Evyatar Sees Large Gathering for Joyful Rosh Chodesh Celebrations

Hundreds of Israelis, including Knesset legislators, attended a festive musical prayer service early Sunday morning in the recently legalized Jewish community of Evyatar in central Samaria.

The prayer event, held to mark the new Hebrew month of Tammuz, saw attendance from lawmakers Zvi Sukkot and Moshe Solomon of the Religious Zionism Party, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, and Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu.

Evyatar, established in 2013 in memory of Evyatar Borovsky, who was fatally stabbed in the area, has faced numerous dismantlings. The community was re-established after the tragic shooting attack at a gas station outside Eli in June 2023. Last week, Evyatar received official recognition under Israeli law, following Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s efforts to prevent the Palestinian Authority’s financial collapse.

“We are here to correct the sin of rejecting the land, a sin that can bring down an entire nation,” Dagan said. “We see it in the Gaza Strip; we see it on the northern border; this is a direct result of the sin of rejecting the land. Correcting this sin has the power to lift up the entire nation, and that’s what we’re doing here today.”

He continued, “We stand here in Evyatar and declare: Evyatar is not just houses. Evyatar is an idea, and this idea cannot be defeated. We are standing here and saying to the government of Israel and to the entire world that there will be many, many more Evyatars in Samaria.”

Rabbi Eliyahu added, “A week ago, [President Joe] Biden said that Evyatar was a red line and should not be legalized under any circumstances. But it looks like there was someone above this giant. This victory teaches us that it is not because of a government decision that the legalization of five settlements was decided; it is God’s counsel.”

Solomon remarked, “Exactly one year ago, I came to the town under unfortunate circumstances: After the terrible attack at the Eli Junction that claimed the lives of four of our children. The appropriate answer to this is to hold on to the land where our ancestors walked.”

According to Solomon, the return to Evyatar is “proof of the unbreakable Jewish spirit.”

Last week, an Israeli government body advanced plans for nearly 5,300 new housing units in communities throughout Judea and Samaria. The Supreme Planning Council of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration approved or advanced plans for 5,295 homes in dozens of towns. It also legalized three outposts as new neighborhoods in the Jordan Valley and near Hebron.

Speaking with residents of a recently legalized town in the South Hebron Hills, Settlements and National Missions Minister Orit Strock expressed her contentment with the “miracle period” in Judea and Samaria but voiced uncertainty about its continuation.

“Look at what we have achieved in just these last few months,” Strock said. “As long as this government lasts—and it’s unclear whether it will, completely unclear—but if the government continues with God’s help, it is like a miracle period for me.”

In March, the Supreme Planning Council approved the construction of 3,500 housing units in three Judea communities following a deadly terrorist shooting near Ma’ale Adumim. This year is on track to be historic for construction in Judea and Samaria, with approvals expected to surpass those of 2023, when work on a record 12,349 housing units was advanced. However, many projects have been stalled since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre in Israel and the subsequent barring of Palestinian construction workers from entering most Jewish towns for security reasons.

Israel’s continued growth and development highlight the indomitable spirit of its people and the enduring connection to their ancestral homeland. Share this article to spread the positive news, or subscribe to our newsletter for more updates on the incredible achievements within Israel.