The Lone Tree

The cluster of Israeli communities known as Gush Etzion is often symbolized by “The Lone Tree,” a centuries-old oak that you can visit at a strategic Judean road junction. To understand the significance of this emblematic tree, we have to go back to the period just before the State of Israel was officially declared. In the waning days of the British Mandate period, Gush Etzion was comprised of four kibbutzim, where residents pooled their resources and lived and worked together.