Category: Current Events

Itamar welcomed the Goldsmith family this week from Brooklyn NY. We want to give a Special thanks to Ron Goldsmith for his volunteer work in America on behalf of Friends of Itamar.

Itamar welcomed a group of young couples from Borough Park NY. They really enjoyed their tour of the community and suggested that we work on bringing a lot more visitors out to see our amazing community.

Enjoy the pictures of the Ran goat farm on Itamar. The Givot Olam farm is a major producer of organic eggs and goat cheese and yogurt.

Our Shul project is continuing to progress enjoy some of the latest pictures taken. We still need more funding to finish the building so any help will be greatly appreciated.

Mazal Tov to Rabbi Nitzan and Brachah Yamin on the engagement of their son Yosef to Galya this week. Mazal Tov to Yaakov and Hadasa Mydani on the bar mitzvah of their son Yagel Aharon.

Mazal Tov to Shimon and Sarah Barda on the birth of twin granddaughters and a grandson this week!

Itamar welcomed the new family Eitan and Adi Melet that moved in this week. This young couple was recently married both were born on Itamar. Adi is the daughter of Rabbi Avi and Ronit Ronsky and Eitan is the daughter of Itamar’s farmers Barak and Sarah Melet.

Watch Rabbi Goldsmith’s new Torah lesson for he week.

What most people don’t know about our community is that it is green. In lieu of Tu B’shvat and the holiday of planting trees, we want to share with you some of the projects done here based on an ideology of being kind to the Land Hashem gave us, the only Land in the world. Itamar has been the vanguard in organic farming for over a decade now providing fresh organic products like free range eggs to all of Israel. Tel Avivians who don’t necessarily align themselves with us when they vote all vote for Itamar products. Fresh organic goat and cow yogurts, cheeses, olive oil, hothouse vegetables and honey all grown on the fertile ground doubly blessed in the land of Yosef HaTzaddik.  There is even an organic fishpond here and advanced hydroponic methods of growing food that is healthy to the body and to the ground. It goes without saying that the people that live here recycle, mulch and even save rain water for the dry months of the long summer. As we prepare the Land for the ingathering of the exiles, the value of “guarding and keeping it” are the banner we hold dearly here on Itamar. Enjoy the new pictures of our children planting flowers at the entrance of our new library inaugurated today. Special thanks again to our dear friends of Itamar for making this happen!

We had several visitors this week (Jeffrey Schwartz, a dear old friend from Manhattan NYC, and cherished Danielle Goldberg from the 5 towns, NY) who were amazed to see how Itamar has grown including the advanced state of our Beit Knesset, Beit Midrash and campus, and even the small airport- yes, someone here has a plane! It is a 2 seater, but we hope one day the pilot can get a bigger plane and fly you in to visit!

We are happy to announce that one million trees are being planted in Israel today in commemoration of Tu B’ishvat! Watch Rabbi Goldsmith’s lesson on Tu B’Shvat.

Enjoy Rabbi Moshe’s Torah thoughts on this week’s parsha!

Happy Chanukah to all our dear friends!

There were many celebrations taking place this week. Enjoy the picture of the children enjoying a unique entertainer that made music out of ordinary objects like brooms, hoses, etc…. There were special learning sessions for Fathers and Sons/Mothers and daughter about Chanukah.

There was also a beautiful Chanukah party celebrated in Mishkan Ehud with special participants from the Israeli government including Ruby Rivlin, Governor Gershin Mesikah of the Regional Council. A special class was given by Rabbi Yehudah Ben Yishay, the father of Ruth Fogel HY”D.

The clothing drive went into full gear on the only sunny day of the week- enjoy the pictures- Jessica Katz- you are a lifesaver!

One of the ideologies of the people that live on Itamar is going green. The Zimmerman family has been farmers on Itamar almost since the founding of the community way back in 1984. Their dream is to turn their farm into a complete self- sufficient eco system. They are experimenting with permaculture and hydroponics and the production of methane gas using cow’s waste. Enjoy the first movie of a series of movies that we will be showing on their attempts to incorporate this into a successful system.

Enjoy the answers to last week’s Chidon on Chanukah.

Enjoy Rabbi Moshe’s torah about Mikeitz and how it connects to Zachariah chapters 2, 3, and 4, which is the Haftarah of this week’s portion.

First and foremost- Itamar is praying for the safety of the Israeli towns being bombarded by rockets from Gaza. We are praying for all our dear soldiers who are preparing for a land strike as we write this news report… We pray to Hashem that they will be successful in restoring tranquility to the land. It goes without saying that the fatal mistake of expelling Jewish families from their homes in Gush Katif brought this travesty on. The missiles into Israel are being shot from there. All the more so, the heart of Israel- ITAMAR and its hills as well as all of Shomron and Judea are the strategic stronghold of all of Israel. Let us strengthen it- it is fortifying us all!

Here are Itamar we are all in high alert. Just yesterday there was a terrorist infiltration warning as two terrorists were spotted in the valley below our community.

Despite all the commotion going on, Itamar enjoyed the visit of four different groups this week. Visitors came from different countries like Finland, England, India, South Africa, and the U.S.A.  Special welcome to Dr. Marja R.  ,Helen Freedman, Mark Biltz, Jeanne and Bud Friedlander, Ms. Fallsthead  and other dear guests from the USA. We also enjoyed the visit of Yeshivat Kerem Biyanveh that is spending Shabbat in the area. Enjoy the clip of the boys singing “LiBinyamin Amar” in honor of Harav Benyamin Herling HYD who was killed on the mountain of Aval seen in the background. Rabbi Benyamin spent part of his teaching career as a teacher in the Keren Be’Yavneh Yeshivah.

Watch Rabbi Goldsmith’s new Torah lesson where he ties in current events to this week’s portion.