(IsraelNN.com) Migron is threatened, Beit El celebrates 30, Homesh seeks rebirth - and all will host Israel Independence Day hikes and events.

M I G R O N
Migron, a hilltop community that the government is threatening to destroy this summer, is located strategically overlooking the main Jerusalem-Beit El-Ofrah-Shomron highway.  Founded in 2002, within six months it had 30 families and five singles. It continued to grow apace, until the government abruptly clamped down and refused to allow any new caravans to the site. 

Today, Migron (Samuel I 14,2; Isaiah 10, 28) has 43 families, with a synagogue, nursery, daycare center, meeting hall, a mikveh under construction, and more. 

Suit Filed by Anti-Yesha Elements
Sought out and encouraged by the radical left-wing Peace Now organization, which is dedicated to destroying all Jewish presence in the Biblical areas of Judea and Samaria, a group of local Arabs filed a suit against the existence of Migron in 2006.  The Arabs claim to own part or all of the land on which Migron is built, and say that the government acted illegally when it invested some four million shekels in Migron infrastructures such as roads, electricity and water piping.

In light of the suit, the government has informed the Supreme Court that it plans to raze Migron to the ground by this coming August. The government is said to be hoping to convince the residents to agree to move to an  alternative site nearby - in the knowledge that a forcible evacuation will attract hundreds or thousands of settlement supporters, and is nearly certain to be as violent as was the Amona destruction just over two years ago.

However, the residents say no government officials have spoken to them - leaving only the prospect of government-sponsored destruction. 

Raising the Banner of Settlement!
Under this threat, the town of Migron has invited the public at large to join them in "raising the banner of settlement, and marching for independence" in Migron on Independence Day.  Transportation will be provided from Jerusalem, and the event has been coordinated with the army and police.  A hike from Michmas Brook to Migron will begin at 10 AM, with an easier route planned out for those who wish.  At 12 noon, the Big Event will begin, with various activities for children and families planned throughout the town. These will include Torah classes, horseback riding, arts and crafts, plays, and more.  At 3:30 PM, the Central Concluding Ceremony will begin with Aharon Razel and other famous musicians. 

For information, call Shoshana (054-427-4240) or Yehudit (054-568-4593).

B E I T  E L
Just several kilometers to the north, the town of Beit El - the largest Jewish town between Jerusalem and Ariel - will celebrate its 30th anniversary.  The central event will be held Wednesday night, with the onset of Independence Day, at the nearby army base's shooting range adjacent to the town.  Numbering nearly 5,500 people today, Beit El is buttressed by the presence of hundreds students in the dormitories of the town's several yeshivot and schools. 

Beit El was founded in November 1977, just a few months after Menachem Begin and the Likud first came to power.  Some 16 families from Jerusalem and Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav started the town by moving into barracks in the nearby army base - the central base of the Jordanian Legion in the area up until the Six Day War.  Nearly a year later, they finally moved out to area allotted to them by the Defense Ministry on the adjacent hills. 

Development was stopped for several months by court order, until the Supreme Court was convinced by then-Defense Minister Ezer Weizman that the town was necessary for security purposes.

Beit El today has 14 nurseries, two public-religious elementary schools, a Talmud Torah, two yeshiva high schools, an ulpanah high school for girls, a pre-military yeshiva seminar, and a post-high school yeshiva, the famed Yeshivat Beit El. 

On Thursday, Beit El will hold its annual Independence Day event of family fun atop its Mount Artis neighborhood.  It will begin with a hike in the nearby mountains, a visit to the observation point atop the Artis water tower - from where Mt. Hermon, Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea can be seen - and family activities.  For information, call Rivka at 050-4020-839.

H O M E S H
Possibly the largest Independence Day celebration will take place at the site of the Disengagement-destroyed town of Homesh, in the north-western Shomron.  Buses will be leaving for Homesh from various Yesha towns from 9:30 in the morning, bringing participants to a host of Independence Day activities, family fun, and a performance by new-age Hassidic music star Udi Davidi. 

The events will be capped off by an evening of recognition of the activists who have worked day and night over the past year to keep Homesh alive - by visiting and living at the site, despite the lack of accommodations; by organizing doing guard duty; by organizing activities; and more.

The central holiday event, however, is likely to be the march up the mountain to Homesh along the route usually taken by youth trying to reach the site while avoiding army forces. Geared mainly for youth, the trek takes 3-4 hours, and is not recommended for those in less than average physical shape; these latter will be able to reach Homesh by vehicle instead.

Nearly 1,000 people living in pre-1967 Israel have already signed up to take part in the event, as of Wednesday afternoon.  Busloads will be coming from communities within Judea and Samaria as well.  For more information, call Sagi at 0528-119-003.