The Biblical region of Bashan is what we today call The Golan Heights, a roughly 500 sq mi plateau located north of the Sea of Galilee. Around 50,000 people currently live in the Golan, a mixture of Jewish residents living peacefully alongside the members of the Druze and Alawite communities, some who were absorbed into the borders of the State of Israel following the capture of the heights during the six-day war.

The Golan features various climates and topographies, allowing for agriculture to thrive. From delectable, award-winning wines to the purest olive oil you can get, an abundance of delicious fruit and vegetables, superior quality meat, and rich dairy produce, the Golan is blessed with bounty! -

The fertility of this region is well-known, with the Bible referencing the ‘fat of lambs and rams of Bashan and he goats’, a result of the nourishing pastures of Bashan that the cattle gleefully grazed on.

It is also of supreme strategic importance to Israel. Before its capture by the IDF, the farming communities in the Hula Valley below were shelled relentlessly by the Syrian Army positions on the heights. By controlling the peaks, the IDF could protect the communities below.

A visit to the Golan is an experience like no other. Hike across the beautiful nature parks, ski on the slopes of Mount Hermon, and take in the breathtaking scenery, whether panoramic mountain views or the lush plant life that comes alive following the winter rains. The Golan is a national treasure, a parcel of goodness that God blessed the people of Israel with.

In Genesis, we see that the forefather Abraham was promised the entire Holy Land, including the region inhabited by the Rephaim, a giant people living in Bashan (today’s Golan Heights) under the rule of King Og.

Only after their commitment to join their fellow tribes in conquering the entire promised land did Moses agree that they could settle there. Bashan would be assigned to the half-tribe of Menashe.

Many years after God’s promise to Abraham, his descendants conquered the land, including Bashan, killing the feared King Og and taking the spoils, including ‘the beasts’ for themselves. The territory was then assigned to the half-tribe of Menashe.

The first mention of Bashan occurs during the assignment of portions of the Holy Land and its surrounding areas to the Twelve Tribes. The Tribes of Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Menashe had requested permission from Moses to settle in the fertile land ‘to the east of the Jordan River,’ knowing that Bashan had the ideal pasture for their abundance of cattle and flocks.

Across the Bible and the writings of the Prophets, we see that Bashan was fertile and perfect for raising cattle. The famed commentator Rashi confirms, ' The rams bred in Bashan were fat.’ meaning they were of the highest quality and taste.

When the Israelites conquered Bashan, they also took control of a mountain called Mount Hermon. This mountain is famous for being Israel’s only sky range and is covered in snow during the winter season. The word Senir, which the Amorites called the ‘mountain’, means ‘snow’ in both German and Slavish!

Also in Bashan was a city called Golan, which Moses designated as one of six cities of refuge, confirmed in the book of Joshua. These cities were designated for people who had unintentionally killed another individual to flee to and seek protection. They were also part of the cities that the Levites were given by the other tribes to live in.

From Temple Times until the State of Israel

During the era of the First Temple, the region of Bashan was at the center of a war between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Arameans of Damascus. King Ahab successfully defeated the Aramean King Ben-Hadad I there, and it would also be the site where Elisha the prophet envisioned the victory of the future Jewish King Jehoash over King Ben-Hadad III.

Following the destruction of the First Temple and the return from exile in Babylonia in the 6th and 5th centuries, the area had a Jewish presence once again.

In the middle of the 2nd century BCE, Judah Maccabbee, the leader of the Maccabees (during the Hannukah festival, we celebrate the Maccabees’s victory over the Syrian/Greek empire and the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem), came to the assistance of the Jewish villages that were under attack in the Golan. Later on, his great nephew, the Maccabean King, Alexander Yannai, would incorporate the Golan into his kingdom.

At the time of the Roman Empire, the city of Gamla was considered the capital of the Golan region. It was the last Jewish city to fall during the great revolt, as documented by Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.

