Sponsored By: Donald & Maxine Smith
Covina, California, USA

The events of the late 1940s were quick, decisive, and historic. Britain withdrew from Palestine as Arabs declared war on the Jews, the end result being victory for the people and the State of Israel.

Tamar became the first military garrison on the southern border of Jordan using Israeli soldiers to protect desert settlers. The newly formed national guard built housing for themselves and others who were willing to defend the boundaries of their new nation. Later, they would be reassigned to a larger base in the south as Simha Pearlmutter and his family were encouraged to take up residence in the vacated buildings. During the conflict, because of its strategic location, a kitchen and a bomb shelter were hastily constructed and the place was given a new name, Kibbutz Ir Ovot, meaning “the Community of Oboth.”

Like many messianic Jews, Simha was a deeply religious man with an extraordinary vision. He soon started a farming commune dedicated to rediscovering Biblical Tamar as it once was. Through his efforts and the timely help of another misionary, Dr. DeWayne Coxon, along with countless volunteers, the dream is now coming into view. As the Bible says, and as archeology persistently proves, “The wilderness and this solitary place shall make them glad; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1).