I am 30 and I live in the city of מועצה מקומית אפרת Efrat Municipality in the #GushEtzion area. I am married to Tovi Belle Applebaum and we have three wonderful girls.
I was born in גוש עציון and, after a few years in #jerusalem, my family and I came back to build our home here.
That’s exactly what Gush Etzion is: home.
A place that combines Tanach, #history, #culture, breathtaking #views, and #people of all kinds. It’s this unique atmosphere which motivated me to set into motion two innovative projects that have struck roots in Gush Etzion.
The first is the non-profit group החברים של ג’וחא. Founded in 2015, the organization is active in schools and communities. It aims to empower Israeli youth through #volunteer work in their own communities via action and engagement. In the last five years we have worked with hundreds of kids: cleaning parks, renovating classrooms, running barbeques for #soldiers, and more. Much of our focus is in the Gush Etzion area. Indeed, we are named after Major Yochai “Jucha” Kelangel who was born and raised in the Netiv Ha’Avot neighborhood of Gush Etzion and fell in #combat while serving on the Lebanese border.
The second project is a #coffee house on wheels which operates in the northern neighborhoods of #efrat.
סיפתח-Siftach, as it is known, is much more than a place to get a cup of joe (though the coffee is second-to-none!). It has quickly become a focal point of the area. Not only is it a place to meet friends, but we host our regular #torah classes, #yoga , #concerts , #fairs for local businesses, and more. #siftach sits at the cross-section of a number of Gush Etzion landmarks. We are just off the Biar Aqueduct, with a stunning view of where Nachal Pirim meets Solomon’s Pools to the north.
Towering overhead to the East is the Herodium. The #herodium is visible from almost every observation point in Gush Etzion and I like to think that as a result it helps bring all the residents of Gush Etzion together — exactly what Siftach aims to do.”
I was born in גוש עציון and, after a few years in #jerusalem, my family and I came back to build our home here.
That’s exactly what Gush Etzion is: home.
A place that combines Tanach, #history, #culture, breathtaking #views, and #people of all kinds. It’s this unique atmosphere which motivated me to set into motion two innovative projects that have struck roots in Gush Etzion.
The first is the non-profit group החברים של ג’וחא. Founded in 2015, the organization is active in schools and communities. It aims to empower Israeli youth through #volunteer work in their own communities via action and engagement. In the last five years we have worked with hundreds of kids: cleaning parks, renovating classrooms, running barbeques for #soldiers, and more. Much of our focus is in the Gush Etzion area. Indeed, we are named after Major Yochai “Jucha” Kelangel who was born and raised in the Netiv Ha’Avot neighborhood of Gush Etzion and fell in #combat while serving on the Lebanese border.
The second project is a #coffee house on wheels which operates in the northern neighborhoods of #efrat.
סיפתח-Siftach, as it is known, is much more than a place to get a cup of joe (though the coffee is second-to-none!). It has quickly become a focal point of the area. Not only is it a place to meet friends, but we host our regular #torah classes, #yoga , #concerts , #fairs for local businesses, and more. #siftach sits at the cross-section of a number of Gush Etzion landmarks. We are just off the Biar Aqueduct, with a stunning view of where Nachal Pirim meets Solomon’s Pools to the north.
Towering overhead to the East is the Herodium. The #herodium is visible from almost every observation point in Gush Etzion and I like to think that as a result it helps bring all the residents of Gush Etzion together — exactly what Siftach aims to do.”
