Chomesh Yeshiva Lights Are On, Lit by Jewish Israeli Pioneers

The unfairness policy of the government of Israel is being rejected by Zionism. Once again Jewish pioneers turn on the lights in the Jewish Israeli Community, Chomesh.

There is a story from the past that has an unbelievable impact on the present in Israel. Mostly unknown to most, a story that is the continuation of the famous Tel Hai battle that took place in March 1920.

The bloody Tel Hai events in northern Israel were part of 1919 riots, a series of harassments and assaults by Arab and Bedouin gangs on Jews and others. They began in the fall of 1919, with the withdrawal of British forces from the area, with attacks on Jewish communities.

The communities were Metula, the group in Tel Hai, Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, and on the Hamara village’s founding group. There were also attacks on the Christian villages in the area, the French army units in the northern Galilee, and the British army unit. The Bedouin attack on the settlement of Tzemach, on April 24, 1924, was part of the struggle for independence of the Arab kingdom of Syria.

The Battle of Maysalun, on July 24, 1920, was fought between the forces of the Arab Kingdom of Syria and the French Mandate forces, about 20 kilometers west of Damascus. The battle took place as part of the French effort to overthrow the nationalist government, declared by Hashem al-Atassi under the rule of King Faisal.

In the Battle of Maysalun, the Syrians were defeated by the forces of the French Mandate and because of that the independence of Syria was delayed for a quarter of a century. The Battle of Maysalun became a contemporary myth at the same time as the Tel Hai battle myth and is a parallel in its content.

The culmination of these events, the Battle of Tel Hai, took place on March 1, 1920, which became a national symbol, and ended with the death of eight Jews, among them the hero Joseph Trumpeldor. The attacks caused the temporary abandonment of the four communities, until the fall of 1920.

The three settlements, Tel Hai, Kfar Giladi and Metula, were abandoned shortly after the battle, but their residents returned after a few months. After that it was decided to unite Tel Hai and Kfar Giladi, and the original location of Tel Hai was abandoned.

One man from Kfar Giladi, named Yehuda Efrati, could not bear the reality that the lights of the Jewish-Hebrews settlement had gone out. So at the end of each working day Efrati arrived at Tel Hai with his dog, lit a light and went to sleep there. He created a reality that every evening the whole neighborhood saw the light of Tel Hai as if it had not been abandoned. And so it continued for 11 years, without a break!

Yehuda Efrati stopped this act only after people began to live there, when Tel Hai became an organizing camp for new Jewish settlements established in the area.

The Disengagement

About 18 years ago, the Israeli establishment turned off the lights of 25 Jewish settlements – as part of the establishment’s plan to destroy them; 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and 4 in northern Samaria. That atrocity is known as the Gush Katif Disengagement.

Boaz Haetzni

Boaz graduated from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in southern Israel, as a mechanical engineer. He is one of the leaders of the movement to return to Chomesh, in charge of VIP tours in the Shomron Regional Council.

Locals are putting a Mezuza, the doorpost on Chomesh for now permanent structure; mezuza is a small folded or rolled parchment inscribed by a qualified calligraphist with scriptural verses (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21) to remind Jews of their obligations toward God.
Locals are putting a Mezuza, the doorpost on Chomesh for now permanent structure; mezuza is a small folded or rolled parchment inscribed by a qualified calligraphist with scriptural verses (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21) to remind Jews of their obligations toward God.

The Settlement Is Chomesh

Chomesh was a Jewish-Israeli settlement in Samaria, in the Samaria Regional Council.

Since 2009, the “Renewable Yeshiva Chomesh” has been nestled on the state lands of the Chomesh community in the jurisdiction of the Samaria Regional Council. Until the implementation of the disengagement plan, there was a new Jewish settlement in the place, in the form of a communal-secular community, of the Beitar youth movement, which numbered approximately 70 families in 2005.

Until 2023, staying in the place was considered in violation of the secession law. In 2023, after the law of secession was repealed in the Knesset and with the approval of the Minister of Defense the ban was lifted.

