As Trump lands in Israel for his first visit as US president, a historic celebration will take place in Judea marking the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the ancient Jewish homeland.
“As far as settlements, I’d like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit,” US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a memorable press conference this past February in Washington, D.C.
If this is still Trump’s position, he may surprised to arrive in Israel just hours before a historic building inauguration in the heart of Judea. On Sunday, May 21st, the 25th of Iyar on the Hebrew calendar, Rabbis Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel will host an internationally live-streamed mega-celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Jewish return to Judea during the first day of the Six-Day War in 1967.
“We didn’t plan this event to coincide with Trump’s arrival,” Abramowitz explained. “This is a celebration of one of the greatest miracles in Jewish history – the Six Day War. While we commemorate the return of Jerusalem, our national soul, Judea is our nation’s heart. And now, as global condemnation and pressure is strategically focused on Judea and Samaria, we must take to the hills and send a very clear message to the world – there is nothing more natural than a Jew in Judea.”
“We chose this date to inaugurate our international headquarters in the hills of Judea because the 50th year is not only a historic milestone, but also a spiritual one,” said Rabbi Gimpel. “On the Jubillee year, a shofar is blasted declaring freedom throughout the Land. This Sunday night we will be sounding the shofar declaring one powerful truth – “Jews will live in freedom in Judea.”
“While we hope that President Trump acts with courage and moral clarity by affirming Jewish autonomy in Judea and Samaria, we are here to say that the Jews have returned to Judea and we are here to stay, regardless of what he or any other leader may have to say about it,” Abramowitz asserted.
‘The UN Can Pass as Many Resolutions as it Pleases’
“A Jew named Amos prophesied in these exact mountains that when Israel returns to the Land we will be plant vineyards and drink of their wine – never to be uprooted again. So the United Nations can pass as many resolutions as it pleases but the Jews are in Judea and we will never be uprooted again,” Gimpel added.
The soon-to-be-inaugurated Land of Israel headquarters is a castle-like fortification in the mountains of Judea that must be seen to be believed. Sharply contrasted by the surrounding caravan-populated settlements, the headquarters is built of the very Judean stones upon which it stands.
“We are sending a message that the age of rickety caravans has come to an end. Our meter-thick Judean stone walls reflect the eternal roots with which we are connected to this land. As Trump visits Masada, a Jewish fortification 2,000 years old, our Center will stand erected for at least 2,000 years to come.” Gimpel exclaimed, while gazing from the building’s window at Masada in the distance.
The Land of Israel headquarters is situated in the most contested area in eastern Gush Etzion. With a breathtaking view of the expanse of the Judean Desert all the way to the Dead Sea, the nature of the center differs depending on whom you ask. “While I see it as a ‘Judean embassy’ type of building, projecting a message of Jewish identity and nationhood, Jeremy sees it as Yeshivat Shem Va’ever resurrected – referring to the ancient Biblical yeshiva for the world,” Abramowitz explained.
While the headquarter’s primary function is still being worked out, one thing is for certain: It will continue on the same mission of spiritual advocacy to which these two rabbis have been dedicated for nearly two decades.
Where Can a Jew Live, if Not in Judea?
Having met as soldier and commander in the IDF, Abramowitz and Gimpel spent the past 15 years focusing on their unique brand of “spiritual advocacy,” projecting the “truth and beauty of Israel to the world.”
“This is more than a building. It’s an idea. And we’ve put everything we have into this because it’s an idea who’s time has come,” Abramowitz stated.
“The base covenant between God and Israel is…this land. Why is the world so obsessed with dividing our country, which is the size of New Jersey? There is so much open land in the Middle East. Spiritually, they are attacking our foundational covenant with God,” said Gimpel. “If a Jew can’t live in Judea, where can a Jew live?”
“This is the tip of the spear,” Abramowitz continued. “By focusing pressure and condemnations on Judea and Samaria, demanding Israel’s unilateral surrender of the ‘West Bank,’ our enemies seek to render our country an indefensible nine miles wide, divide us amongst each other, and undermine the justice and legitimacy of our claim to this land because ultimately, if we don’t have a moral and historical right to Judea, we don’t have a right to Tel Aviv.”
Promising to be an evening to go down in history, the inauguration event will be broadcast in a livestream to millions around the world on www.TheLandofIsrael.com.
Courtesy: The Land of Israel Network