Our History in the Golan

Golan not only is it Israel’s most strategic piece of Land and crucial for its long term security but it is literally a treasure still not yet discovered by the world.

It is the story of Jews turning waste Land into a flourishing productive environment. It is located only 60 miles east of beautiful Haifa.

We first learn about our ancient history in the Golan, in the Torah.

“Then Moses set aside three cities on this side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun….Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.” D’varim 4:41, 43

Yes, in ancient times the Golan located in the former Land of Bashan was inhabited by Jewish settlers from the tribe of Manasseh and is mentioned 3 more times in the Tanach.

In closer times we can also find a Jewish presence here.


“At the end of the Hasmonean period, King Alexander Yanai conquered the Golan and settled it with Jews. Jewish settlement in the central Golan existed continuously since then for a period of 700 hundred years. The district capital was Gamla, which fought with supreme heroism in the Great Revolt, losing Ten thousand of its fighting sons in battle in defense of the Golan.”

King Alexander Yanai was a grand nephew of Judah Maccabi.

The long Jewish history in the Golan has given us the remnants of 25 synagogues from Talmudic times which have been discovered. In the late 1800’s Zionists began to move in. In 1891 Baron Rothschild purchased 18,000 acres in the eastern Golan. This was not the first Jewish Land purchased here in the 1800’s. Below is a photo from golan.org.il of the remains of an ancient synagogue.

Modern Day Golan

Israel captured the Golan in June 1967 in a defensive war in which Syria had intended to use this Land as a spring-board for an attack. On December 14, 1981, 7 days before Chanukah, the Knesset voted to extend Israeli rule over the Golan. They annexed this Land. “Baruch HaShem” The Land finally returned to the Jews.

Freshness and Life

Jewish settlers began to settle on the Land as the morning dew settles on the grass, bringing a renewed freshness and life.

Today, a Land that appeared to be almost useless and used to attack Jews has now been turned into a rich Jewish region of agriculture and tourism where 2,000,000 people visit every year.


“The Land of Water and Wine.” Today one third of Israel’s drinking water comes from this place. Of coarse the flourishing wine industry has just been mentioned. The map displays the precious water systems which flow from the Golan.

Why do so many tourists come here every year? Well, the mountain views are wonderful and of coarse there is Mount Hermon in the far north of the Golan. Lovers of nature flock here in the spring and summer and people ski here in the winter on Mount Hermon. It is capped with snow several months a year.


It surely has been written by King David:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity….It is like the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there HaShem commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” Tehillim 133:1, 3

Below are some enjoying Mount Herman!

Gilad Shalit de regresso a Israel sob um forte dispositivo de segurança

Gilad Shalit free

At the press conference on Thursday, Noam Shalit said his son's state was improving. "Gilad is feeling better and is under medical surveillance. He went out for a short walk, rode on his bicycle and played table tennis at home. He has met up with friends – friends from the village (Mitzpe Hila), school and childhood friends,"

Ma'ale Adumim

Davidmosberg - Own work

Ma'ale Adumim municipality

צילום:ד"ר אבישי טייכר

"This is the inheritance of the tribe of B'nai Y'hudah, by their families....The northern border began at the bay of the Sea at the end of the Yarden; then the border went up to Beit Hoglah and passed north of Beit Aravah; next the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Re'uven; then the border went up to D'vir from the Akhor Valley, the northward facing Gilgal that is across from Ma'ale Adumim, which is on the south side of the valley..."Joshua.15:1,5-8

"When the Sun rises, its Glory first passes over Ma’ale Adumim then to Holy Jerusalem. It has a distinction and location that no other city in Israel has. It is a Jewel among the cities of G-d. When the sun sets the Shalom of G-d rests over the city.

This is the reward for being the city, G-d has chosen, to guard the Eastern Side of Yerushalayim HaKodesh.

From this city one has the view of the Mount of Olives and mount Scopus. Turn around and you can see beyond the Jordan River. Yes wherever you view from the edge of the city you have the Judean and Binyamin Hills. You have not yet reached paradise but those who live there are not far away.

The city is incredible beautiful and peaceful. The stones that make up the buildings and line the streets are pleasant to the eye as well as the trees and other beautiful vegetation of the Holy Land.

Ma’ale Adumim has one of Israel’s largest industrial zones with over 100 factories which is located outside the residential area. However if you want to work or go to Holy Jerusalem for what ever reason you are less then ten minutes away. Imagine living on an isolated hill top oasis and then in a moment’s time you can be at the Kotel. What a life!

There is a highway that travels west from Ma’ale Adumim to Holy Jerusalem that took over three years to complete. It passes through a 550-meter long tunnel built through Mount Scopus under Hebrew university campus.

Ma’ale Adumim is a safe city and this makes it good for children."

Rosh Hanikra - The Ladder of Tire.

Imagen of  https://www.rosh-hanikra.com/home-en/

The fascinating tourist attraction of Rosh Hanikra is located at the most north-western corner of Israel, the only point in the country where the sea meets the mountains. Visiting the site is suitable for families of all ages and is recommended all year round!

Rosh Hanikra is in the northwestern corner of Israel, on the border of Israel and Lebanon. The white chalk cliffs offer a spectacular panoramic view of Haifa Bay, the hills of the Galilee and the Mediterranean.

The book of Joshua (13:6) mentions "Misraphot Mayim" south of Rosh Hanikra, as the border of the Israelite tribes during the 14 -13 centuries BCE. Jewish sages referred to the cliff as "The Ladder of Tire." The Muslim conquerors renamed the area A-Nawakir (the grottoes). The present name, Rosh Hanikra, is a hebraicized version of the Arabic Ras-A-Nakura.

In ancient times, Rosh Hanikra was along the trade route between the northern civilizations in Lebanon and Syria and the southern ones in Palestine, Egypt and North Africa. The place was then known as "the Ladders of Tyre." It has been the gateway in and out of Palestine since ancient times. In 333 Alexander the Great entered the Land of Israel through Rosh Hanikra, and is believed to have led his Greek army through a tunnel his forces dug in these cliffs.

The British army invaded Lebanon from this direction during the two world wars as did Israeli forces in the late 70's and early 80s. During World War II, the British dug a tunnel for the railway running between Haifa and Beirut to facilitate the movement of supplies from Egypt to the north.

When the British withdrew in 1948, Israeli forces took over Rosh Hanikra and the Palmach blew up the railway bridges in the grottoes to prevent the Lebanese army from invading from that direction when the War of Independence began. During the Lebanon War, you could watch lines of Israeli tanks along the border preparing to cross and jeeps with UN peacekeepers observing the movements.

The grottoes of Rosh Hanikra were formed by the sea chipping awaw portions of the soft chalk rock over thousands of years. In 1968, a tunnel was dug from the shore to the natural grottoes.

The tunnel was constructed slightly above the sea surface. It is 400 meters long and took two years to complete. A cable car leads to the shoreline where visitors can explore the grottoes. It is possible, though not advised, to swim in the grottoes, which are inhabited by bats, loggerhead sea turtles, sea birds and other wildlife. The place is a part of the Achziv Natural Reserve.


Fonte:www.google.com/

Prayer for Israel

Let us pray for peace in Israel and there is no armed conflict and many lives can be saved:

"The Lord bless you from Zion, and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life: And you will see the children of your children and peace upon Israel" (Amen)
Psalm 128.5-6


Thank you for praying!

Marion Vaz