The Yeshiva of Chomesh moved to a permanent structure – the first permanent structure to be established in the Shomron in a place where communities suffered from the 2005 secession.

Here we are talking about Chomesh, which is a yeshiva, a place of Jewish learning.

The Har Shalom Yeshiva was founded by Rabbi Mordechai Ganiram in 2002 in Chomesh. The Yeshiva was established as an offshoot of the Birkat Yosef Yeshiva and operated until the disengagement plan took place in 2005.

After the Chomesh evacuation, the yeshiva moved to Mitzpe Eshtamoa and was replaced in the Chomesh settlement location by the renewed Chomesh Yeshiva, headed by Rabbi Elishma Cohen.

In 2023, following the cancellation of the law of secession from Northern Samaria, the upheaval caused to the yeshiva students ended. The yeshiva moved to a permanent structure in Chomesh.

Boaz Haetzni had the righteous privilege to take part in the “return to Chomesh” movement. The journey began at the end of 2006 and is now gaining historic Zionist momentum.

Zionism

Zionism, born out of the heartbreak of the Jewish people, is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people. Like all people on earth, the Jewish people’s focus is to be responsible for their destiny and not depend on anyone for anything.

Zionism came about so Jews would not live tentatively and tenuously, hoping against hope that the warm welcome of the country where they resided does not change, as it did so very often. There was never a guarantee it would not happen again.

In the past 2000 years, Jews have lived in the diaspora after they were exiled from their ancestral homeland, Israel, in 70 AD. They have returned to their homeland to rebuild it since the 19th century.

The Zionism Obstinacy Is The Story Of Chomesh

This is a great story of the superhuman persistence of a group of many “Yehuda Efrati,” who not only disrupted their daily routine but also risked their lives, were persecuted, arrested, deported and returned to Chomesh, again and again and again.

And as much as they risked their lives, were persecuted, arrested, and deported, and because of all their troubles their number only increased all the time. It’s called dedication to the righteous cause.

After the repeal of the abominable expulsion law from Chomesh, and after the repeal of the ban on Jews staying in Chomesh, now the yeshiva is being established in an impromptu manner. Their presence in Chomesh is funded by the public’s generous donations, and it costs millions of shekels or dollars.

The lights are on, a Photo taken on May 30, 2023, from Shavei Zion, a Jewish-Israeli settlement near Chomesh Yeshiva - courtesy Boaz Haetzni
The lights are on, a photo taken on May 30, 2023, from Shavei Zion, a Jewish-Israeli settlement near Chomesh Yeshiva – courtesy Boaz Haetzni

Now a great light is being lit in Chomesh that will illuminate near and far. Once again Jewish pioneers turn on the lights in the Jewish-Hebrew settlement, Chomesh.

Right Of Settlement

The Jewish residents of Israel take into their own hands the right of settlement matters in Judea and Samaria

Boaz and his associates began to fulfill the goal they had set for themselves in the past: to stop the wheel of concessions by the institutions and start turning it back, in the right direction.

Every cliché fits here: ‘blessing and praise,’ ‘how great is this day,’ ‘we were like dreamers.’

Everything is nice and well, but now we have to talk about and get to the bottom of everything, because this effort to remain living on Jewish ancestral land costs a great deal of money. And Joseph Biden is not convinced; he does not want to help in the realization of Zionism on the lands of Israel.

Boaz Haetzni took on the task of raising a share of the cost, as part of a large crowdfunding, and this is the moment to contribute, and also to share.

Those who want to see the continued redemption of the people of Israel in the State of Israel, without a trace of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic propaganda, please look into your bank account and pull out a sum donation. Every dollar counts.

Here is the link to donate: https://givechak.co.il/chomesh?ref=nwc

Boaz Haetzni: +972-54-311-1686 | [email protected]

During the 2006 second Lebanon War, Nurit Greenger, referenced then as the “Accidental Reporter” felt compelled to become an activist. Being an ‘out-of-the-box thinker, Nurit is a passionately committed advocate for Jews, Israel, the United States, and the Free World in general. From Southern California, Nurit serves as a “one-woman Hasbarah army” for Israel who believes that if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.

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