Nestling in the Judean Hills, the Etzion Bloc is situated on the ancient mountain route, midway between Jerusalem, the City of David and Hebron, the city of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Due to its proximity to Jerusalem, the Etzion Bloc is considered a part of "Greater Jerusalem". On the Jerusalem/Beersheba Highway, it serves as the southern gateway to the capital.
From biblical times, the Etzion area has served as the stage for many famous events:
For more than 3000 years the strategic hilltops of Judea have vibrated with the footsteps of our forefathers in the very heart of the homeland of the Jewish people. From the period of the Patriarchs to the Bar Kochba rebellion, the leading tribe of Judah, prophets and kings, Maccabees and other Jewish Freedom Fighters, scholars and saints - they have all left their mark in these Judean Hills. The continuous flow of Jewish pilgrims to Judea, served as evidence of the ongoing link even after the destruction of the Second Temple and the expulsion of the Jewish inhabitants after the Bar Kochba Revolt.
In modern day history, before The War of Independence, three heroic attempts were made to return to the area and to resettle it. In 1927-29, 1934-36 and 1943-48, Jewish pioneers (mostly members of religious Orthodox Zionist youth movements) braved the harsh winter climatic and agricultural conditions in order to return to the heart of the Jewish Homeland. 250 settlers and Haganah & Palmach reinforcement soldiers fell in the defense of the area. Nearly 130 of them were brutally massacred by the surrounding Palestinian villagers after the Arab Legion captured Kfar Etzion. The remaining settlers were uprooted from four kibbutz settlements at the onset of the War of Independence. The ruined Etzion Bloc was occupied by Jordan. The fourth and most famous return, took place after the Six-day War, preceded by 19 years of separation and longing, lead by many of the orphans whose fathers fell in the defense of the Bloc. In 1967 Gush Etzion was liberated and Kfar Etzion was rebuilt.
Since the return in 1967, the area has spawned 14 thriving and blooming villages,with thousands of families. The Etzion Regional Council has three elementary schools, 23 kindergartens, 14 day care centers, two high schools (Neveh Chana Torah High School for Young Women), one Hesder Yeshiva, (Yeshivat Har Etzion) a Teacher's Seminary and two Field schools. There is a local community center, an all year round swimming pool and a modern sport's complex.There are thriving agriculture and industry in each of the 14 villages, providing employment for many of their inhabitants.
The City of Efrat has been founded on the boundaries of the Etzion Regional Council overlooking the Jerusalem/Beersheva Road. Over the years, it too has grown into a viable, thriving community.
A detailed history of Gush Etzion, based on many first hand accounts, can be found in the book "Siege in the Hills of Hebron" by Dov Knohl, one of the survivors of the Etzion battles, last republished in 1994 by "The Etzion Association". Another good account may be found in Collins' & Lapierre's book, "Oh, Jerusalem".
Based on material prepared by the Etzion Regional Council - June,1996
Etzion History Archives (Hebrew)
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Please send comments to:
Reuven Werber
reuw@macam98.ac.il
Last Updated:
March 28, 1999
