Yishi, is an agricultural community located just about 10 minutes away from the Israel365 offices in Bet Shemesh. It made sense that Rabbi Tuly Weisz visit Yishai as the next location in the Plant@71 campaign.
Rabbi Tuly met with some amazing community members who explained t the rich history of Yishi and helped facilitated the tree planting in the newest area of the expanding community.
Yishi was originally settled by Yemenite immigrants to Israel in 1950 after the War of Independence. Under the leadership of a prominent Yemenite Rabbi, a group of 30 families arrived at Yishi to work the land and build a community.
The name Yishi comes from Psalms 27: 1 “Of David. Hashem is my light and my help; whom should I fear? Hashem is the stronghold of my life, whom should I dread?” The Hebrew word for help in this verse is “YEE-shee’. The word Yishi in Hebrew means help or salvation. The group of Yemenite pioneers who arrived in 1950 knew that they would only successfully settle this uninhabited land with the help and salvation of God.
In 1950, this region was totally barren. The landscape consisted of thorns, and rocks. There was not even one tree during during this period!
Today Yishi is home to 215 families, and the community has plans to expand and welcome in dozens of new new families! This is a beautiful and blossoming community that exemplifies the in gathering of the exiles and the restoration of the Land of Israel.
It was an honor to meet the families of Yishi and to supply them with new trees donated by Israel365 donors!