Jews visit Awarta
Jews visit AwartaGregory Bado

The Midreshet Shomron Center and the Samaria Regional Council have in recent years brought more and more travelers to sites where no tourist has visited in many years.

The trend will continue tonight as tourists visit the village of Awarta in Samaria for the first time, as part of an archaeological and historical conference. Tourists and travelers from around the country will attend the conference, titled the 'Shechem Conference.'

Over 100 tourists from all sectors of Israeli society will attend the conference to hear the words of top researchers and archaeologists on their findings.

The terrorists who broke into the home of the Fogel family in Itamar and stabbed to death Ehud and Ruth Fogel and four of their children, came from Awarta. But the graves of the Biblical figure Aharon the High Priest's sons are located in Awarta, as well of the graves of other leaders of the Jewish people in ancient times.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan explained why the council was leading tourist visits to the town where terrorists and murderers came from. "We have a responsibility to learn about the generations [of our ancestors]. These historical remnants have been here for thousands of years. These relics are of historical importance for the entire world, and certainly for he Jewish people. These trips with tourists from all over the country will raise the awareness of these places and will thus [contribute to] the maintaining of them and their becoming an inseparable part of the Jewish country."

This is the fourth year the Shechem Conference is being held.