However, the Jewish presence did not end there, and in fact, Jewish life in the Golan Heights continued to thrive until the 7th century when the Muslim conquest of the Holy Land was completed under the Caliph Omar.

The return to the Golan Heights

In an effort to support an expanded Jewish presence on the Golan, the Jewish philanthropist Baron De Rothschild purchased 18,000 acres of land designated for settlement and cultivation by Jewish pioneers. These efforts also failed as the Ottoman Turks, who were in control of the Holy Land at the time, seized the plots for themselves. In the next few decades, the Jewish pioneers continued to develop and farm the land, all the while the control of the Golan Height switched numerous times, from the Ottomans to the British Empire and then under French-controlled Syria. As the Declaration of Independence approached in 1948, the last remaining Jewish pioneers were forced to leave.

The Jewish people's return to the Golan Heights began in earnest in 1886 with the purchase of a plot of land and the creation of a community called Ramataniya. More plots were purchased a year later, and another community was founded. While Ramataniya failed after only a year, this new community developed and was active until 1920, when it was invaded and the last two members murdered by Arab invaders.

The State of Israel and the Golan Heights

Only with Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-day War did Israel finally gain control of the Golan Heights, and with it began a new wave of Jewish settlement in the area, with 12 new communities being founded over the next three years. In 1981, the Israeli government officially voted to annex the Golan Heights, and ever since, the Jewish communities have been growing and the land thriving.

With the Golan Heights now under Syrian control, the region became a strategic nightmare for the newborn State of Israel. The Syrian army took advantage of its elevated positions to terrorize the Israeli farmers and civilians in the Hula Valley at the summit with repeated shelling.

Following the capture of the Golan Heights in the six-day war, Israeli archaeologist Shmaryahu Guttman led two expeditions to the heights. At Gamla, his team found an area covered with vast amounts of iron arrowheads and stones that had been catapulted into the area during the siege by the Romans. The most incredible discovery was the remains of the ancient synagogue, estimated to have been built between 23 and 41CE.

As one of the first Synagogues in the Holy Land, it would have inspired the designs for those to be built in the future, both in Israel and worldwide.

The structure was rectangular, with walls featuring rows of benches and columns that would have supported the roof. The center of the floor was unpaved, and in the southern sector of the Synagogue was a small building that housed a Mikveh, a ritual purification bath.

In 1967, in the Golan town of Katzrin, explorers discovered the remains of another ancient Synagogue. It was built in the 4th century before being replaced with an even larger Synagogue in the 6th century.

Among the mountain ridges and grassy fields of the Golan lies a rich history of Jewish presence dating back thousands of years. Archeologists have made incredible discoveries, reigniting the connection between the Jewish people and Biblical history, whether it is an ancient Jewish city or one of the oldest Synagogues ever found in the Holy Land. Yitzhaki Gal, who carried out a landmark survey of the Golan Heights a year after the Six-Day War in 1968, and Israeli archeologist Shmaryahu Guttman are two men credited for their vital contributions to rediscovering many sites of such vital importance to the Jewish people.

The most significant discovery was a 2,000-year-old synagogue in Gamla, considered the oldest in Israel. Gamla was founded in the first century BCE by the Hasmonean King Alexander Yannai. It was a prominent Jewish town in Bashan, and its topography and layout were described in great detail by the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius. During the great revolt against the Roman Empire, its elevated location made Gamla ideal for defense against invaders. Yet, just like in the battle at Masada (also documented by Josephus), the Romans laid siege to the town until they successfully conquered it in 67CE, with many of the remaining Jewish defenders choosing to jump to their deaths rather than be captured by the Romans.

In 1968, Yitzhaki Gal, a local surveyor, came across a mound of stone rocks. Upon closer inspection, he realized these weren’t just any ordinary piles of stones, rather, they had been intentionally placed in a unique and intentional pattern.

This megalithic stone circle features five rings made up of thousands of black basalt stones of various sizes, which surround a central burial mound. The region, resting upon a volcanic plateau, contains thousands of stone tombs called dolmens, dating back 4000 years to the Middle Bronze Age.

