With current peace talks permantly on hold, the need for increaseג building in the areas like Eastern Gush Etzion have become a priority for the Gush Etzion locality and the government. As the region becomes more established other needed services have been built in the last decade and are now flourishing. This is where Yossi Sade’s (יוסי שדה) vision has taken hold and helped transform the region and nation.
Nestled underneath Herodian, site of King Herod’s mountain palace, Sde Bar (שדה בר) under the directorship of Yossi Sade (יוסי שדה) has led a revolution in rehabilitating troubled youth by giving them responsibility and a caring place. From taking care of livestock to cheese production, youth from all sorts sof backgrounds not only learn skills, but rebalance their lives in order to tap their true potential.
Yossi Sade (יוסי שדה) and the Sde Bar staff work with the youth who have run outof their rehabilitation options. Not only do the boys have to do phyiscal work, they work towards highschool graduation, learn history through guided tours, and many move onto the army and integration back into Israeli society.
Beyond the societal affects of the farm, Sde Bar’s location gives it a strategic purpose. By connecting Herodian to Tekoa, Sde Bar helps form a contiguous Jewish presence in Eastern Gush Etzion that is often overlooked when tourists and government officials frequent Western Gush.