JUL 20, 2025 JLM 70°F 08:45 AM 01:45 AM EST
WATCH: Bar Kochva: Community in Judea to connect Gush Etzion to Jerusalem

The new village is situated on a ridge where no Jewish community has existed since the fall of Beitar nearly 2,000 years ago

(July 18, 2025 / JNS) Israeli authorities on Thursday signed a planning contract for Bar Kochva, a new community in Judea that will connect Gush Etzion to Jerusalem, situated between Sde Boaz and Har Gilo.

The signing follows a Cabinet decision a year ago to establish the community and comes months after the first mobile home neighborhood was set up on the site.

Bar Kochva is situated on a ridge where no Jewish community has existed since the fall of Beitar—the final stronghold of the Bar Kochva revolt—to the Romans in 135 C.E., symbolizing the historic return of the Jewish people to its land and roots.

“We are proud to lead the establishment of this new community, which will strengthen Gush Etzion, connect it to Jerusalem, and restore Israeli sovereignty to a historic ridge that stood abandoned for generations,” said Yaron Rosenthal, head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council.

“Bar Kochva will redefine the area and stand as a symbol of Zionism, resilience and rooted presence in the land. We are privileged to witness this moment,” he added.

The development comes after the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration last September set borders known as “blue lines” for a new 150-acre Gush Etzion town called Nahal Heletz, located in the Judean hills just outside of Jerusalem.

The new community, also known as “Neve Ori,” in memory of 19-year-old Ori Ansbacher, a Gush resident who was murdered in 2019 by an Arab terrorist, will essentially create a contiguous Jewish presence between the Etzion bloc community of Neve Daniel and Jerusalem’s southern neighborhood of Gilo.

In March, Israel’s Cabinet recognized 13 neighborhoods of existing Judea and Samaria towns as separate communities, allowing for their expansion and development as independent localities.

The move was led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also manages civilian affairs in Judea and Samaria.

“We continue, with God’s help, to lead a revolution of normalization and regulation in the settlements,” Smotrich declared. “Instead of hiding and apologizing, we raise the flag, build and settle. This is another important step on the way to actual sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.”

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Comments
Aliza Circle
That a great news. The Jewish ✡️ famous ✡️ 🇮🇱 who were kicked out in 2005 for "Peace" which never happened, should return to Judea.
Gerald Flanders 14:55 18.07.2025
Good for you Israel and Jerusalem is the heart of the world and the time clock of world history from it's beginning until the time of the end.
Stephen Baron 10:06 18.07.2025
Israel needs the housing and that area needs a Jewish presence.
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