Jews in Samaria worked at resettling former Jewish communities while celebrating Purim this year, and activists spent the holiday at the sites of Homesh and Sa-Nur, two of the communities demolished in the 2005 "Disengagement" that resulted in the eviction of Jews from 25 towns in northern Samaria and the Gaza region.
Jews who were expelled from the two towns, members of the Homesh First activist group that has maintained a steady presence in Homesh for two years and others held a Megillat Esther (Book of Esther) reading at the site on Saturday night despite heavy rains.
Residents expressed hope that by next year, both Homesh and Sa-Nur would be rebuilt. “We are encouraged by the growing public and political support for fixing the mistake of the Disengagement,” said activist Yossi Dagan.
A second megillah reading was held at the tomb of Yehoshua bin Nun (Joshua), located in Kfar Hares in Samaria. A large group of celebrants who included Regional Council head Gershon Mesika and regional IDF officers took part in the reading.