Twenty-one years after their painful expulsion as part of Israel’s disengagement plan, 30 families from the pioneering core group moved back to Ganim in northern Samaria on Sunday. Alongside the families, a branch of the Bnei David yeshiva from Ma’ale will open at the site next Sunday. The Samaria Regional Council is reestablishing the town in partnership with the Amana movement and the Israeli government. Ahead of the historic return, the council launched a massive flag campaign at the entrance to Ganim, hanging dozens of giant Israeli flags as a symbol of sovereignty, homecoming, and national restoration.
A national ceremony was held at the site Sunday morning with ministers, Knesset members, leaders from Judea and Samaria, and public figures in attendance. Participants included Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Amana Secretary-General Ze’ev Hever (Zambish), Bnei David heads Rabbi Eli Sadan and Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, head of the advanced yeshiva Rabbi Yehuda Sadan, and Rabbi Neriya Bulak, who will lead the new yeshiva in Ganim. Also attending were families expelled from Ganim and the family of Katy Winterob, a resident of the town who was murdered in a shooting attack on her way home.
The move is part of the “Connection Plan” led by the Samaria Council, which includes establishing 19 new communities in northern Samaria as part of the “Million in Samaria” plan. The return to Ganim comes just days after breaking ground on Emek Dotan—the fifth community the council has established in less than a year. In July, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved a massive plan of over 1 billion shekels to build accesible roads to several new communities, including Ganim.
Key statements from the leaders of the initiative:
• Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan: “Today we’re returning and reestablishing Ganim—we’re not just returning to the four communities that were uprooted, we’re doubling and tripling the enterprise. Instead of uprooting and retreating, we’re bringing construction and resettlement. Ganim will be a huge town, 10 times larger. The people of Israel are coming home!”
• Ganim core group chairman Ilan Kotzky: “Establishing Ganim means returning to a piece of land we left. We are the pioneers of 2026. In another 10 years, Ganim will be a huge town of a thousand families—the jewel of Samaria.”
• Moriah Maslati, new-old resident of Ganim: “This day is much more than moving into a town—it’s a moment of correction, revival, and coming home. We’re excited to bring life back here—homes, community, and children. We’re bringing life back to Ganim!”