THE ARUGOT FARM, JUDEA — Much of the world calls the land of Judea and Samaria the West Bank. To many Christians and especially the Jews living there, it’s considered the land of the Bible. 

Resting on Judean hills not far from Jerusalem lies the Arugot Farm. For six years, its founders have built a complex on land where previously there was just barren hills. Located in Judea, its founders, Rabbis Jeremy Gimpel and Avi Abrimovitz, see this place as the Bible coming to life. 

“We're in the heart of the land of Judea,” says Gimpel. “Bethlehem is about 15 minutes that way. Right over there as those buildings kiss the sky, that's Jerusalem. Forty-five minutes directly this way is Hebron. And if you triangulate that, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Hebron, and you bring it right here, we are in the heart of the land of Judea.” 

Gimpel talks about the connection to King David. 

“As a young boy, David would take his sheep out and pasture his sheep in these lands. And according to the Jewish tradition, most of the book of Psalms was written here in these mountains before David became king. So, in his time of trouble, where did he run to? To the place that he knew best. He knew where the caves were. He knew where the waterholes were. He knew how to live here. He knew how to survive here. And so, these are historic holy mountains,” he says. 

The UN and many countries consider the mountains where David wrote the Psalms occupied territory and see the Jews who live there as an obstacle to peace.    

“Why do they call it the West Bank? Because it's much easier to say, ‘Let's get the settlers out of the West Bank’ than ’Let’s remove the Jews from Judea’, right?" The reason Jews are called Jews is because we're from Judea. This is our indigenous land. The first Jew that was called the Jew was Mordecai, the Jew, but he was from the tribe of Benjamin. So why was he called the Jew? Because he was exiled from Judea. So, this is the most natural holistic place for a Jew to actually grow and thrive, right here in Judea,” says co-founder Rabbi Ari Abrimovitz. 

Local leaders asked these farmers to settle the land to create a tourist attraction and strategic buffer. It’s become much more. 

“When I came out here after just a few weeks, all of the strategy and the military, none of that mattered at all,” says Abrimovitz. “So, for me, I think for Jeremy, too — when we came out here, I was like, this is what it is to be a Jew. Maybe not for every Jew, but for at least me and for us out here, this is just the place where it's like, oh, this is just the most natural thing that could ever possibly happen.”

“Both Ari and I felt called to come here and then pave this road and open the place up where the Psalms were written. I mean, imagine that King David taught every Catholic in the world, every Christian in the world, every Jew in the world, when someone is sick, they open up the book of Psalms and he taught us all how to pray to God. And those prayers entered the world here. So, this place has meant to be a center for prayer and worship and song and music and art and Torah that's open to everyone from every background,” says Gimpel.