About Us

The Jewish Life in Jericho non-profit Association was founded in the year 2001 by Erna Covos and friends, after the holy city of Jericho was given away to Israel’s enemies with such ease in the Oslo Accords.

The goal of the Association is to strengthen the public’s acquaintance and engagement with the heritage of the City of Jericho, through the organisation and promotion of Jericho-related events: such as guided tours, Torah lessons, seminars, special occasions such as the anniversary of the conquest of Jericho, and the publication of articles.

The Beit Hogla farm and community, adjacent to Jericho (founded by Erna Covos after the expulsion of the Jews from Jericho in 2001) forms a hub to this activity. Recently, the Jericho Visitor Centre was established in Beit Hogla.

We believe that:

Jericho is the key to the Land of Israel. Throughout the history of the Jewish People, everything starts and is determined in Jericho.

Jericho is the foundation of the Land of Israel. But for the conquest of Jericho, the Land would not have been built.

“Gaza and Jericho first” was the slogan proclaimed by the Arabs and by those who wanted to give-away our Land, in order to undermine our legitimacy to the Land. This is to wake us-up to the fact that Gaza and Jericho are the gates to the Land of Israel, and the key to its redemption.

Connecting with the foundation of the Land requires a substantial paradigm shift in our outlook.

The settling of the Land of Israel requires us to think in terms of Redemption. The Land of Israel concentrates our attention on the Torah of Redemption. The Torah embraces the Nation’s ways, culminating in the building of the Holy Temple – may it be soon.

We aspire to fulfill this vision through the following ongoing activities:

• The Jordan Valley is awakening, and its inhabitants have a thirst for Torah knowledge. We teach Torah that embraces the Land and the State. Rav Dr Hagi Ben Artzi, Rav Yossi Peli and other rabbis regularly teach Torah in this spirit, both in Beit Hogla and in Jericho itself. We also organise special Shabbats in Beit Hogla, and have established a Kollel whose pupils study daily in Beit Hogla, and aspire to transfer their study-hall to the Shalom al Israel Synagogue inside Jericho, as was the case before the year 2000.
• We strengthen the public’s acquaintance and engagement with Jericho's heritage, by organising guided tours of Jericho’s most significant heritage sites:
  - The Shalom al Israel and the Naaran ancient synagogues,
  - Tel Jericho (the remains of the ancient city which Joshua conquered and whose walls came tumbling down),
  - The Elisha Spring,
  - The Hasmonean Palaces,
  - The Second-Temple Priestly Burial Caves,
  - The Biblical Gilgal & the Circumcision Hill,
  - The Jordan Crossing
  - The remains of Biblical Beit Hogla.
• Every year, we celebrate a number of anniversaries related to Jericho:
  - Moses’ last speech on Mt Nebo (across the Jordan from Jericho) and his passing away on the 7^th Adar,
  - The crossing of the Jordan river under the leadership of Joshua on the 10^th of Nissan,
  - The celebration of the first Passover in the Biblical Gilgal (the Plains of Jericho),
  - The conquest of Jericho (the 7^th day when the walls fell down) on the 28^th of Nissan,
  - Hoshana Raba (the 7th day of Sukkot) where the seven “Hakafot” (encirclements) round the synagogue commemorate the seven encirclements of Jericho leading to its conquest (Jerusalem Talmud: Succah p. 84).
• We invest a lot of effort in promoting a permanent Jewish presence in the city of Jericho, by regular prayer and Torah-study in the Shalom al Israel Synagogue, where we aspire to have a Kollel regularly studying there.
• We have recently built a Visitor Centre in Beit Hogla, to convey to the public the significance of the entry of the Jewish People into the Land of Israel, as well as the unique heritage of the city of Jericho.
• In Beit Hogla, we are expanding the organic farm, and are building to absorb new families, thus promoting the settlement and dynamic growth of the whole area.
• A healthy mind in a healthy body, for the sake of Heaven. Erna Covos, who is the founder and manager of the “Jewish Life in Jericho” Association, heals body and mind with joy (she has her clinic in Beit Hogla). Healing is the meeting point between transferred energies – both sides are being healed, the person receiving treatment is also radiating his/her influence upon the healer.

Contact

Erna Covos: Tel/SMS/WhatsApp 052-8699-300 (from abroad +972-52-8699-300). E-mail ernajericho@gmail.com.

Jericho's home page

היו שותפים (בעברית)