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Elon Moreh, the first modern community in Samaria, was not established through ordinary,
conventional means. The story of Elon Moreh is the story of the incredible devotion and
determination of its founders. Until its establishment, it was illegal for Jews to spend more
than 24 hours in most of Judea and Samaria. With the founding of Kedumim, the door
was opened for the flood of new settlements - Jewish cities, towns and communities - that
were established in Judea and Samaria during the past 26 years.
The Six Day War was all incredible victory, creating a new reality in Israel. Riding high on
the spirit of success, of being saved from the threat of destruction from the Arab nations, the
people of Israel felt more secure in their country than ever before. But, perhaps more
importantly, the Six Day War rejoined Israel with the most significant areas of the Jewish
homeland, the ancient city of Jerusalem and the mountains of Judea and Samaria.
For years after the war, thousands of Jews from Israel and from around the world made their
way to Jewish sites in Judea and Samaria. No one dreamed that Israel would ever telinquish
her hold on this vital area of the country, both for historical - national reasons and for
security reasons.
Gradually, however a number of Israelis recognized that tourism and periodic declarations
would not suffice to ensure that this land would remain in our hands forever. The lessons of
100 years of Zionism, reinforced by the Cease-Fire lines of 1949, imparted an unequivocal
message - Jewish settlement was the key to Israel’s national integrity. The nation’s borders
always had and always would be determined based upon where Jews actually lived.
The Elon Moreh Settlement Nucleus was conceived as a practical expression of the notion
of Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. Its purpose was to settle the hills of Samaria, in
close proximity to Shechem, thereby strengthening our hold on Samaria.
The initial efforts of the group focused on obtaining permission from the government to
settle in the area. This effort failed. Following the Yom Kippur War, as diplomatic activity
focused on Israeli withdrawal from areas liberated in the Six Day War, the Elon Moreh
group decided to act.
Between late 1973 and 1975, there were eight separate
campaigns to settle near Shechem. Each
campaign brought young pioneers, equipped with food and building equipment to the
hilltops of Samaria. Each effort lasted a few days before the army evacuated them by
government order. Each effort brought in its wake growing popular support for what was
widely seen as genuine yearning for our national heritage.
The eighth and last attempt was a success. Hannukah 1975 brought tens of thousands of
supporters to the abandoned train station in Sebastia. The cold and rain did not deter the
Jews of all ages who came to celebrate Hannukah and bring support and encouragement to
the pioneers of Sebastia. Like the Maccabbees of old, the founders of Elon Moreh were
determined to preserve their heritage while strengthening Jewish sovereignty in the Land of
Israel.
Finally, under the leadership of then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the government
relented and authorized the establishment of a temporary community in the Kadum army
camp. Thirty families made their homes in Kadum, under horrific conditions, without
adequate water or electricity, with a communal kitchen and one-room concrete army
barracks and tents for housing. The government assumed that this would spell the end of
Elon Moreh. Instead, it was just the beginning.
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