Founders Decide to Establish Maon Settlement in Southern Hebron Hills

Amir Kadmon, one of the founders of the Maon settlement core and its first agricultural center, recounted the decision-making process behind establishing the Maon settlement in the southern Hebron Hills. His interview is part of the "Documentation of Pioneers and Founders of the Settlement" project, an initiative by the Israeli Ministry of Heritage and the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites in Israel. This project aims to preserve the stories of early settlers across various regions, including the Jordan Valley, Judea, Samaria, Benjamin, the Golan, and the Galilee, through hundreds of interviews conducted by Mordy Krashner and Noam Damski.

Kadmon described how a group of about 30 young, single men, driven by ideology and enthusiasm rather than economic concerns, debated three possible locations for their agricultural settlement. The options included the Jordan Valley near Mehola (today's Brosh), the Gaza coast area (later known as Gush Katif), and the southern Hebron Hills. The group was shown a map highlighting key points such as Beersheba and Kiryat Arba, noting that the land between these points was largely devoid of Jewish settlements, with only the new communities of Carmel and Yatir nearby.

Despite the challenges of the southern Hebron Hills, its remoteness, limited transportation, and difficult climate, the group reached a broad consensus to settle there. Kadmon emphasized the collective decision to face the hardships and establish the community in this area. The full interview is available as part of the "The Pioneers" series documenting the founding stories of Israeli settlements.