Mastering the Art of Living
For 60 years, the Village of Peace has built a living demonstration of what human community can become
OUR STORY
For 60 years, the Village of Peace has built a living demonstration of what human community can become
In 1966, on the south side of Chicago, a young man named our founding Prince Ben Ammi Ben Israel (HaMashiahk) received a divine vision — a call to lead a people long displaced back to the source: back to the land, back to natural law, back to the fullness of who they are. The message was clear and demanding: leave the comfort of Western life and walk toward the Holy Land.
What followed was not a swift return but a purposeful purification. In 1967, a vanguard group departed Chicago for West Africa, settling in Liberia for two and a half years in what became a modern-day wilderness experience — a stripping away of all that was false, and a rebuilding from the ground of truth. Each season in Liberia forged the community's foundational commitments: plant-based living as covenant, cultural sovereignty, and unwavering faith in the vision they had been given.
In August 1969, the first five families arrived in Dimona, a desert town in Israel's Negev region. They came not as refugees seeking asylum, but as a people reclaiming their heritage. They planted themselves in the desert — and from that seed, a living community has grown over six decades into one of the most remarkable social experiments of the modern world. Today, what began as five families has become a global family of thousands, rooted in Dimona 1 and radiating outward across four continents.
“A community does not master the art of living through theory alone — it masters it through sixty years of daily practice, season by season, generation by generation.”Village of Peace Dimona — Dimona 1
The founding Prince, Ben Ammi Ben Israel — early years of the Village of Peace
Community life in Dimona, Negev Desert — a covenant people in their home
Ben Ammi Ben Israel (HaMashiahk)
12 October 1939 — 27 December 2014
Prince of Peace — The Anointed One
“We came not as refugees but as a people returning to the source — returning to the land, to natural law, to the fullness of who we are.”
Born on 12 October 1939 in Chicago, Illinois, Ben Ammi Ben Israel (HaMashiahk) was the founding Prince of the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem and the visionary architect of the Village of Peace in Dimona, Israel. His divine calling — received in 1966 — set in motion a journey of return that has reshaped the lives of thousands across the globe.
Under his leadership, the community pioneered a plant-based live-it long before such practices entered mainstream consciousness, established the House of Life healthcare model responsible for over 1,150 natural births, and cultivated bio-organic agricultural practices that continue to inspire sustainability efforts worldwide. He authored numerous works of theological and philosophical importance, including the foundational Toraht Ben Ammi.
Our founding Prince Ben Ammi transitioned on 27 December 2014 in Dimona, having spent nearly half a century building a living testimony — a community that demonstrates, through daily practice, that a society aligned with natural law is not a utopian dream but an achievable, sustainable reality.
Born
12 October 1939, Chicago
Transitioned
27 December 2014, Dimona
Community Built
60+ Years, 4 Continents
Ben Ammi Ben Israel (HaMashiahk) receives a divine calling in Chicago — a command to lead a people long displaced back to the Holy Land, back to natural law, and back to the fullness of their identity.
The first vanguard group departs Chicago for West Africa, marking the beginning of a sacred journey. Families commit to the vision, leaving behind the only life they have known.
Two and a half years in Liberia — a modern-day wilderness experience. The community strips away all that is false, forging its foundational covenants: plant-based living, cultural sovereignty, and unwavering faith.
The first five families reach Dimona in the Negev Desert in August 1969. They arrive not as refugees but as a people reclaiming their heritage. Dimona becomes the seed of what will grow into a global community.
The community's first organic farm is established. Chemical-free farming begins — a living covenant with the earth that would evolve into a globally recognised model of sustainable, bio-organic agriculture.
The community's own healthcare centre opens its doors. Plant-based births begin — a revolutionary choice to bring life into the world outside the conventional hospital system, guided entirely by natural principles.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri visits Dimona and publicly acknowledges the community as a positive influence on Israeli society — a pivotal moment marking the shift from confrontation toward cooperation and recognition.
Odea Entertainment and Soul Tov Studios are launched. Songs of Deliverance — the community's music of purposeful Innerattainment — reaches global audiences, sharing the spirit of Dimona with the world.
After more than three decades in Dimona, the Israeli government grants permanent residency to community members — formal acknowledgment of a community that has been building a life in Israel since 1969.
The path to full Israeli citizenship opens for community members — a historic milestone in a 40-year journey toward legal recognition, achieved through decades of constructive presence and community contribution.
Our founding Prince Ben Ammi Ben Israel (HaMashiahk) transitions on 27 December 2014 in Dimona. He leaves behind a living legacy — a community that is itself his greatest work, and a global family that continues his vision.
The community marks 60 years of the original vision — a living, thriving, multi-generational community spanning four continents. Dimona 1: the source. The proof. A community mastering the art of living.
Six pillars that have guided the Village of Peace for over sixty years — not as ideals, but as daily lived commitments.
60+ years of plant-based living as covenant — not a trend, but a foundational alignment between the human body and the laws of nature. The five health medicines: food, water, rest, exercise, and cleanliness.
Multi-generational bonds rooted in shared purpose and divine covenant. The community is a living family, where each generation carries responsibility for those who come after.
The House of Life: over 1,150 births outside the conventional hospital system — welcoming new life through natural, community-centred methods that honour the body's design and the sacred nature of birth.
African Hebrew heritage, language, music, dress, and identity preserved and expressed with pride. Cultural sovereignty is not negotiable — it is the root of true flourishing.
Chemical-free farming guided by Shemita field sabbaticals, crop rotation, and intercropping. The earth is cared for as a living covenant — a relationship of reciprocity, not extraction.
VOP Dimona as Dimona 1 — the source of a worldwide community spanning four continents. Through partnerships in preventable health, agriculture, and non-violent conflict resolution, the vision reaches beyond Dimona to the world.
Join us for a Sacred Visitation — guided tours, plant-based meals, and sixty years of living history all in one place.
