When people hear of Judea and Samaria, what do they think? Some have an image of tents on hilltops, barefoot children and roaming farm animals.
Others think of violent Arab cities that the television news depicts. Arab youth with keffiyehs covering their faces, throwing rocks, and being violent.
What is the reality?
There are all kinds of villages and cities in this beautiful part of Israel, called the “West Bank” by some, but really named Judea and Samaria. This area, which makes up 60% of the State of Israel, is similar in topography to “the valley” of Los Angeles: Rocky limestone hills covered with olive trees and grapevines, and scrubby plants. Shepherds tend their flocks of goats and sheep out here and live similarly to the way our ancestors lived. King David the shepherd lived here.
So did Avraham, Yitzhak and Yacob. They are all buried here—Joseph as well—and their wives Sara, Rebecca and Leah. Judea and Samaria is the size of Delaware … quite large, covering 21% of all territory west of the Jordan River, a land mass of 3,438 square miles. North and South are approximately 80 miles long and East to West, 25-40 miles wide.
About 6% of the population of Israel lives here, specifically, over 2 million Arabs and approximately 600,000 Jews.
Medical care is inconsistent, which means that some towns have small clinics, but many do not. These clinics are managed by the national health providers, and doctors have set hours. There are no emergency clinics or hospitals in the smaller communities of Judea and Samaria. Thus, the need for round-the-clock emergency medics exists even as the population grows and develops. Whereas in a city, a new neighborhood means hundreds of housing units and thousands of new residents, in these small places, a new neighborhood means 10 houses. The population will never be as large as a city. In most of Judea and Samaria, made up of these places, the community depends on these volunteer medics.
How many medics are operating in the region? Hatzalah Judea and Samaria support 1,600 volunteer medics, paramedics and doctors. These brave individuals are equipped with excellent training through Magen David Adom, and they complete a training program akin to an internship before setting out on their own. Once the internship is finished, each medic receives first-response gear. If vehicles are available, they are distributed accordingly. Most medics use their own vehicles, or their legs, running to attacks if they occur close by. But vehicles are needed to reach people quickly in the case of a car accident, heart attack or terror incident, which happen way too often.
Beit Chaggai is a community of Jews in the southern Hevron Hills, about 45 minutes south of Jerusalem. Beit Chaggai is exactly what is described above … a town on the periphery. A growing village but still considered small. The population in these smaller towns is counted by families, not individuals. Beit Chaggai has 150 families. Where is it exactly? Drive south out of Jerusalem on Route 60. Pass Gush Etzion. Pass Hevron. At the first traffic circle follow Route 60 to the right. You’ll see the sign “Beit Chaggai” on your left … you’ve made it.
Beit Chaggai was established in 1984 in memory of three boys who were murdered by Arab terrorists. Over the years there have been multiple terror attacks both inside the yishuv and on the adjacent road, Route 60, right outside the community. Yet Beit Chagai continues to grow.
Today there are 10 medics, 10 ambulance drivers and two nurses volunteering with Hatzalah Yehuda and Shomron in Beit Chaggai.
Yisroela Joran of Edison has a sister living in Beit Chaggai whose husband is one of those volunteer medics and ambulance drivers. He complained to Yisroela about the constant breaking down of the ambulance, even in the middle of an emergency. Yisroela was alarmed to learn this, so she decided to do something about it. She contacted Hatzalah Yehuda and Shomron in Israel, and set up a campaign to raise funds for a new ambulance. The dedication took place on May 8, 2025.
Yisroela and her husband, David, sadly lost their oldest child two years ago, and have dedicated this ambulance entirely to her, to Lieba, z”l.
Natalie Sopinsky, a Delaware native, was raised in an all-American Conservative Jewish family. Today she is a pistol-wearing, hitchhiking settler living in the Hebron Hills. A lawyer and lifeguard and the mother of five children, Natalie represents the 150 communities in Judea and Samaria as director of development for Hatzalah Yehuda and Shomron, the main U.S. charity for emergency medical needs in the Jewish heartland, https://hatzalah.org.il/en/; Natalie also hosts the weekly radio program “Returning Home” on Israel NewsTalk Radio, https://israelnewstalkradio.com/returning-home/. Natalie can be reached at [email protected]
Since Oct. 7, 2023 and the Israel-Hamas war, Natalie has had two sons serving in the IDF, both in fighting units. There are thousands of families with children fighting … and husbands … and brothers. Natalie’s third son is set to enter the IDF soon.
Natalie has more information on her website: www.nataliesopinsky.com
