Re-settling my ancestral homeland 🇮🇱 | Proud & tired father of 2 | History & archaeology enthusiast 📜 | scroll through highlights for previous threads 🧵
"וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ״, שֶׁיְּהֵא שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם מִתְאַהֵב עַל יָדְךָ..." (יומא פו.).
"And you shall love the Lord your G-d” (Deut 6:5), that you shall make the name of Heaven beloved..." (Yoma 86a).
Has there always been a continuous Jewish presence in Israel?
This thread has taken me all week to compile, as the history is so rich, but I will try and address some main points of Jewish presence in Israel from each century.
Let's get started: 🧵🧵🧵
סיפור קטן ואישי לרפואת עידן עמדי הגיבור:
כשהייתי נער צעיר למדתי תופים, המורה שלי לתופים היה גם מתנדב בארגון שלוה. לפעמים הוא היה לוקח אותי ועוד תלמידים שלו לעזור לו עם ההופעות - לוגיסטיקה, לעשות קצב ברקע וכו'
פעם אחת היינו באמצע חזרה למופע ומי נכנס?
עידן עמדי בכבודו ובעצמו.
This is only the tip of the iceberg, our history is much richer and I had to skip a lot of fascinating stories.
Let me know if you want more historical/archeological threads.
Shabbat Shalom. 🕯️🕯️🇮🇱
1st - 2nd century:
After the destruction of the temple (70 CE) by the Titus and the Romans, many Jews were taken to exile.
In 131 CE Emperor Hadrian renamed Jerusalem "Aelia Capitolina" and constructed the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the site of the former Jewish
16th - 21st century:
Israel was conquered by Turkish Sultan Selim II in 1517. At the onset of Ottoman rule, there were an estimated 5,000 Jews, comprising about 1,000 Jewish families. Jews mainly lived in Jerusalem, Nablus, Hebron, Gaza, Safed, and villages in the Galilee. The
3rd - 5th century:
After suppressing the Bar Kochba revolt, the Romans permitted a hereditary rabbinical patriarch from the House of Hillel to represent the Jews in dealings with the Romans.
The main Jewish population center was now the Galilee, and there were also significant
6th - 7th century:
In 613, a Jewish revolt against the Byzantine Empire led by Nehemiah ben Hushiel and Benjamin of Tiberias broke out. Jewish soldiers from Tiberias, Nazareth, and other Galilee settlements joined forces with Persian invaders to capture Jerusalem in 614. The
13th-16th century:
In 1211, the Jewish community in the country was strengthened by the arrival of a group headed by over 300 rabbis from France and England, among them Rabbi Samson ben Abraham of Sens.
The era of Mamluk rule (1260 - 1517) saw the Jewish population shrink
7th - 10th century:
In 638 CE, the Byzantine Empire lost the Levant to the Arab Islamic Empire. At the time of the Arab conquest in the 7th century, the majority of the population was Jewish or Samaritan. Estimates of the Jews of Palestine numbered between 150,000 and 400,000 at
11th - 13th century:
From 1099 to 1291 the Christian Crusaders "mercilessly persecuted and slaughtered the Jews of Israel".
During the First Crusade, Jews were among the population who tried in vain to defend against the Crusaders during the Siege of Jerusalem. When Jerusalem
A lot of heroic stories have emerged from Oct 7th, this is one of many:
Sgt. Tomer Nagar z"l, a 20-year-old Golani fighter from Azor.
At six o'clock in the morning of Shabbat Simchat Torah, Oct 7th, Tomer Nagar was in the bunker of the Kissufim outpost, where he was stationed
So what is some of the oldest evidence of Jewish presence in Israel?
This time we will delve deep into one of the most ancient & fascinating sites - Joshuas Alatar🧵🧵🧵
@FeldmanSaraa
מתחבט הרבה אם להגיב בכלל כי יש הרבה חוסר צניעות בלעסוק בנושא כזה ברבים, אבל בגלל שלמדתי הלכות נדה ודיני מראות בצורה מעשית רציתי לדייק כמה דברים:
א. בהחלט מובן שלמי שמסתכל מבחוץ כל הנושא נראה הזוי. ההלכה עוסקת בצדדים הכי אינטימיים של חיינו, היא נועדה להוסיף קדושה לכל צעד ושעל. אם
@yaelshevach
נשים שמות כיסוי ראש חד משמעית כדי שכאשר בעליהן יתלוננו כמה זמן לוקח להן להתארגן לצאת הן יוכלו לענות "נראה אותך קושר את הדבר הזה והולך איתו על הראש!"
