By: Helen Freedman, Executive Director, Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI

            Member of Knesset Effie Eitam, speaking to the Dov Hikind delegation that had come to Israel specifically to spend three days and two nights in Gush Katif, from March 13-18, giving and getting strength and encouragement, told us a remarkable story. He recalled fishing in an isolated part of Alaska, so pristine and pure that nothing could interfere with the serenity of the place. There was only one threat – the grizzly bear. He was told that this bear can run and swim faster than any human, and of course, was physically much stronger than any human. The guide informed him that if confronted by a grizzly, he had to stand tall, hold his place, and speak to the animal, declaring that this area belonged to him. The bear would then go elsewhere for his fishing. Remarkably, this did occur. When Eitam was threatened, and the bear heard his human voice, indicating that this human was not for eating, the huge grizzly rose on his haunches, considered the situation, and walked away. The analogy is clear. Our voices must be heard in protest against being “eaten” by the “bear, ” and we must stand our ground.  MK Effie Eitam, a former General in the IDF and strong opponent of the Sharon plan to expel the 8500 Jews of Gush Katif, along with the Jews of four northern Shomron communities, was telling us that running away from one’s home and land can lead to one’s destruction. MK Eitam is planning to move his entire family from their Golan home into Gush Katif, to assert every Jew’s biblical, historic and moral right to all the land of Israel.

            The magnificent people of Gush Katif know this lesson well also. They do not retreat when kassam rockets fly into their homes, schools, shops and communities on a daily basis. They bless HaShem and his shield that has protected them from 5300 rockets, with only one tragic death, a number of wounded, and much physical damage. As Moshe Saperstein told us our first evening at Midreshet HaDarom in Gush Katif, the residents of the bloc of 21 communities know they are under HaShem’s protection as miracles occur every day.  With every terrorist attack, their response is to build more houses, synagogues, hothouses, playgrounds and yeshivot. In the case of Chanah Barat, a mother of seven children who became a victim of terror when she and her husband were ambushed on the road, and who is now paralyzed from the waist down, her response was to have another child and name him Amichai Yisrael (the nation of Israel lives). She is a shining symbol of Gush Katif.

             I will never forget the words of David Hatuel, whose face and eyes gave off a radiant glow as he told us not to despair. This man, whose four beautiful daughters, beautiful wife, pregnant in her ninth month with a son, were all gunned down and brutally torn apart with Arab terrorists’ bullets, epitomizes the strength and faith of the Gush Katif community.  He does not despair. 

             Anita Tucker, thirty year resident of Gush Katif, explained that when her family first arrived in Gush Katif, there was absolutely nothing there but sand. Her instinct was to leave immediately, but her children loved sliding down the dunes, and convinced her and her husband to remain. The few neighboring Arabs in the nearby area welcomed the family, hoping to find employment with them, but warned the Tuckers that the land was cursed, and nothing could grow there. Today, 50% of all the organic produce of Israel comes from Gush Katif.  Gush Katif is the home of bug-free lettuce that is shipped all over the world, along with parsley, cucumbers, rosemary, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, peppers, and the wonderful cherry tomatoes that taste like candy. The lush flowers that bloom in the sand are breathtakingly beautiful. The land is a blessed land, which HaShem has turned into a garden for the Jews. It is only for the Arabs that it is a cursed land, and should the Sharon plan succeed, which we pray it won’t, it will once again return to the barren sand dunes of thirty years ago. As Ahavia HaLevi, a wonderful young mother in Keren Atzmona said to us, when we all crowded into her charming caravan – or trailer – home, “Our job is to show HaShem that we want this land – every single stone – every hill.” This belief, that individuals are part of the chain of survival of the Jewish people through eternity, is the one that gives the Gush Katif residents the clearness of purpose in refusing to give up their land. They will continue to declare their right to their place until the “grizzly bear” retreats. They will not be defeated.

            MK Benny Elon spoke to our group once we arrived in Yerushalayim. He reminded us of what the enemies of Israel say and do when the Jews retreat. He asked whether it is our fate to always be wandering Jews. And he answered the challenge that had been thrown at the group by those who think it is improper for Jews to travel to Israel in support of its threatened people. He called on American Jews to recognize that their Jewish identity was not only religious, but nationalistic. Israel is as much a part of our being as our being Jewish. He asked that millions of Americans attempt to influence the US government to stop pressuring Israel to make concessions to terrorists. His message underscored the belief of all those in the Dov Hikind delegation that we were in the right place, doing the right thing by taking a stand on behalf of Gush Katif.

            There had been an absurd, but telling incident when the group arrived from New York at Ben Gurion airport. Because many in the group had written Gush Katif as their destination, and because I was wearing an orange shirt – the color of unity with Gush Katif – which said, “Not One Inch” over a map of all of Israel, we had our passports taken from us, and were detained for half an hour while it was determined whether or not we were a threat to the state. The incident received a lot of press coverage, and was even debated in the Knesset. Clearly, the government was embarrassed by this very obvious show of how undemocratic Israel has become. It is a government that has become tyrannical and despotic in its refusal to listen to the voice of the people. It fears that knowledge of the true nature of Gush Katif and its residents will travel to America and eliminate the support it has for the heinous expulsion and “Judenrein” plans.

            But just as terror has given impetus to the growth and life of the Gush Katif communities, so the government’s attack on forty respectable, decent, Americans has fueled the determination to arrive at Ben Gurion after Pesach with one thousand orange-shirted American supporters of Gush Katif.  Dov Hikind, whose love for Israel was demonstrated so clearly during this solidarity mission, has promised to turn his efforts to gathering two plane loads of Americans specifically for this purpose. I can speak for Americans for a Safe Israel in saying that we will give him every support possible. In addition, we have our own trip planned for May 29-June 7, when we will visit Gush Katif as well as many other threatened communities in Judea and Samaria, and east Jerusalem, as we have done so many times in the past.  For information, call Hikind’s office: 718-853-3981; AFSI, 212-828-2424, or email afsi@rcn.com.