On Thursday, approximately 70 supporters gathered in Gush Etzion to plant trees in memory of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and passionate Israel advocate who was assassinated in September at age 31. 

Sara and Juan Vasquez from Shomrim Latino, a Christian Zionist organization. The couple was on Israel365’s Keep God’s Land Young Leadership tour in May, and returned to Israel to participate in the event. 

MK Osher Shekelim (Likud) also attended the event.

The ceremony, organized by Israel365’s partner Im Tirtzu, took place in Bar Kochva, a new caravan neighborhood established last year as part of the Neve Uri farming community, home to 20 young families.

The location carries historical weight. Bar Kochva sits on a ridge where no Jewish community has existed since the fall of Beitar—the final stronghold of the Bar Kochba revolt—to the Romans in 135 C.E. 

Located on the routes that connect Jerusalem to Gush Etzion and southern Israel, the settlement is in a strategic location in Judea and Samaria, where Jewish presence on the land needs to be strengthened. 

The Co-CEO of Im Tirtzu movement, Shai Rosengarten, said: ‏“We came today to the Neve Ori Farm in Gush Etzion to commemorate the loyal friend of Israel, Charlie Kirk, who was murdered in cold blood a few weeks ago.

‏”We are confident that the dozens of trees we planted at this strategic point between Jerusalem and Gush Etzion will serve as a living memorial to the Jewish-Christian alliance for Israel, of which Kirk was one of its most prominent representatives.”

The Sages understood that planting trees connects a generation to the future. The Bible commands, “When you come into the land, you shall plant all kinds of trees for food” (Leviticus 19:23). This commandment links Jewish presence on the land with agricultural cultivation. This physical act establishes permanence and continuity.

In a few years, God willing, children will be playing in the shade of these newly planted trees. 

Kirk’s connection to Israel was spiritual, not merely political. “Israel changed my life. Strengthened my faith, made the Bible pop into reality, and gave me the most precious memories with Erika,” he said. As an evangelical Christian, Kirk viewed Israel’s rebirth as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. “I believe that the creation of the state of Israel in the 1940s was a fulfillment of that prophecy,” he stated.

The Charlie Kirk Memorial Forest aims to plant 1,000 trees across the region, creating, organizers say, a living memorial in areas where Jewish agricultural presence faces ongoing challenges. “There’s a biblical prophecy that talks about Israel being spread across all the nations,” Kirk said, connecting ancient prophecy to modern reality.

The memorial forest will be planted at Ori Farm in Gush Etzion, strategically located on the routes connecting Jerusalem to Gush Etzion and southern Israel. Im Tirtzu, which partners with farmers in the struggle to preserve land throughout Israel, joined Israel365 in organizing the initiative.

Each tree costs $30 to plant. Kirk understood that defending Jewish presence on the land required action, not just words. “I am very pro-Israel as far as the promise of the Jewish people, 7 million individuals out of 14 having a home. I believe that is an idea that needs to be defended. A Jewish state in the Middle East,” he declared.

The trees planted in Kirk’s memory will grow as his legacy takes root—a living testament to a Christian who saw defending the Jewish connection to the land as a sacred calling.

You can read more about the Charlie Kirk forest at the Israel365 website.