nations. Rav Adin Steinsaltz's Makor Chaim, Rabbi Riskin's Or Torah network, the Or Etzion hesder yeshiva ('Gush') and too many others to mention, are thriving. We teach them science and hi tech so that they can contribute to the economy and be self sufficient, and watch them don uniforms to defend the sovereign Jewish country that we dreamed of for 2 millennia in a hostile world. We try to accommodate those who need a unique atmosphere, like the Shalva center in Alon Shvut and other special ed programs, and offer frameworks out of the traditional mainstream for those who need extra attention, like Lachan and Sde Bar. Yes, we grapple with the same issues and problems that plague parents of teens everywhere, and people are people so not everything is perfect, but we wake up proud every morning to live in a place that is special and blessed, resounding with the presence of those who came before and the hopes for those who will follow.

We have an incredible, unique light at the end of our Tunnel.
Her name is Jerusalem.

May she know no more war and may we all merit the days of peace prophesized within her walls so long ago.

Yom Yerushalayim Sameach.