Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan during a visit to the United States raised 500,000 shekels ($138,000) for the yeshivah in the nascent Jewish community of Evyatar.
“I thank the friends of Samaria in the United States for their strategic partnership and belief in the righteousness of the path,” said Dagan in remarks Arutz 7 cited on Friday. “The community is strengthening thanks to the people who act on its behalf, both in Israel and abroad.”
The village, established in memory of Evyatar Borovsky and Yehuda Guetta, whom Palestinian terrorists murdered in separate attacks at the Tapuach Junction, is located south of the Arab city of Nablus (Shechem).
Founded in 2013 in the wake of the fatal stabbing of Borovsky but dismantled several times, Israeli civilians moved back to Evyatar following the June 2023 shooting attack at a gas station outside nearby Eli.
Evyatar received recognition under Israeli law last year in a quid pro quo that saw Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism Party, prevent the Palestinian Authority’s financial collapse.
Evyatar’s Avinoam Yeshivah has more than 200 students in various programs. During the current Swords of Iron war, the institution lost three of its students: IDF Staff Sgt. Maoz Morell, 22, Sgt. Ori Nisanovich, 21, and St. Sgt. Gilad Nehemya Nitzan, 21.
“Evyatar is a symbol. It is not just a place of residence—it is a message of connection to the Land of Israel. We are here to stay!” said Dagan. “Every donation and involvement helps us ensure the future of settlement and make Evyatar a reality.
“There will be many more Evyatars, there will be many more new towns. Evyatar is a symbol of connection to the Land of Israel and of a stand for our right to this land,” he declared. “Israel is ours; we are here to stay.”
