Inbal Jerusalem Magazine - Inbal Hotel Jerusalem

TourismYoram shpirerCool It. “Ein Yitzhak” is a popular natural spring in Gush Etzion attracting hikers who are welcome to swim in it.the annals of the Israel Defense Forces which was moremagnificent, more tragic or more heroic than the strugglefor Gush Etzion. If a Jerusalem exists today, Israel owes itsgratitude first and foremost to the defenders of the EtzionBloc.” And therefore, before Israelis joyfully celebratetheir independence, they remember the supreme sacrificeof those who made it all possible, including paying specialhomage to the defenders of Gush Etzion, who throughtheir bravery, bought valuable time to reinforce Jerusalemagainst the advance of the well-organized, British trainedArab Legion.All this is related in a Sound and Light Show on KibbutzEtzion, which is the best place to start a tour of GushEtzion. The heartbreaking audio-visual presentationreveals how embedded Jewish life is in the Gush, noless than its rocks and ancient pathways. The routethrough the Gush from Hebron to Jerusalem is calledthe ‘Patriarch’s Way’ for it is believed that this was thepath that Abraham took with his son Isaac as theywalked toward Mount Moriah for the sacrifice that G..dcalled off:“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do notdo anything to him. Now I know that you fear G..d,because you have not withheld from me your son, youronly son.” (Genesis)We Shall ReturnFollowing the show, our tour visited the most iconicspot in the entire Gush – the ‘Lone Oak Tree’ at AlonShvut. Our guide, David Paz, a South African immigrantand pediatrician from Efrat, the second largest town inthe Gush, related the heroic story of the defense and fallof Gush Etzion.With the emblematic tree in the background (the ‘loneoak’ has been incorporated in the logo of the Gush EtzionRegional Council) the saga of Gush Etzion unfolded. “In1947, the Etzion Block was home to some 450 residentsincluding 211 woman and children,” continued Paz.“Although under constant Arab attack, holding it wasbelieved critical for the defense of Jerusalem. Theprecarious situation prompted the evacuation of thewoman and children who were escorted by the Britishtroops to Jerusalem in January of 1948. Despite a valiantdefense, the day before the declaration of the state ofIsrael on May 14th, Kfar Etzion, the oldest and largest ofthe four settlements in the Bloc, was overrun and 240 ofits defenders lost their lives.”Which brought Paz back to the story of the Lone OakTree and how Alon Shvut - Hebrew for ‘The Oak Treeof Return’ - acquired its name. “After the destructionSpring-Summer 201340