@topauljason
I started from the 2nd Temple because before that, the Jewish presence was clear.
Yes, studies found genetic links to canaanites, but I don't think that matters.
As for the term "Palestine," look in the second piece of the thread, the Palestinian nationality was invented in
Are Jews European colonizers in Judea & Samaria?
Here's a short thread on some amazing Jewish archeology found in Judea & Samaria:🧵
(Recognize this site?👇read until the end to see if you are right).
Infuriating story that no one is talking about:
The terrorist who killed 2 soldiers in this ramming attack turned himself into the PA.
But instead of handing him over to the IDF to be imprisoned, the PA just *set him free*!!!
These are our "peace partners"🤦♂️
Amazing footage from the hostage rescue yesterday!
The soldiers kept making sure they were ok, gave them shoes and coats & asked if they were warm enough.
Answer: "Our hearts are warm".
I think I got something in my eye🥹
Next is the ancient synagogue in Gaza (now in the town Rimal).
It dates back to 500 C.E & in it were discovered amazing mosaics portraying King David playing his harp & more.
Sadly it was destroyed when Israel gave control to the Palestinians, but the mosaics were saved & are
Let's start with the most ancient synagogue found in Israel:
Located next to the city of Modiin, it dates back to ~100 B.C.E. (over 2000 years!).
Artifacts from the Hashmonian period were discovered as well as an ancient Mikveh (purifying bath).
The Theodotos inscription is the earliest known inscription from a synagogue. Found in the City of David (Jerusalem) it dates back before 70 C.E.
It's written in ancient Greek and reads:
"Theodotos son of Vettenus, priest and head of the synagogue, son of a head of the
But some Jews won't sit quietly while our history is being erased, so many came together to repair what damage they could & they visit the site often to hold prayers.
Let me know if this interested you & you'd like more.
Have a Shabbat Shalom🕯️🕯️
Ok, but maybe we are occupiers in "the west bank"?
Shiloh was an ancient city and sanctuary in Samaria.
It was identified as the place of the Tabernacle, one of the main centers of worship before the First Temple in Jerusalem was built.
Here you can take a virtual tour of Tel
The Migdal Synagogue is the name used for two ancient synagogues discovered close to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Both synagogues were in use in the Second Temple period (2000 years ago!).
Inside the synagogue, the Magdala stone was found representing the Menorah, it's the
Amazing footage from the hostage rescue yesterday!
The soldiers kept making sure they were ok, gave them shoes and coats & asked if they were warm enough.
Answer: "Our hearts are warm".
I think I got something in my eye🥹
The amazing ride home.
Check out the helicopter ride to Sheba hospital in Tel Hashomer with the newly rescued hostages.
This is an incredible accomplishment for our troops and a turning point in the war. To Rafah to rescue the rest of the hostages!
@Lil_Miss_AM
@topauljason
3000 years ago when G-d freed us from slavery:
"and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of Miżrayim" (Exodus 6, 7).
This morning, a message was going around asking people to come to the funeral of Ester Greizer z"l, a 95 y/o Holocaust survivor who just passed away and had no children or family left.
This 👇 is the turnout of the Israeli people paying her their final respects. Beautiful.
@VerminusM
The security barrier is not the answer, it helped, but just last December there was a bombing attack in Jerusalem that killed 2.
I think what helped is:
1. Our security forces stop many before they are carried out.
2. The Arabs slow realization that we aren't going anywhere.
A tiny curse tablet was discovered just last year at the altar site. Dating to ~1200 BCE it reads:
“Cursed, cursed, cursed – cursed by the G-d י-ה-ו-ה...".
This strengthens the biblical connection & gives us the oldest written version of the Hebrew name of G-d.
Are Jews trying to "steal & colonize Al-Aksa from Muslims"?
Let's take a tour of the history of this little mountain that has a lot of history: 🧵
(The history is so vast I will probably forget some points, you are welcome to add them in the comments).
@OriyaShilat
גילוי נאות - גם אני אברך ובין היתר ניגש למבחנים (כשאני לא מכלה את זמני כאן).
לצערי לא חושב שמבחן אישיות רשמי יעזור.
אלא פשוט שלא כל אחד שקורא לעצמו "רב" ראוי אוטומתית ליחס הזה, צריך תמיד לשאול - מי רבותיו? באיזה בימ"ד גדל? ולראות את ההתנהלות שלו ביחס לאנשים ובפסיקותיו.
Joshuas Altar dates back to ~1200 BCE & is located in the Shomron next to Shechem (Nablus) on the northeast spur of Mt. Ebal.
