WhatsappWaking in the morning in Pnei Kedem Farm and watching the sunrise over the Dead Sea, one cannot help but be pulled into a drive to settle the Land of Israel. However the Pnei Kedem Farm, located outside the fence of the Pnei Kedem community and 25 minutes south of Jerusalem is much more than an ideological dream, it rests on the frontlines of fighting against Arab land theft in Judea and Samaria.
To be a part of the Pnei Kedem Farm’s dream and future click here.
Pnei Kedem is situated high up across a steep ravine from Meitzad. Both are considered isolated just south of the Jerusalem suburb of Tekoa. The Pnei Kedem farm was started by Gavriel Reiss and his wife Shira just over 4 years ago, with the mission to protect the state lands that stretch from Pnei Kedem to the Dead Sea.
From the beginning, the Reiss family pushed out further and further and attracted dedicated volunteers who often times stayed out on the hill without electricity in order to secure the hillside from Arab theft and violence.
With more than 400 head of sheep, the Pnei Kedem farm has kept growing. It’s shepherds graze the sheep daily. Besides food for the sheep, the grazing is the key to the security of the entire area.
From protecting the community to expanding the Nation of Israel’s control over its Land, the shepherds are the key to the farm’s success. Gavriel and Shira have used the farm to help build up and strengthen young Jewish boys and girls, by giving them the space to lead and learn about themselves and real skills that will stay with them for years to come.
“When we first got started there was a lot of uncertainty and a lot of fear. People did not leave the fence of the yishuv and we had no idea what or how it would be,” Shira Reiss says.
“Now we take advantage of most of our grazing land and have a presence in the area,” Gavriel continues.
Today in Judea and Samaria, farms like Pnei Kedem Farm have been noted as the most successful tool against the growing Arab land theft threat. What started out as a mission of one family, has now expanded to tens of of families in Judea alone. Many learned and developed under the tutelage of the Reisses.
The Pnei Kedem Farm is a symbol of perseverance, dedication, and selflessness and ultimately ho one family can change an entire nation.
To be a part of the Pnei Kedem Farm’s dream and future click here.
