A festive celebration was held to mark 40 years since the founding of the town of Emmanuel.
The event was attended by thousands of people, including residents of Samaria and Emmanuel, visitors from across Israel, and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and Jerusalem chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar. Also in attendance were Emmanuel's rabbis, members of the Knesset, local authority chiefs, and other public figures.
At the conclusion of the event, Rabbi Amar met with Emmanuel's board of rabbis and Council Head Eliyahu Gafni, blessing the town and its residents.
Yigal Dilmoni, Director General of the YESHA Council, requested Rabbi Amar's blessing to double the Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, so as to reach one million residents within a short time.
Rabbi Amar responded by blessing the settlements with growth, saying that G-d should, "add to you a thousandfold as many as you are, and may He bless you, as He spoke concerning you!" (Deuteronomy 1:11) He explained that the blessing of G-d, "as He spoke concerning you," is without limits, and that the settlements will expand eastward and westward.
Watch the Hebrew video here: