Hundreds of olim and members of the World Likud attended an Aliyah Day event in Gush Etzion on Tuesday, celebrating the ingathering of the exiles and the contribution of Jewish immigrants to the state.
The event, held at the Oz V'Gaon nature reserve, a memorial for three Israeli teens murdered by Hamas in 2014, celebrated both those who opted to immigrate to Israel and the Judea and Samaria settlement enterprise.
World Likud is a global Zionist movement that unites the members of the different Likud branches in Israel and in the Diaspora and acts as the representative of the Likud Movement worldwide. The organization engages in combating anti-Semitism and conducts extensive pro-Israel advocacy activities with communities and leaders worldwide.
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The event was hosted in collaboration with the Gush Etzion Regional Council and the Gush Etzion Tourism Association. Vice Chairman of the World Zionist Organization and Chairman of World Likud Yaakov Hagoel, Head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council Shlomo Ne'eman, Chairman of World Likud and WZO member Jacques Kupfer, Chairman of the World Likud Secretariat and Deputy Chairman of JNF Arnon Fellman, CEO of World Likud Yifat Ovadia-Luski, CEO of the Gush Etzion Tourism Association Moshe Bruce, CEO of World Betar Neria Meir and other guests attended the celebration and also participated in a fascinating tour of the Herodion and the Gush Etzion Artists Fair.
"What a great Zionist celebration in this region of Israel, Gush Etzion," Hagoel told the audience. "We started the day at the Gush Etzion junction in Oz Ve'Gaon, where the three boys were abducted. We came here to raise children, not to murder children. We came to expand the settlement enterprise. We saw how 2,000 years ago they [the enemies of ancient Israel] tried to eradicate the Jewish dynasty, but 71 years ago we came back in a big way."
"We grew up here and we didn't get to immigrate to Israel, but you did," he continued. "It's not easy to leave home, language, culture, and lifestyle you know to go to another country. Good for you! I am proud that you came here to raise your children and grandchildren. This the home of the Jewish people. We, in state institutions, are trying to strengthen Diaspora Jews."
Hagoel further shared with the audience that the Zionist Executive Committee of the World Zionist Organization has passed what he called "two historic resolutions."
"First, to apply the appropriate name [for the area], which is Judea and Samaria and not the 'occupied territories' in the West Bank. The second decision is to apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and develop more settlements. Together, we will proudly stand up for Jewish identity. Am Yisrael Chai!"
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne'eman said that Aliyah Day was "a national holiday and also personal one. There is no doubt that marking this day is a significant way in which we can acknowledge those who left everything to live in the Holy Land out of a sense of personal and general mission."
"We will continue to bolster the olim in Gush Etzion, in particular, and in the settlements in general. Let us hope that this mission will only grow and appeal to many more Jews who live overseas."
