Trouble in the Shire
Thursday, 13th of Kisleiv 5765 (þ25.11.04)
At school, first period was citizenship class. We were only about six girls and I soon found out why. At two o’ clock in the morning (!) girls at the Neve Dekalim Ulpana were woken by their cell phones ringing with the urgent message to come to “Ma’achaz Tiferet Yisrael” (“grip”/outpost named “Glory of Israel” in memory of Tiferet Tratner who was killed in her house by a kassam missile on the eve of Yom Kippur, and Yisrael Lutati, a local soldier who was killed while serving in nearby Morag) both of them were in their early twenties. This was a “Pinuy” (evacuation/expultion) Well, many did go to try and stop it. Some boys from the Yeshiva were there too and a few adults as well.
The soldiers were from the Golani Unit. They were not trained for this, and some didn’t know what to do with themselves – they kept out of it basically. My friends told me that one soldier was in tears…
The strong storm last week toppled a good portion of the “Ma’achaz”. What went on was a struggle: the soldiers trying to load the lumber that once was the Beit Knesset onto trucks, the youth taking it back.
I wish the yeshuv (community) had blasted over the loudspeaker that everyone should come down even though it was 2 a.m. We should have shaken Heaven and Earth and not let it pass so quietly.
Thank Hashem for the youth! Rav Kahane hy”d writes that ðåòø (youth) comes from the Hebrew root ðòø – to move or to be active. This is why it is written of Yehoshua (Joshua) that åîùøúå éäåùåò áï ðåï ðòø ìà éîéù îúåê äàåäì
(Exodus 33:11- “And his servant Yehoshua son of Nun youth did not move from within the tent”) He was a full-grown man, of course.
The upshot for now is that there’s an agreement that neither the soldiers nor the youth will go there now. Of course we will rebuild it – our “Ma’achaz” (grip) on the land must be strong and firm.
Shifra Shomron
12th grade
Ulpana Neve Dekalim
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