With trepidation and humility I write this letter to you, my brothers and friends from Gush Kattif and northern Shomron. You, who stood fast heroically for years in the face of our worst enemies, and just recently, stood fast yet again with modesty and strength against foes from within. Who can possible judge a man until he stands in his shoes; we stand in awe and admiration of your proud stance and your deep beliefs.
And now, a new set of decisions stands before you and makes your life difficult -- as varied options are set before you, re possible solutions as to your future residence – will it be the holy city of Yerushalayim? Ashkelon or Ashdon? Or somewhere in the Negev? I come before you to suggest another and different option, different from all the others that have been suggested to you.
If one were to perform a post mortem-analysis of your struggle, there would certainly be many opinions, and they would differ vastly. Who can claim to be wise and prophesize "what would have happened if only…." However, there is a consensus that from now on that the emphasis must be on recruitment of the masses, on penetrating hearts, and bringing those who are distant from us nearer. Because of the very words that I am about to write, I am intentionally refraining from entering in to the question of your integrating into governmental agencies or other state systems. Since those are topics that are not relevant, I am addressing the issue which is accepted by all -- that we must re-engage, and connect to the people. To the plain Jew who was the target of the Chafetz Chaim in Raddin, of Rav Aryeh Levin in Yerushalayim, of Rav Frankel in Tel Aviv.
At the meeting that took place this week, of rabbis and leaders of the right, Rav Kaminetzki called upon all to continue with the "Panim el-Panim" program. Rav Vishlitzki asked that an "engagement authority" be created. And Rav Elyakim Levanon said that there are great and important tasks that face us today in Am Yisrael – for example, the problems of violence and drugs -- and not only the issue of "Eretz Yisrael". Everyone was in agreement on one issue, that we must increase our influence among the people of this nation, "I dwell among my fellow men."
In light of all that has been said above, I call upon you, heroes, exiles who have been uprooted from Gush Kattif and northern Shomron -- you are not needed in the Negev, nor in the sands of Ashdod. These solutions will only bring about a situation wherein you are taken further and further out of the heart and the eye of that people. The ruling minority doesn't want you to be seen. He wants to delegate you to your previous role as the perpetual sucker of the country and the people, the sucker who is ready to go wherever the government sends you, like in the words of the Hagannah anthem "always ready to obey the command", especially now that no one is ready.
My friends, the people of Israel need you now to be in Gush Dan! In that part of the country where the truth is sorely missing, that is where you belong. You, who are like the blood that flows in the veins of this people, you who are the true soul of the people, your place is in the heart of the county. (forgive me, Yerushalayim, I am obviously referring to the economic, geographic and cultural heart of the country). In Gush Dan there are no lofty tasks to be undertaken, no desert that needs to be made to bloom. No swamps to be dried out and no area that is barren of Jews and needs to be Judaized. On second thought, maybe it is exactly that, an area that needs to be Judaized. Think of the hundreds of thousands of citizens whose only knowledge of a settler is from the character of Nechama the daughter of Yefunneh from the satirical program on TV. Think of the tens of thousands of children who have never seen a boy with a kippah, except for on the TV program "Channi's room".
In Gush Dan, all you need to do is just live there. That's all. You can work in hothouses, in garages, in schools or in hi-tech -- but live there. You will see that in a short period of time, several new minyanim will start, the kindergartens will become mixed with religious children (heaven forbid) learning and playing with irreligious ones. The neighborhood supermarket will suddenly start to stock scarves and skirts, and in the corner playground Elyashiv will play with Shawn. It is amazing what can happen in a few months. And all this happens quietly, and with no bombastic pronouncements.
It's true that there will be several who will be outspoken in opposition to this idea. First of all the government that wants us to hide away and live in distant reservations, and even some of those exiled from Gush Kattif – they for reasons of modesty, high costs of apartments, worry re where their children will go to school, etc. But these very arguments just serve to convince more and more that this is truly a national goal.
Friends, I call upon you to weight this proposal very seriously and examine the possibilities in depth. Think for example of the possibility of a rented apartment in Tel Aviv, in Ramat Gan or Hertzeliya. Think for example of community housing between Glilot and Shfayim. It may not be the yishuv you have dreamt of, one that is populated only with "our people" from one end of the street to the other. But this will be true Panim el Panim.
Signed with love
Tzachi Penton |
