More Families Moving to Israeli Settlement Where Fogel Family Was Murdered
- Posted on November 20, 2011 at 6:17pm by
Sharona Schwartz
- Print »
- Email »
Courtesy: Friends of Itamar
Amir Yosman, his wife Miriam and their one-year old son Eitan moved to the West Bank community of Itamar in September, six months after the brutal murder of the Fogel family in the same settlement. “We moved to Itamar as a way to express strength and not weakness, to show our faith, and the justice of going down the correct path,” Amir Yosman tells The Blaze.
Turns out, the Yosmans are not alone. Since the Fogel family was murdered in March, 13 families have moved to the community located near the biblical town of Shechem, or modern day Nablus where the biblical patriarch Joseph is buried.
Speaking to The Blaze by phone from his home in Itamar, Mayor Moshe Goldsmith says the 13 new families join the 200 who already live in the town. Arutz Sheva reports only six families moved in during the year before the Fogel murder, calling this year’s influx “Israel’s answer to terror and tragedy.” A religious community that subscribes to the Bible’s dictate to “be fruitful and multiply,” Goldsmith says many families have between six and ten children. This explains the statistic that 200 families make up 1,000 residents of the town, which also houses 400 students from two religious seminaries.
In March, two teenage Palestinian cousins scaled the town fence and crawled through the Fogel family’s window. Inside, they butchered parents Udi and Ruth,11-year-old Yoav, 4-year-old Elad, and before leaving, stabbed to death their baby girl, 3-month-old Hadas.
Some of the newcomers have cited their desire to show solidarity with the community that experienced such a brutal attack as one reason for their move. Mayor Goldsmith says “They want to show that the terrorists will not weaken our stance on Israel.”
“This is the Bible belt of the Land of Israel. This is the area our forefathers settled in this land. This idealism and connection to our history and Torah is what draws these families out,” Goldsmith says.
Despite the first-hand experience with terrorism, Goldsmith says most residents consider Itamar a safe place to live, with neighbors who are “spiritual, God-fearing people.”
“People want to kill us from outside, but the social fabric is very strong,” he says.
The Liebovitch family moved in two months after the Fogel murder. They are no strangers to terrorism. Their son Elazar was killed by Palestinian gunmen in Hebron in 2002. Father Yoseph tells The Blaze even though their goal was to help lift the settlement from what they assumed would be a gloomy, “down” mood, they feel they are uplifted and strengthened daily by their neighbors.
“We moved in order to strengthen and be strengthened, to give and to receive. We receive more than we give,” Yoseph says. “Because we experienced loss ourselves…we thought we’d have something to contribute and something to receive.”
An appropriate tribute to the Fogel family and specifically the father, Udi Fogel, a rabbi who was also the absorption coordinator for Itamar where he helped new families through the process of moving to town. The mayor says one family whose move Udi was facilitating arrived just days after the brutal murders.
Synogogue construction in Itamar (Courtesy: Friends of Itamar)
Palestinian officials – who call all Jewish residences in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal colonies – say one of their conditions to renewing peace talks is a freeze on all settlement construction. No U.S. administration has recognized Jewish settlements beyond Israel’s 1967 borders as part of the Jewish state. Answering calls from U.S. officials echoing the Palestinian demand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year froze some construction for 10 months. If renewed, a construction freeze would mean no new houses or new community infrastructure for those wishing to join the Yosmans and Leibovitchs as seen on the community website.
This week marks a bittersweet event for the Fogel family. Daughter Tamar Fogel who discovered the bloody scene of her murdered family turns 13, the first birthday without her parents and murdered siblings. A two-year-old and eight-year-old brother survived along with her, and now live with their grandparents in Jerusalem.
H/T: Brian of London
Comments (22)
Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In
Popular Stories
Does Misstated Marathon Claim Prove Paul Ryan Is Dishonest? (POLL) 707 Comments
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 558 Comments
‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 374 Comments
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 366 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 362 Comments
Faith
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 366 Comments
Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 374 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
- President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 291 Comments
- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 149 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 302 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 366 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
Risagx6
Posted on November 24, 2011 at 12:12amMay God Bless you all! Stand firm!
Report Post »Embrace Liberty
Posted on November 22, 2011 at 10:26pmIsraelis could be living on a one-foot square piece of land and these momzers would still say that is too much land for them to have. All the Palestinians and the U.N. want are dead Jews. I am afraid they will get their way.
