Jewish Settlement - Three Trials

MIGDAL EDER (1927-1929)

The first attempt in modern times to settle this particular area was made in 1927 by a group of pious Jews from Jerusalem. Land was purchased (at what is today the western side of the Gush Etzion Junction) from the local Arabs by the Zichron David Company in order to establish an agricultural settlement. The original pioneers, who included Jews of Yemenite origin, intended to establish a dairy farm and to plant orchards. A Biblical name "Migdal Eder" (Genesis 35:21) was given to the village, reflecting a strong religious and historical connection to the area. During the Arab riots of 1929, Migdal Eder was abandoned and completely destroyed. The settlers who found refuge in the nearby Russian monastery and subsequently in the Arab village of Beit Umar were ultimately evacuated by the British mandate police to Jerusalem.

KFAR ETZION (1934-1936)

The second attempt to establish an agricultural settlement in this area was launched by the El Hahar Company. It purchased considerable lands and founded a village called Kfar Etzion. It was named in honor of Shmuel Tzvi Holtzman, one of the founding fathers of the community. (Etz in Hebrew like Holz in German and in Yiddish means wood.) This village suffered the same fate as Migdal Eder, and during the Arab riots of 1936-1939 was abandoned and destroyed.

Shmuel Tzvi Holtzman (left) surveying the area in the 1930's

THE ETZION BLOC (1943-1948)

The third attempt by the Jewish people to gain a foothold in this part of the Judean Hills was launched in April, 1943. It coincided with the uprising of the Warsaw ghetto. A group of idealistic pioneers accepted the challenge to establish a permanent settlement in this problematic area. They were fully aware of the rocky nature of the terrain, the shortage of water, the stormy and bitterly cold winters and the precarious security situation. Nevertheless, in true pioneering spirit, they elected to move to this significant area despite the difficulties which it presented. They were determined to found a kibbutz on the site. Many had acquired initial training in the new and revolutionary way of life as members of the Bnei Akiva religious Zionist youth movement in Poland. Several years of agricultural work in temporary quarters in the Hadera area provided further preparation for this most difficult venture.

"For us this day marks the end of one period and the beginning of another - a period of conquest and settlement. We know that the task we have assumed is a difficult one... In Kfar Etzion we shall be opening up a new and exceedingly difficult area for Jewish settlement. We shall have to dedicate all our spiritual and material resources to strike sturdy roots in this area..

It is a terrible period we are living through. Our relatives and our fellow-Jews are experiencing a horrible fate in Europe. Great Jewish communities are being totally annihilated. We can only seek consolation in our efforts to rebuild our country, to develop a secure homeland, which can serve as a haven for those who survive."

Kfar Etzion Journal, April, 1943