Our travels in Israel in the Covid period
_ Tour to the Gush Etzion settlements with the SA Immigrants Society 14 Nov2021 On the bus there we got an explanation of the history of the Etzion block which today consists of 4 kibbutzim and and towns with othe settlements combined population of 100 thousand. Today it is a bedroom villiage of Jerusalem. Between 1948 and 1967 this area was occupied by Jordan and from the Jerusalem border you could see it the landmark being a big ancient oak tree. Today this Oak Tree is the Symbol of the Etzion Winery. In 1927 Yeminite Jewish immigrants came there, it was given the biblical name Migdal Eder but there but fled in 1929 when the Arab Riots began. This was Jewish National Fund property and in 1932 Holtman from Germany gave money to restart the settlement and so it was name after him Etz(wood) Etzion. The origenal settlement were Kfar Zion (founded in 1943), Massuot Yitchak (1945), Ein Tzurim (1946) and Revadim (1947); 1948 The block was regarded as the first point to protect Jerusale