"For an ordinary citizen like me who wants to build a home, there's virtually no chance of building a decent house in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. But the open spaces near Israel's borders give me the opportunity to build my dream home," Yoel Zilberman, founder and CEO of Hashomer Hachadash, said Tuesday at the People of the State conference, the flagship event of ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth.
During his remarks, Zilberman discussed his organization's efforts to realize its vision of establishing 150 new communities across Israel.
Yoel Zilberman with host Sharon Kidon
(Photo: Yariv Katz)
"A month ago, we established Israel's first new moshav in 20 years," he said. "We have student villages, Nahal military-service groups, educational campuses and the Adam VeAdama school network. Beyond that, there's a real opportunity to develop the Egyptian border, where there's a 20-kilometer (12-mile) stretch of empty land, and establish dozens of new communities along it.
"For each of these places, we need to think about how to integrate employment, renewable energy and therapeutic services. Israel can and should be a world leader in finding solutions to global water and food challenges."
Zilberman also described efforts to enlist the ultra-Orthodox community in the initiative.
"We're approaching them and saying, 'Listen, instead of establishing your yeshiva in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak or Modi'in, come build it along the Jordanian border,'" he said.
"Within three weeks, the first yeshiva will be established along the border, at a site called Mahaneh Shetach, north of Jericho. Next to it, a new city called Ir Hatmarim, or City of Palms, is planned. It will be an ultra-Orthodox city.
"Yoel Moshe Salomon's dream was to establish Petah Tikva there, near the Jordan River crossing. The area is known as Petah Tikva, and there's already a significant community there."
According to Zilberman, the initiative has the potential to attract between 20,000 and 50,000 ultra-Orthodox young people to these areas.
He concluded by expressing confidence that the initiative would receive broad political support regardless of who leads Israel's next government.
"It doesn't matter which government is in power. I'm 100% certain that anyone with even a spark of Zionism will enthusiastically join us in this effort, and everyone will become part of it," he said.
"We're not worried about who forms the next government because every citizen in this country depends on the strength and resilience of our borders. When you travel to Las Vegas, you see a thriving, growing city. There's absolutely no reason we can't have the same thing along our borders."