Residents of Kedumim and public figures celebrated today (Thursday) night the first anniversary of the establishment of the “Nofei Gideon” neighborhood (formerly Har Kidan), named after Gideon Peri, who was murdered in the nearby Bar-On industrial area. The event highlighted the construction boom, with representatives from all the communities coming to congratulate the families of the new neighborhood.
2+The event was attended by Rabbi Tzvi Perbstein, heads of the Nachala movement Daniella Weiss and Tzvi Elimelech Sharbaf, council head Uzi’el Vatik, and many residents. Daniella Weiss shared a personal memory, recounting how council head Vatik came to her late at night with the bold idea to establish the neighborhood: “At first I rejected him, but after I saw that nothing scares him, that he was determined and that he paved the way to the place himself—I decided to join him. We fulfilled a dream of decades here.”
Rabbi Tzvi Perbstein blessed the residents and noted that the people in Kedumim act out of simple faith in the words of the prophets, and therefore are not afraid to bring the vision into reality on the ground.
2+In his speech, council head Uzi’el Vatik presented the transformation that has occurred over the past year, from a dark and isolated hill to a vibrant neighborhood already in its third phase. Vatik revealed that the ascent to Har Kidan completely stopped takeover attempts by Arabs from the village of Qadum toward Kedumim’s neighborhoods, and provided increased security to Mitzpe Kedumim, Givat Shalem, and Kedumim North.
“In ascending the mountain, we are strengthening the security of Kedumim in particular and all of Samaria,” Vatik emphasized. He praised the families for their extraordinary dedication throughout a winter filled with winds and rain, and detailed the technological security components installed on the mountain at an investment of hundreds of thousands of shekels, including a tower with cameras, radars, and a fortified position.
2+Alongside integrating the neighborhood into the council’s regular services, such as organized garbage collection, Vatik opened a window to plans and announced the start of an unprecedented strategic project: paving the “Western Road.” This new road will wrap around Kedumim from the west and directly connect all the western neighborhoods, from the Rishonim neighborhood (Ashkoviot) and Kerem HaLevi, through Mitzpe Kedumim and Har Hemed, to Nofei Gideon. Additionally, Vatik announced the council’s intention to expand to Jebel Akra to create an absolute buffer between the village of Qadum and the Jewish town, and plans for a long and impressive street as part of the neighborhood’s fourth phase.
Vatik concluded his remarks with deep thanks to partners from the Nachala movement, to the council’s various departments (security, civil administration liaison, landscaping, and education) that connected the neighborhood through a blooming planting promenade, and to the courageous families. “We have many more missions, and we don’t have time to rest,” the council head summed up. “As people operating in Kedumim, we are committed to the pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit. We will all work together to further develop the town and the entire region, because all of the Land of Israel was given to the people of Israel, and it is our historical duty to live in it and develop it.”