Homesh Rises Again: Kindergarten Marks Victory Over Disengagement

Today as Israel marks the first day back at school, a poignant ceremony marked the opening of the first kindergarten in Homesh, a Samaria settlement evacuated during the 2005 Disengagement, which saw 25 communities uprooted. This milestone, the first educational institution established in these settlements since, symbolizes a revival of Jewish presence in the region.

Attendees included Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan, Rosh Yeshivat Homesh Rabbi Elishama Cohen, Homesh families’ representative Benny Gal, Deputy Council Head Davidi Ben Zion, Ministry of Education officials, veteran kindergarten teacher Ayelet Levi, new teacher Atara Rubin, assistant Sigal Samet, and local families.

Dagan, joined by Levi and Rubin, unveiled the kindergarten, tearfully reciting the “Shehecheyanu” blessing and declaring, “The Disengagement is dead. The people of Israel live! We are witnessing a sweet moment of victory for the people of Israel and Zionism… With God’s help, many more kindergartens will follow here in Homesh and other uprooted settlements. Justice always prevails, even if it takes 20 years.” He thanked the “Homesh First” movement, Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Education Minister Yoav Kisch, and activists, adding, “You, dear children, will grow up telling your kids and grandchildren that you opened the first kindergarten in Homesh, and from that, many more will spring up in all the evacuated communities.”

Education Minister Yoav Kisch, who fought against the yeshiva’s evacuation as Land of Israel lobby chair, stated, “Twenty years after the uprooting of Homesh, we are now planting new roots of education and future. Opening this kindergarten is not only an educational act, it is a Zionist deed of nation-building and settlement… The Ministry of Education, under my leadership, will provide educational services to every Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich added, “After the return of the yeshiva, now the children return to Homesh! The opening of this new kindergarten is not just an educational milestone, it is a symbol of revival and renewed life in the heart of Samaria… With G-d’s help, we will continue to build, expand, and deepen roots throughout our homeland.”

Ayelet Levi, Homesh’s kindergarten teacher before the evacuation, shared, “Restoring the former glory… This is an incredibly emotional moment. I taught at the kindergarten for five years, I started with five children and ended with twenty-five. The expulsion was very painful… I never dreamed I’d return to work in Homesh’s kindergarten. I wish you much success, action, and faith… I wish for double the kindergarten and many more after it.”

Rabbi Elishama Cohen said, “Man is like a tree of the field. These sweet children are the fruitful produce of the Land of Israel… Today, with G-d’s blessing, we can establish a kindergarten that will carry that spiritual essence forward.” Atara Rubin, the new teacher, noted, “For years we came here with children in tents on holidays and Sabbaths. Now, to open a fully approved kindergarten under the Ministry of Education is a great privilege.” Benny Gal reflected, “Twenty years ago, we were expelled from here, carrying with us twenty years of struggle to return… And now, we stand before deliverance, realizing a prophecy with our own eyes.”

The Disengagement, enacted to reduce tensions after the Second Intifada, displaced over 8,000 settlers and remains a divisive chapter in Israel’s history. Homesh’s kindergarten, supported by the return of Yeshivat Homesh in recent years, signals a broader push to reestablish settlements in Judea and Samaria, amid ongoing regional tensions, including the war with Hamas and threats from Iran’s proxies.