Katzrin: A Very Jewish Story!

Katzrin, nestled in the hills and valleys of the Golan, is a very Jewish story yet to be told. Like a thousand other towns around Israel, it is set for local elections now scheduled for January 30 and like all elections, it has its stress points and opposing opinions. Some of those opinions are very much at odds with Zionism and the Torah mandate for settling the land. Those opposing the current sitting council desire Katzrin to remain a quiet, idyllic haven of low growth and a static population. At the same time, wanting all the infrastructure benefits from high growth without the intensive development required to provide those municipal benefits. This reluctance to grow Katzrin contradicts every commandment in the Torah to populate all of Israel. It denies the Zionist vision and ignores decades of Government policy committed to a Jewish majority in the Golan. Katzrin claims to be the Golan’s Capital, so it must “Grow or Die!” There is no in-between, only a determined belief in its future as a hub of Jewish expansion and consolidation.

If the residents of Katzrin want a strong, vibrant Jewish presence in the Golan, they need to get behind the current Mayor of Katzrin, Dimi Apartzev and his team, who are acting for the sake of Katzrin, which is tied to the future of Israel. Likewise, the residents of Katzrin are not free to abandon the Zionist vision for personal wants. Instead, each one of us must settle for nothing less than constructive growth under the leadership of committed Jews with a Zionist vision for Israel’s future.

On January 30 2024, the residents will hold the key to that future as they cast their vote. A Zionist future, a Torah-mandated future, will be in their hands.