They Shoot, We Build!

Work Begun on New Campus in Memory of Naftali, Gilad & Eyal

Gush Etzion, Israel May 24, 2016 – After another terror attack on Makor Chaim students and just days before “Unity Day” marking their second yahrzeit, Makor Chaim has begun work on a new campus in Gush Etzion in memory of the three boys. The new development adjacent to Neve Daniel, on the ancient “Patriarchs’ Road” is just the beginning of what will eventually be a major expansion of Neve Daniel.

 

Makor Chaim’s very first bulldozer clearing land on the historic “Patriarchs’ Road”

 

 

 

 

Our contractor’s caravan office, the very first building on the ancient “Derech Ha’Avot”. 

 

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Ever since the tragic kidnapping, Makor Chaim and the Gush Etzion area have continued to bear the brunt of the recent wave of terror. Makor Chaim families are still in mourning over Capt. Benaya Sarel, Dahlia Lemkus, Shalom Sherki, Daphne Meir and Capt. Eliav Gelman along with other local victims. Last Saturday night, terrorists opened fire on a bus filled with 50 Makor Chaim students returning from spending Shabbos in Tekoawith their Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Dov Singer. Thankfully no one was hurt on the bullet proof bus. Despite the fact that a bullet hole appeared right in front of the driver’s face, he sped from the scene while comforting the students.

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Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dehan visited the building site near Neve Daniel as well as Yeshivat Makor Chaim in Kfar Etzion on Tuesday and presented the heroic driver Giora Spitzer with a special award for his bravery. He recalled how Makor Chaim was the inspiring headquarters of the “Shuvu Achim – Return our Brothers” Campaign during the eighteen days of frantic searching for the three boys. Many recall the moving funeral of the three boys which Rabbi Singer opened by asking all to join him in declaring their commitment to the mitzvah “Love Thy Neighbor”.

In order to try and preserve and develop that unique feeling of unity felt by all, the Fraenkel, Shaer & Ifrach families, together with government agencies, the city of Jerusalem, the Gesher Foundation and others have officially declared the yahrzeit as an annual “Day of Unity” which will take place this coming Wednesday June 1^st. Once again, on this day, Makor Chaim students will be spreading out across the country to teach themes of unity to about 5000 other students in close to 200 classrooms at both religious and secular schools.

Last year’s  2015 National Unity Day Lesson at Dror High School

National Unity Day 2016  at  the  Hebrew University High School

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For decades, Makor Chaim has been operating out of a group of old shacks and caravans which once served Yeshivat Har Etzion over 45 years ago. The new 8 acre campus will include the Yeshiva’s Beit Midrash, an Outreach Study Center, a high school building, dormitories, sports center and more.

With the beginning of work on the new campus, Rabbi Dov Singer expressed the hope that “This place will be like Jacob’s Ladder – not only connecting Heaven and Earth, but also connecting our outreach programs to wider and wider circles of Israeli society of which Unity Day is but one example.”

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