In the Bible, it is known as the "Mt. of curses" (Deut 11:29), on which the Israelites held a ceremony cursing sinners & blessing those who worship G-d.
@TomerPersico
כן בטח, הלקח של ה7.10 הוא שנסיגות מביאות ביטחון.
אולי במקום להתמקד במחלוקות פנימיות נבין שלאויב שלנו ממש לא אכפת ואם לא נכתוש אותו הוא ימשיך להילחם בנו בכל מקום בו נתגורר?
Psagot winery has come out with a new line of wines named after the towns and cities affected on Oct 7th. All revenue will be donated to those places.
Beautiful. 🇮🇱
#AmYisraelChai
"Blood of the Macabees" (Helichrysum Sanguineum) is the flower that Israel uses to commemorate our fallen heroes.
The urban legend is that every spot a drop of Macabes blood was spilled, these flowers grow.
Sadly, this has been a year where too much Jewish blood has been
Sadly in 2021, a portion of the site was destroyed by PA workers who removed stones making up the wall on one side of the archaeological site. This happened again in 2024.
This was followed by zoning changes trying to undermine Israeli jurisdiction over the site.
@PydTn
"ראיתי נערה יפה מסתובבת בחוץ, מודה באשמה שפתיתי אותה וקצת ניצלתי אותה. הייתי בטוח ש12 האחים שלה ישתגעו אבל די מהר הגענו להסכם פיוס (עם תנאי אחד קשוח של מילה, אבל נראה לי שווה את זה)".
Happy Passover!
In honor of the holiday let's dive into the big question:
Was there an Israelite Exodus from Egypt as described in the Bible?
We don't have definitive evidence, but we do have some intriguing pieces of the puzzle!🧵
#History
#Bible
#Archaeology
The Mt. Ebal structure was found by Adam Zertal in 1980.
The excavation found a large walled structure filled with stone & ash, & burnt bones originating from bulls, goats, & deer. Also, several potsherds dated to ~1220 BCE, a date for which no other remains are found nearby.
Zertal suggested identifying the site as Joshua's Altar from the Book of Joshua (8, 30). This identification was fiercely debated during the 80s. Today, many archeologists agree that the structure was a site of early Israelite activity.
@AdinHaykin1
I thought that as specially in the videos when they "pull kids out of rubble" (a lot look staged). If the baby wasn't dead already he definitely is now...
Hundreds of people gathered with flags to give a final salute to Yedidya Azugi z"l, the soldier from our Yishuv that fell in Gaza.
May his memory and the memory of all of our fallen soldiers be a blessing 🇮🇱
שבוע טוב,
כמדי מוצ"ש נעשה שרשור זכויותיהם של ישראל/אהבת ישראל.
Every Saturday night after Shabbat I do a thread with some of the beautiful & inspiring tweets from the past week in Israel. Although it's in Hebrew you are welcome to use "translate post" & tune in: 🧵🇮🇱
What do indigenous people do with archeological sites that they find in their land?
Of course, demolish them and make a parking lot.
In the picture: Um El Hiran (Northern Samaria), a site dating back to the Roman era, was demolished in the past few days by "indigenous" arabs.
But one of the disputes with Zertals identification is that the traditional Mt. Grizim location isn't within sight of this altar. However, Zertal claimed that the identification of Mt. Grizim should move as well.
The Samaritan community opposes this strongly.
Has there always been a continuous Jewish presence in Israel?
This thread has taken me all week to compile, as the history is so rich, but I will try and address some main points of Jewish presence in Israel from each century.
Let's get started: 🧵🧵🧵
@hasolidit
מזדהה מאוד עם הערעור הביטחוני והמדיני.
אך נדמה לי שהחברה הרבה פחות מפוררת ממה שמשתקף מהתקשורת והרשתות. דברי עם מילואימניקים, עם אנשים שמתנדבים בלי גבול - יש הרבה אחדות ואהבה למרות המחלוקות.
יש קבוצות ווצאפ שמציפות את הטוב שמתגבר דווקא עכשיו בעם ישראל - ממליץ בחום להיכנס:
So it turns out the PA is building an army, and the soldiers are being trained in Pakistan. They are learning advanced military skills - sniping, tanks, rocket launchers, parachuting, etc.
After everything we've seen these past months, who thinks this will end well?
A beautiful letter of gratitude written by the residents of Kfar Aza to the Ran family from Itamar whose son, Or Yosef Ran z"l, fell fighting to save the kibbutz on Oct 7th.
