Half an hour from Tel Aviv: The family cultivating the farm with a plow

Every morning, regardless of the calendar, the herd goes out to the field. "Yom Kippur, Tisha B'Av, Purim, hail or heatwave, it doesn't matter what. We go out to graze and work in agriculture every day," says Adi Malet.

Malet, her husband Eitan, and their three daughters live at Havat Avichai, on the seam line between western Binyamin and Rosh HaAyin, about a half-hour drive from Tel Aviv. Alongside the family, about ten teenagers, discharged soldiers, and volunteers live on-site permanently, participating in grazing, agricultural, and guard work.

The farm was established in 2023 in memory of Adi's father, Brigadier General Rabbi Avichai Rontzki (of blessed memory), who served as the Chief Military Rabbi.

In recent weeks, the story of the farm has reached tens of thousands of Israelis. The Binyamin Regional Council spokesperson's department sent Yaakov Elitzur and Aviya Margalit to the site, who documented the life and work on the farm. The videos published on the council's networks have received more than 100,000 views together.

The location is what gives the agricultural work there additional meaning. The open spaces between western Binyamin and the center of the country are an area where daily presence is a significant factor. According to Malet, when the family members arrived at the place, they encountered trucks dumping waste and sewage in the open spaces almost daily. Today, she says, the phenomenon almost does not occur in the vicinity of the farm.

Nahal Shilo flows at the foot of the farm, and ancient water cisterns, caves, and archaeological sites are scattered in the area. According to Malet, guarding the area and the presence on-site allow the public to return and hike in the space.

"When you are in the field every day, you see the change happening before your eyes," she says, quoting Joseph Trumpeldor: "Where the plow will pass, there our border will pass. Where we will do agriculture day by day in the field, there you see the change."

The farm that became a community

Alongside the agricultural work, daily life and tourism have also developed on the farm. A winery and a coffee cart that opens on Fridays operate on-site, and an olive press is also planned for the future.

"I love the cows on the farm, the atmosphere, and the fact that every morning we get up and do morning study, all the guys," says one of the family's daughters. "It's a fun atmosphere."

Havat Avichai is part of the agricultural farm network that has expanded in recent years throughout Binyamin, combining grazing and agriculture with continuous presence in the open spaces. The farm network has recently been at the center of public and international criticism, and Malet responds to this with an invitation to come to the place and be impressed up close.

"People, take the car, drive, get to know," she says. "Meet these spaces, these landscapes, and the people who live here with your eyes, hands, and feet. I believe that things will look different when people really come and meet the real things, not just through screens and media."

Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Gantz places the farm in a broader context: "Havat Avichai illustrates the strategic importance of the farm enterprise," he says. "A short distance from the center of the country, a family and young people get up every morning, go out to graze, and work the land, thereby creating a permanent presence and guarding the open spaces. The farms are a significant component in guarding the land, strengthening security, and continuing the development of the settlement."

However, Gantz emphasizes that alongside the strategic aspect, there is also a human story. "Behind the strategic importance stands first and foremost a human story, families and young people who chose to build their lives here, work the land, and grow a community and life around them."