Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Elder of Ziyon
By Forest Rain
“Again you will plant vineyards on the
hills of Samaria”
Many of
the hills of Samaria are barren and empty – except for those touched by Jews
who came back and are renewing the love story with our ancestral homeland.
When
Vered and Erez Ben Saadon got married in 1997, they chose to live in the
village of Bracha, located on Mount Gerizim in Samaria, where the biblical blessing
was given to the tribes of Israel.
Vered
and Erez had a dream to farm the land. The newlyweds invested the money they
received as a wedding gift to buy the first 20 square kilometers of land where
they planted vineyards. Today the Ben Saadon family owns 560 square
kilometers of vineyards.
For
2000 years the land lay empty. Now it looks like this. The green is just part
of their vineyards.
“You
shall yet plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria.
Those who plant them, they will enjoy the fruit” (Jeremiah 31:5).
At
first, the couple sold their grapes to other wineries. When they fully
understood how special their grapes are, they decided to open their own winery - Tura, a world-class, award-winning estate
winery that has become a place of pilgrimage for Israeli and foreign wine
connoisseurs.
It took courage and vision to open Tura Winery in Rechalim, a small community
located just 15 minutes drive from Ariel University, 40 minutes from Rosh Haayin.
Rechelim was another Zionist vision realized – named after two Jewish women
named Rachel murdered by Arab terrorists and our ancient matriarch, Rachel. For
life taken, in honor of the life given, a new community established. The first
pioneering family to live in Rechalim lived in a tent for nearly eight months,
but soon after, multiple families joined them, permanent homes were built, and
Rechalim grew into a community in the full sense of the word.
Some of
the original tents were incorporated into the structure of Tura Winery.
The Ben Saadon’s unique personalities are woven into
the success of Tura. Erez oversees the wine-making process at all stages, from
growing the grapes to marketing. Vered hosts visitors to the winery where
shares her extraordinary story and knowledge about Samaria. She has become an
unofficial “spokesperson for Samaria” which is why on Israel’s 75th
Independence Day Vered was chosen to represent the farmers, the residents of Samaria,
and Israeli Wine and light a torch at the torch lighting ceremony on Mount
Herzl in their honor.
Vered
was born in Holland and as a young girl immigrated to Israel with her parents
and sister. Vered’s father was Jewish but her mother was not. Having relatives
who survived the Holocaust as well as relatives who aided the perpetrators of
the Holocaust led Vered’s mother to decide that she wanted to stand firmly on
the side of the Jews. Israel’s chief rabbi Shlomo Goren conducted
their conversion ceremony.
Vered says that the Jew hate we see in Europe today is
the same hate that created the horror of the Holocaust. It was never really
gone. For years she has been warning visiting Europeans that the hate will
destroy them. In the past, they showed little understanding of what she was
saying. Perhaps now, they will see what she meant. She worries about Israel too
but sees more hope for us. We have our soldiers and, if we choose wisely, we
may merit miracles. We will need both.
The
slogan of Tura Winery is “Patience & Inspiration”. It reflects the art and
love infused in the process of making their wines. It’s appropriate for the
story of Israel too.
*******************
The
Tura Winery Visitors Center can accommodate up to 55 people.
There is an entrance fee and it is by appointment only. To arrange a visit,
please call: 02-650-8882
For more information about Tura Wine please visit: https://www.turawinery.com/
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