We Got Your Back
Here is an uplifting story.
We were asked to go on a tiyul ( a short trip) down to the south. I have not been exploring so much since I moved to Israel so I figured why not. Also, I like the people I was going with, so it sounded like fun.
So we went south.
To be more exact we went to where the Israeli border meets Gaza and Egypt.
We started at the memorial for those that fought at Nirim in 1948. The story of how so few defenders held off a much larger and superior Egyptian force is nothing less than miraculous. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nirim
We then moved on to Naveh . The founders of this community started out together in the Sinai in a place called Atzmona. When they were evacuated in 1982, they asked the government where they would be most needed.
They were told Gaza and that's where they went and built a new Atzmona.
When they were evacuated once again in 2005 they once again asked where they would do the most good.
This is where they were sent.
The whole area is built on sand and it looks like a beach, but instead of the ocean they have a beautiful view of all the major Gazan cities. This is the area that has to deal with incendiary balloons, rockets etc..
What they have created is nothing short of amazing. Right on this crazy border, they have built a vibrant community of over three hundred families with many more on a waiting list to get in. They have taken a patch of sand and have created successful agricultural business, schools, and many community facilities.
They have also managed to attract about 40 families affiliated with the Beersheba University, which is about an hour away, in order to diversify the Yishuv
Many of us know the stories of the pioneers that built Israel. They drained swamps, built cites and establish a country. But sitting pretty in Herzliyah you sometimes forget that this pioneering spirit still exists.
Our hosts made it clear that when they were evacuated, they did protest, but in the end they asked where they can do the most good. I could not help but think that if these people where not here that I probably would not be able to live quietly where I do . They no doubt care about their own families but also care about the Jewish people as a whole. They put their families in danger yet do so because they know that is where we all need them to be.
After a tour of the potato fields and hot houses we were brought to a community center for lunch and a short film about Naveh. So the cynic in me says 'aha this is when we get hit up' . I could not help but notice how almost all the buildings where donated by diaspora Jews.
The truth is I did not mind. This is the kind of place I would love to help with if I could.
After the movie, I was waiting for the pitch ( it always comes right after the movie). Instead we were thanked for coming .
That was it.
I stood there and am still waiting for an envelope, or someone to take my information to add to a potential donors list, but that never happens. So I ask one the organizers what the deal is. How come they didn't ask for anything?
He said it was because they really didn't need anything. They just want people to know about them and for people to come and visit in support of their community.
So I wrote this post.
It was the least I could do.