Arutz Sheva’s Yoni Kempinski took part in the Shomron March on
Wednesday, which celebrated Jewish life in Samaria.
3,000 students, parents, soldiers, and Israelis of all ages and
backgrounds joined together for the annual march, which was held this
year as part of the ongoing “Nice to Meet Samaria” campaign,
conducted by the Samaria Regional Council in order to bring more
Israelis from the coastal region to an area of the country right in
their backyard that many have never visited.
The event was dedicated to the memory of former Tourism Minister
Rechavam Ze´evi, who was murdered by Arab terrorists in Jerusalem in
2001.
Minister Ze’evi’s father, Palmach Ze’evi, was among the participants
in the march. He told Arutz Sheva, “Father said in very plain and
clear words that in order to be able to survive this country which
demands so much from us, you need to love it.”
“In order to create this strong love, he said we must walk the land –
in the mountain and on the creek, in the summer and in the cold – but
before we take the first step in this endless trip, we should take
our shoes off, and this is because we’re stepping on the Torah,”
added Ze’evi.
“This is the land of our forefathers,” he continued. “When we walk
it, we are walking at home. This is was father and this is the reason
we’re here today.”
Shomron Council head Gershon Mesika said that “this march perfectly
preserves the legacy of Rechavam Ze´evi, the spirit of unity and the
love of the Land of Israel. Thousands of observant and secular
marchers from Samaria and from around the country marched together
with IDF soldiers on the Land of Israel, united in their memory of
the minister.”
