A few dozen community members got to enjoy a top-notch dinner at The Bridge Turkish and Mediterranean Grill in Highland Park on December 8 while also learning from Yigal Dilmoni, CEO of the Yesha Council: The Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and Gush Katif. His talk was titled “The Challenges Facing the Israeli Communities of Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.”

The presentation was part of a speaking tour featuring Dilmoni introducing a new organization, American Friends of Judea and Samaria (AFJS), which will be officially “open for business” next month. AFJS co-founder, Rafi Lazerowitz, noted that the organization formed a board a few months ago and will be open for general membership in January 2023. Their goal is to change the public perception and media narrative of Judea and Samaria as well as to help with projects, such as purchasing and building farms that will increase the Jewish presence in the area and benefit all area residents. “We envision ourselves to be the AIPAC of Judea and Samaria,” said Lazerowitz, and the group looks forward to furthering education about the area and opening affiliated chapters on college campuses.

Dilmoni began his presentation by emphasizing the strong connection that the Jewish people have with Judea and the Shomron. The area is “our heritage, and we have the responsibility to make the area stronger—not only for the Jews of Israel, but for Jews all around the world in this generation and the generations to come in the future.”

Statistically, the area is approximately 22% of the area of the State of Israel. Enemies call the area “occupied territories,” but Dilmoni pointed out that “they clearly are unfamiliar with the facts: The Jewish connection to the area extends all the way back to Abraham, with this land being what God gave to the Jewish nation.” He added that Israel’s claim to the land is not just for national security or residential demographics, but due to the “very strong roots we have in the area.”

Dilmoni shared how special it is for him to drive to work on the same road that our forefather Abraham traveled with his donkey en route to Mount Moriah. It is astounding for the Jewish people to be back in the area after a period of nearly 2,000 years. The area includes Hebron and the gravesites of our ancestors, which the Torah specifically notes that Abraham purchased directly.

The Yesha Council is the umbrella organization that incorporates 25 municipal councils, 150 communities, numerous farms and factories, and more than half a million Israelis. With an annual population increase of 3.5%, the area vastly outpaces the rest of the country’s growth of 1.9%. Despite the incredible growth, the Knesset and Israeli government has practically ignored the area for nearly 50 years. After intense lobbying efforts, there is now an infrastructure master plan covering roads, water, electricity and affiliated growth that will benefit all Yesha residents. New tunnels and a bridge to Gush Etzion are some of the first obvious outcomes and benefits of the plan, designed for an anticipated population of 1 million.

Another concern of the Yesha Council is the illegal construction by the Palestinian Authority that is financed by the European Union. Area C, comprising 60% of Yesha, is the Israeli community; this area is under threat of possible takeover by the PA with 80,000 illegal housing units presenting a challenge for the future. To keep the land under Jewish auspices for future generations, Yesha is building Jewish housing, businesses, and farms in Area C.

The Palestinians are actively engaged in campaigns to physically erase and remove any traces of Jewish connections to the land that have been uncovered in archeological digs. Systemically the Palestinians have been destroying the wall around the altar built by Joshua when the Jews entered the land of Israel. Ostensibly to create a new road, the real aim was to remove the Jewish connection to the region. Tel Aroma, mentioned in the Torah, was also destroyed by the Palestinians, who then built their own encampment on the site, as was the ancient aqueduct that brought water to the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

Dilmoni said that AFJS is being formed to help strengthen Yesha and minimize the adverse impact of the Palestinian narrative. Specifically, their purpose is to 1) educate people around the world about the Jewish connection and right to Yesha; 2) develop additional legal Jewish housing; 3) continue to lobby the Israeli government to fund and support Yesha’s master plan for the future; and 4) build agriculture and farms in the area to stop the theft of the land.

Although the AFJS website and organization will not be fully operational until January, potential members and supporters can sign up at the many presentations Dilmoni is making across the United States. He recommends checking for the website in January for more information about the AFSJ mission statement, and for membership.

Rachel Amar, of Staten Island, came to The Bridge for a delicious meal and was pleasantly surprised to find out about the speaker. An ardent supporter of Israel, she was eager to talk to Dilmoni after the official presentation, adding that the current political message that Israel is an oppressor and practices apartheid must be changed. She anticipates that AFYS will be an important group to help get the correct message out to the world. Rabbi Leib Miller, of East Windsor, brought his four children to see the presentation and support Yehuda and the Shomron. The children enjoyed the program and the food, while their father expressed interest in the infrastructure plans for the area.

By Deborah Melman