Hi, David Kiern here (writer-director of I Am Israel). I'd like to take you behind-the-scenes and share a story of how one of the most powerful scenes in the movie came about.

When we began filming, our first objective was to find the perfect main characters for the story. The “big idea” was to show viewers the miracle of Israel through six fascinating Jewish men and women who live throughout the Holy Land—in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the Coastlands, the Galilee and Golan Heights. In addition to representing these regions, I wanted each character to represent a theme of Israel's prophetic rebirth.

We needed to find the perfect person to represent Judea and Samaria, and the miraculous story of the Land of Israel returning to life after 2,000 years.

Long ago, the regions of Judea and Samaria were covered with vibrant, fertile grapevines. These vines produced some of the finest wine in the world, enjoyed by Jewish families, priests and kings. But all of this came to an end when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. They uprooted the ancient vines of Judea and Samaria and shipped them to Italy.

For nearly 2,000 years, no vineyards existed on the mountains of Judea and Samaria. But in the late 1990’s, a few Jewish men returned to this region with a goal to change that. One of those men was Yaakov Berg.

Yaakov played a key role in bringing vineyards back to Judea and Samaria. 

Yaakov is a husband, father and founder of Psagot Wines and Winery. Psagot Wines have a reputation for being some of the finest wines in Israel. They are enjoyed throughout the world and are even served at official state dinners by the Israeli government.

The grapes Yaakov uses to create his wines come from very special places... Elon Moreh, where God made his promise to Abraham. The Mount of Blessing, where Joshua said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." And Shiloh where the Ark of the Covenant rested.

The Bible tells us that after Israel was plundered by the Babylonians and the Jews were sent into exile, God instructed Jeremiah to purchase a piece of land near Jerusalem. God was teaching a lesson in faith to future generations: Even though things look hopeless, the LORD has plans to prosper the Land and the people of Israel. Have faith in the promises of God!

To me, Yaakov is a modern-day Jeremiah. He believed in God's promises for the revival of the Land, and charged forward in planting some of the first vineyards on the mountains of Israel in 2000 years. I hope you are inspired as you watch Yaakov's story in this sequence from I Am Israel!