Report Post »brownstreet
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 2:45pmBuild, build, build on the land that God gave you!!!! Blessings to all the Jewish people and their families and let no weapon formed against you prosper!
Report Post »MUDFLAPS
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 9:10pmAgree
Report Post »1389AD
Posted on November 22, 2011 at 1:27amAbsolutely!
Report Post »JBT
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 2:17pmIf I want to put a fence post on my property, no one is to dispute me. What’s the argument?
Report Post »I hope they build the walls tall and thick, on their property, to last the ages.
dontbotherme
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 11:09amGod bless Israel & these brave families. I pray that they remain safe.
Report Post »LeadMetalGuitarist
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 10:58amGod bless Israel, I pray that the families moving there will be safe against any malicious attacks!
Report Post »dgktowntx
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 7:43amHello Test test test…..come in….can u hear me now……
Report Post »brianoflondon
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 8:37ammic check
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 7:28amWonderful story Blaze, but stop calling them settlements. If a new subdivision goes up outside of Phoenix, Az or Boca Raton, FL do we call them settlements? No, because they are all within our nations borders. New subdivisions in Isreal are just that, new subdivisions. Stop bowing to the progressive propoganda. Every time you repeat that false line about settlements you give them (the progressives, radicals, and anti-semetic fools) an extra push that says: it’s OK if you change our speech, our traditions, and the way we think.
Report Post »dgktowntx
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 8:03amExactly…I was reading an article a couple of days ago about craigslist killer outside of Columbus OH..and they called the town a village….wrong….its a town or a city……
Report Post »brianoflondon
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 8:38amYup… it‘s hard to avoid using the enemy’s language: they’re towns or villages.
Report Post »scout n ambush
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 3:26amThat takes guts, faith and more guts i hope they are armed because the muslims would like to see what their guts looked like.Muslims have been ambushing jewish pilgrims at josephs tomb and have pretty much destroyed it,they will not even let dead jews rest in peace Also burying muslims on the mount of olives in the jewish cemetery in illegal graves even up against the wall so they can lay claim to the lands later they can say that they were there first I read a news article about one town in the judea and samaria aka west bank where it is a large american jewish population and they are fighting back .
Report Post »brianoflondon
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 2:36amThank you for publishing this story and thank you to those commenters who’ve left comments so far. I visited Itamar for the first time (drove through it really) a couple of weeks ago. It does take a special kind of person to live there and those that do are heroes.
Report Post »pamela kay
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 2:53amI agree.I wish more people in this country had their courage and faith. I admire them so much. I keep them in my prayers and I stand in wonder of their loyalty and determination to stand up against the threats and danger they face every day. They are heroes.
Report Post »alshere
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 1:16amYou go people…… Balls to the wall. You fought for it, live on it !!!!!!!!!! Patton said “Never pay for the same real estate twice” . Never, never, never, never, cede what you have fought for. Fear only God because he kind of promised you that land and no man shall have what is devine. God bless you and provide for you. Obama might sell you out but the American people never will.
Report Post »YAHSHUARULES
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 2:22amNo God did not just “kinda promise”. The Almighty made a BLOOD covenant with Israel about that land recorded in Gen 15v17-18 ” And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: ”
To look at it from the Almighty’s perspective. The land occupied by the modern state of Israel is nothing but a DOWNPAYMENT on the real estate He PROMISED, COVENANTED to Israel.
Report Post »scout n ambush
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 3:47amBut the sunni islam leader is warning Israel over judaizing Jerusalem ? At the same time sadats aide is telling how Israel paid 1million dollars for the golan heights to syria.jewish rabbis see russian warships in the area over expected nato attack against syria and the attempt by persia to assasinate a member of the house of saud as fullfiling biblical prophecy .It is also something like that in the islamic prophecy too. Things are going to get really hot this winter or spring at the latest.
Report Post »goodinohio
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 1:11amGod created the universe, Israel is a microscopic dot in it.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 12:41amG-d bless them!! it’s THEIR nation, THEIR land, they should be able to build build build and improve and prosper!
we saw a great MovietoneNews short from c1949 on TCM. it was how Israelis, back Home in Israel after the WWII Holocaust and the declaration of The Nation of ISRAEL in 1948, in one year had taken Israel, (the arid desert and malaria-infested swamps that conquerors Britain and Rome had once called “Palestine”,) and turned old Israel into their new gleaming refreshed cities and thriving gardens and they had built watersheds and dams etc. It was wonderful.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 1:16amYes, may the Lord bless them and protect them.
Report Post »