Yitzhar (Hebrew: יצהר) is a Jewish town in the hills of the Shomron near Shechem just off Route 60 north of the Tapuach Junction. The hebrew term 'Yitzhar' is a biblical term, meaning high quality olive oil, and derives from one of the region's major industries. The settlement was originally established as a pioneer Nahal military outpost and demilitarized only a year later when turned over to residential purposes in 1984 with the assistance of the Amana settlement organization.
Over 130 families, including over 500 people, live in this Orthodox Jewish community which is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council. Yitzhar is located on the top of a steep mountain, and overlooks the farms and hamlets (outposts) that dot the otherwise barren hills around the village. In addition, from the western side of the settlement, the entire coastal plain of Israel, from Ashkelon to Hadera, is fully visible on a clear day.
Education is a priority of the community and several institutions operate locally: nurseries, the boy's Zilberman Talmud Torah, the Dorshei Yichudcha Yeshiva high school, headed by Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira, and the Od Yosef Chai "Higher Yeshiva" headed by Rabbi Yitzhak Ginzburg, that was previously located in Joseph's Tomb Nablus.
