Residents of Kedumim marked yesterday (Sunday) 50 years since the return of Jews to Samaria. The main event took place in a festive ceremony attended by hundreds of local residents, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a resident of the settlement, and local mayor Ozal Vatik.
Kedumim, founded in 1975 by members of the "Gush Emunim" movement, became the first Jewish settlement established in Samaria after the Six-Day War. Today, around 5,000 residents live in the settlement.
In his speech, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, "Congratulations Kedumim. Congratulations Land of Israel. I want to thank the wonderful community of Kedumim. I grew up here since I was 18 and established my home here. There is no better place to grow up and draw values and dedication like Kedumim."
He added, "In recent years, I have tried to bring Kedumim's pioneering spirit to the corridors of government and the Civil Administration, and I feel like a dwarf on the shoulders of the giant founding generation that built this glorious settlement. I salute the pioneers who dealt with the mud, the cold, the security challenges, and the shelters, and paved the way for the generation that followed them, and now we already have a succeeding generation that is building and developing. They succeeded!"
Later in his speech, Smotrich declared, "In three weeks, the engineering department will establish the platoon that will return to Sa-Nur." He added, "I don't want to say the date because it's still a secret, but very soon, the families will return to live in Sa-Nur."
The mayor of Kedumim, Ozel Vatik, said at the ceremony: "From a small core of 'crazies' to the people of Israel, we have achieved settlement everywhere in Judea and Samaria, all thanks to your faith and persistence - the founding generation. The name 'Kadumim' reminds us that we are deeply rooted, and our roots come from those who came before us, but it also constantly reminds us to keep moving forward because it's not enough to be first - we must aim for more. Our mission for the next fifty years is to build high, break more paths, and settle in the vastness of our land. We are not just building more homes, we are making history."
He also thanked the former council leaders, Daniella Weiss and Chananel Dorni, who, according to him, "laid the foundations for the great growth we are working on today and to Finance Minister and Minister in the Ministry of Defense Bezalel Smotrich, who promotes and develops settlement and the entire region and is making a tremendous revolution."