In an act of defiance against U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, a group of Jewish students from the United States spent last week working in hilltop communities throughout Samaria. Obama is pressuring Israel to cease all construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, and the students are volunteering in some of the very Jewish villages which the U.S. is asking the Israeli government to demolish.
Building the farm at Kfar Tapuach
Israel news photo: David Ha'Ivri
The six day program, run jointly by the Samaria Liaisons Office and the Zionist Freedom Alliance (ZFA), brought the volunteers to Har Bracha, Yitzhar, Shalhevet Yam, Kfar Tapuach, Havat Gilad and Shavei Shomron for a week of building, planting, painting and study.
Executive Director of the Samaria Liaisons Office David Ha’ivri says, “Through this one week program, these kids get a unique hands-on opportunity to meet the pioneers settling the barren hilltops of Samaria and take part in reviving Jewish culture and agriculture in our ancient homeland.”
U.S. Students Working the vineyards at Har Bracha
Israel news photo: David Ha'Ivri
Ha’ivri also emphasized that this was a pilot run for what he hopes will become a mainstream experiential program for Diaspora Jewish students.
“We are grateful for the cooperation of the ZFA and plan on jointly promoting additional such programs throughout campuses in America. This partnership between youth volunteers and Jewish farmers in Samaria is a blessing for both sides: the farmers need working hands, and the youth get an unforgettable experience that connects them to the Land of Israel.”
Painting the Jungle Gym at Gilad Farm
Israel news photo: David Ha'Ivri
The students work the land by day and attend Israel advocacy training classes by night. ZFA leader Yehuda HaKohen says that learning to champion Jewish national rights while actually working the land and experiencing “settler” life creates the kind of Zionist leadership that no pro-Israel group has until now been able to produce....