NPR

After Six-Day War, An American Became A West Bank Settler

The 1967 war changed lives forever. After Israel's victory, an American student saw a biblical promise fulfilled. He moved his family to the West Bank — but their pioneering life came at a price.
Ephraim Bluth, originally from New York, stands in the yard of his home in the West Bank settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish.

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors. This is one of two stories examining how lives were changed by the war.

Fifty years ago, Ephraim Bluth was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving. And listening to the news that Israel was at war.

He was a 19-year-old college student at Brooklyn College, born and raised in Brooklyn, and a devout Jew. To him, it felt like Israel was the biblical David – up against many, many Goliaths.

"The sense at that moment was that Israel was standing

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