The new northern Samaria community of Emek Dotan was officially established today as founding families moved into initial residential structures on site, accompanied by supply trucks arriving with household equipment.
The move-in precedes an official founding ceremony scheduled for today, attended by government ministers, Members of the Knesset, and public figures. Among the attendees are Samaria Governor Yossi Dagan, Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Minister Ze’ev Elkin, MKs Kati Shitrit, Boaz Bismuth, and Nissim Vaturi, Amana Secretary-General Ze’ev Hever (Zambish), and Rabbi Chaim Baruch, head of the Bruchin, Lod, and Tiberias yeshiva institutions whose alumni make up many of the initial residents.
Emek Dotan is the fifth new community established by the Samaria Regional Council in less than a year. Its establishment follows a government cabinet decision and forms part of a broader plan to establish 19 new communities across northern Samaria. Located near the biblical Dothan Valley—historically associated with the story of Joseph and his brothers—the communities aims to bolster the Jewish presence in northern Samaria and enhance access to historical heritage sites.
“Today we are privileged to fulfill a dream of generations,” said Samaria Governor Yossi Dagan. “In the very place where Joseph sought his brothers, a new community is born today. Emek Dotan is much more than a new town—it is an expression of the victory of the Zionist spirit, the eternal bond of the Jewish people to their land, and the continuation of the community momentum in northern Samaria.”
Hadas Weiss, an initial resident and mother of two, expressed excitement about moving in: “Settling the land is deeply moving. We are truly doing something important here. We never envisioned founding a community in Samaria, but when the opportunity arose, it felt entirely right.”