Don't let Twitter or the media fool you, our nation is stronger & more united than ever.
#AmYisraelChai
Bookmark this tweet for when the twitter idiots claim "Israel started the war with lebanon":
Anti-tank missile shot at a civilian house, 3 family members injured 1 fatal. הי"ד.
#Lebanon
#HezballahISIS
#IsraelFightsTerror
@yossi_rainer
שו" ע יו"ד (סימן ש"מ, ל"ז):
"השומע ברכת השם ואפילו ברכת הכינוי (אפי' אמרו בלשון לעז הוי ככינוי) חייב לקרוע והוא שישמענה מישראל (וי"א דבזמן הזה מומר דינו כעובד כוכבים)...".
Bookmark this:
After we respond and make every Hamas militant regret the second they crossed the fence (and sadly there will be inevitable civilian casualties), the support from the world will dwindle and they will condemn us -
REMEMBER HOW IT STARTED.
Good morning,
Thank you to all who showed support.
As for all the "Jews were there, but not zionists" comments, I guess I need to spell it out:
Jews were here for thousands of years and strived to return from exile for thousands of years because of said zionism.
Yes, the
Has there always been a continuous Jewish presence in Israel?
This thread has taken me all week to compile, as the history is so rich, but I will try and address some main points of Jewish presence in Israel from each century.
Let's get started: 🧵🧵🧵
@VerminusM
Gain a few fake points with the Gazans who see them failing again & again.
Same as the dozens of videos of firing RPGs on tanks that cut before you see the tank is fine and the rpg was intercepted.
שבוע טוב,
במיוחד לבעל קורא שזיכה אותנו בטעות הפרוידיאנית הכי טובה בהיסטוריה:
"ועבדו ואמתו ושורו *וחמותו* וכל אשר לרעך".
לא שמעתי צחוק כזה מתפשט בבית הכנסת הרבה זמן.
)קרדיט פורמט ל
@avraham_elitsur
היקר)
@AngryLevantine
Israel is so diverse that pretty much anyone can feel at home if they don't do something extreme in the wrong place. For example:
don't drive a car into Bnei Brak on Shabbat,
don't bring a PLO flag to Yitzhar,
don't put up a 'Kahana was right' sticker in Tel Aviv etc.
Every Ramadan violence erupts on the Temple Mount and the young "worshipers" barricade themselves in the mosque to wreak havoc & terror.
So the Israeli police go in to stop them, and then the world says Israel is "desecrating their holy sites and holidays":
@GiladBushari
אשתי ילדה בשבת, אני הייתי כבר כמה ימים עם חום 40, בקושי ישנתי.
איכשהו הצלחתי לנהוג לבית חולים, הגענו ולא היה זמן לתת לה אפידורל אז היא סבלה מאוד, כמה דק' אחרי שהמתוק נולד הקאתי את נשמתי ואז התחלתי להרגיש יותר טוב.
וכן, נרדמתי על כסא ממש לא נוח במחלקת יולדות לכמה שעות טובות.
@AngryLevantine
I don't think I can get more pro-Israel & growing up here and witnessing multiple terror attacks I don't think I can get much less pro-Pal.
But it opened my eyes to the faults in our military & security mindsets.
I now know I need to be ready to fend for myself & my family.
@Shteygen
עשיתי לייק כבר אחרי המשפט הראשון ולא התחרטתי. תודה רבה.
יש את הנושא המסתעף מכך של מצוות דאורייתא או דרבנן - מהן המצוות דרבנן? מה התוקף שלהן? וכו' אבל זה יכול להיות שרשור שלם בפני עצמו.
אולי במקום להתעסק במתנחלים, 100 לוחמי קומדנו או איזו סוכה,
כדאי שנתעסק בהכרת הטוב לגיבורים עצומים שפעלו בשמחת תורה בתעצומות נפש ובמסירות נפש.
ממליץ להכנס לדף של
@Zionist_leading
לשקוע שם ולקרוא על הגיבורים שלנו ש #לא_נופלים_מדור_תשח
#לא_נופלים_מדור_תשח
כיתת הכוננות של הישוב שלומית:
מושב פרי גן ממוקם בחלק הצפוני של 'חבל שלום' - גוש המושבים שמול גבול מצרים מדרום לרצועה. הישוב שלומית הוא הקיצוני בחלק הדרומי, על הגבול המצרי.
בשבת בבוקר ה 7.10 החלו הדיווחים בקשר על פלישה מסיבית של מאות ואלפי מחבלים לכל אורך