A mere 10 minutes away from bustling Jerusalem, charming Tekoa is a thriving modern Jewish village with roots dating back to the Bible.
By Gidon Ben-Zvi, United with Israel
Tekoa is a Jewish communal town in the northern Judean hills, located five miles south of Jerusalem and five miles south of Bethlehem, at the foot of Herod’s Palace. It is situated within the municipal jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion Regional Council.
The town’s geography is simply stunning, as it sits 2,177 feet above sea level on a ridge surrounded on three sides by a deep canyon that runs east to the Dead Sea. The landscape includes breathtaking views of the Judean Desert and the ruins of Herod’s Pool. The modern town is built on ancient Roman ruins.
The ancient Jewish city is renowned for being the birthplace of the Old Testament prophet Amos (Book of Amos 1:1). According to the Book of Samuel, Joab procured a “wise woman” from there to persuade David to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 14:2, 4, 9).
Only olive oil produced in Tekoa was allowed in the service in the Holy Temple. This is because it was of such high quality.
In 1978, a small group of Jewish pioneers came back to the site to found a new Jewish village. Eventually, Tekoa was incorporated as a mixed religious and secular community. This is exceedingly rare in Israel since most villages are founded to cater to a specific segment of Israeli society.
Diverse, Dynamic, Determined
In Tekoa, however, people believe strongly that all Jews belong to one extended family, and that being able to live as good neighbors isn’t based on one’s political ideology or religious inclination.
The community is populated by a mix of religious Zionists and secular Israelis. Many new immigrants from the former Soviet Union also live in Tekoa. While English speakers have settled there for years, its popularity has picked up recently with the opening of a new road that bypasses Arab communities and enables one to arrive in Jerusalem within 10 minutes.
The population is approximately 3,000.
Tekoa is also renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit, and its residents are involved in the running of a winery, free range chicken farm and mushroom farm. Indeed, the Tekoa Mushroom Farm produces some of the best tasting ‘shrooms in the world!
Who will you find there? Generally, people move to this village of wide open spaces because they want to live a quiet life with other young couples, families and retirees.
And while Tekoa is rich in colorful history, it’s remarkably affordable – a small miracle in today’s booming Israeli real estate market.
Tour Tekoa Now! Go on a ride through the village here.
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