The name of this magnificent site is Galgal Harefaim, which means "the giants' wheel" in Hebrew. So, what is the connection here? Well, while excavations and research are still ongoing, we recall that the Golan Heights, where Galgal Harefaim is located, was also the location of the ancient region of Bashan, whose King was Og, one of the giant people known as the Rephaim! There are even rumors that this might have been the burial place of Og - himself!

The Golan Heights is one of Israel's most unique and picturesque locations. The air is clear, the silence blissful, and the scenery breathtaking. Cattle graze in the lush green landscapes, crops and vegetation grow in abundance, bees fly freely, and the vineyards and olive groves are flowing with the choicest grapes and olive oil-producing olives.

It is a paradise of natural wonders, from soaring mountains and spectacular waterfalls to the nature reserves where wildlife and plantlife thrive, and the ski ranges of Mount Hermon draw tens of thousands of visitors during the winter months.
Around 27,000 Jewish residents live on the Golan, based in 33 communities of varying sizes, including kibbutzim and moshavim, settlements, and the main town, Katzrin. Around 24,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites make up the rest of the Golan community across this vast mountain range.

Industry, agriculture, and tourism form the core of the Golan’s economy. Agricultural produce from the Golan makes up a significant portion of Israel's consumption of meat, dairy, and common fruits like apples and pears. The Sea of Galilee, Israel’s most important fresh-water lake, receives its water from the Golan Heights.
The Golan is a playground for those who love nature and the outdoors, and there is plenty of Biblical history and archeological sites to be explored as well.

In Israel, there is great pride in purchasing and consuming produce known in Hebrew as Totzeret HaGolan — the produce of the Golan Heights. No matter what the product is, knowing it has come from the Golan is a seal of quality and trust.

Life as a pioneer and a small business owner in the Golan is a real challenge. As we learned, the attempts to establish agricultural communities over the centuries faced numerous hurdles. Most recently, in 2023/2024, the terror group Hezbollah launched unrelenting rocket and terror attacks aimed mainly at Israel's north, forcing tens of thousands to leave their homes for relative safety in the center. Even during the war, many pioneers chose to stay up north to keep producing and providing for their families.

We are proud to work with some of the Golan’s most talented and dedicated pioneers, who use its natural goodness to produce products beneficial for body, mind, and soul!

On the southern corner of the Golan Heights, which meets the borders of both Syria and Jordan, is Moshav Mitzar, where Yosef Shohat lives with his wife and children. His bee farm and apiary contribute to his production of some of the most delicious honey you could ever find in the Land of Milk and Honey! Large parts of the Golan are covered with wildflowers, and along with access to his neighbors’ fruit trees (which are pollinated by Yosef’s bees), Yosef Hive produces an excellent variety of honey variations! Just one teaspoon and you will taste the wonderful, rich sweetness of the Golan!

Indulge your sweet tooth with De Karina’s delectable boutique chocolate and nut combinations straight from her factory in the Golan Heights Kibbutz of Ein Zivan! Using the time-honored recipes from her grandfather, a famed European chocolate maker, Karina produces some of the most delicious chocolate you could ever dream of! She strives to use only natural and high-quality ingredients. And what makes her chocolate even more special? The Israeli milk she blends into them. One bite of De Karina’s chocolates, and you’ll soon be scaling the heights of the Golan in search for more!

Amnon Mizrachi, the owner of the natural skincare and cosmetics company MASIK, moved to the settlement of Bnei Yehuda in the Golan Heights following the Yom Kippur War. He suffered greatly from psoriasis, a chronic skin condition, and at his Doctor’s advice, began using a natural soap infused with olive oil, which greatly helped. Inspired, he soon realized he lived in a region surrounded by grand olive trees. Along with the late chemist Fania Feitelson, he soon began producing his own range of olive oil-based skincare products and soaps that leave the skin clean, moisturized, and smelling heavenly, like the Golan Heights itself!