Musings #148
October 19, 2005
Succot, The 16th of Tishrei
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the King's horses
And all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty back together again
There’s a Humpty Dumpty situation going on here in Israel. Unfortunately, too many people think that they can put “Humpty back together again.” I’m referring to the destroyed communities of Gush Katif and Northern Shomron.
I understand the desire of the uprooted refugees to recreate their pre-Disengagement lives, but it’s impossible, and I don’t think anyone’s doing them a favor by supporting this dream. Even if by some miracle, identical communities could be built and erected in similar topography in a few months, they would never be the same. And by expecting to duplicate the heavenly lives they once had, they’re setting themselves up for even more pain.
The Disengagement victims must each make decisions for what’s best now for themselves and their families and get on with it. First of all they must job hunt, retrain where necessary, and find some sort of housing to buy. They shouldn’t spend their limited funds on rentals, unless they really don’t have any money and had never been homeowners. They shouldn’t waste their money on those government built shantytowns, where there is no employment, no opportunities. It’s a recipe for disaster, a pressure cooker for traumatized stressed-out people.
The uprooted, evacuees, owe it to themselves and their children to find themselves the best opportunities and soon as possible. Depression is a socially contagious disease, and it’s spreading rapidly.
Any new communities founded should be for the sake of the mitzvah of “yishuv Ha’Aretz,” “settling the Land,” and they must be envisioned as totally new endeavors, wherever they may be.
For another very different reason, it’s important to spread out “yamma, v’kedma, tzafona v’negba,” west, east, north and south, is to break the disengagement between the different sectors of our beloved country. Too many of us are totally removed, oblivious, of what’s happening to the evacuees. The refugees are isolated in hotels and caravan (trailer) sites. It’s much too easy for your typical Israeli to pretend that either they don’t exist or that they’re of such a different breed, that they “deserved it.” And they’re no longer even seen on the news or read about in the press, since the editors find nothing new and earth shattering in their painful predicament. They’ve been homeless for months already. That’s too boring to rate even a few seconds or column inches.
It would be a very different situation if throughout the country, in various buildings and neighborhoods ordinary Israelis would be faced with new neighbors, who’ve lost their previous homes to Disengagement. They would see the broken furniture being taken out of the moving vans and end up helping take the refrigerator and other appliances back down the stairs after it’s discovered that its wires were burnt by the heat in the storage facility. Children would come from school telling of new students in their class who have nothing, since all their old toys and books were damaged or lost when they were forced to leave their homes.
This meeting is the next stage of “Panim el Panim,” the meetings, face-to-face and it must happen. This is how we’ll finally begin “hitchabrut,” connection, unity, which is what our nation, our people need desperately. This is the only way we can heal and bring salvation and Redemption, the Geula Shleimah.
“HaRachaman Hu Yakim et Succat David Hanofalet,”
May the Merciful One Raise up for Us the Fallen Tabernacle of David,”
Illustration from http://www.authorama.com/through-the-looking-glass-6.html
Batya Medad, Shiloh
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3 comments:
We must make the distinction between trying to recreate communities and creating community. It is obvious that we cannot execute a computer instruction "move Gush Katif to {new location}. That might work in a virtual reality game, but not in real life. But what can, will and must work is to use the scattered expellees of Gush Katif to help form the nuclei (gar'inim) of new communities, both rural and urban. Target failing kibbutzim, moshavim and development towns in all parts of the country as well as urban areas, especially blighted ones with housing going for a premium. Target areas such as Ramle/Lod, Akko and Nazeret Ilit, where Arabs are taking over formerly Jewish areas. Target decaying parts of the Tel-Aviv area and turn them into kiruv and rehabilitation bases. Co-opt other people to join these groups, including some who may be wise enough to make the step before their homes are also on the block. Don't limit the initiative to knitted kipot alone, black hats and no kipot are also good. Get donors to help purchase and/or refurbish homes. Get economic initiative going to help create jobs for new communal enterprises. Involve the kibbutz movements, if they are willing to be supportive. Utilize the energy of those youth who need a cause and have shown that they are not afraid of anyone except Hashem alone. We will prevail, the builders will defeat the destroyers. They are counting on bringing down the state before we have the majority to take it over. We can prove them wrong.
bs"d
Hashem Oz LeAmo Yiten...As the Rebbe bentched all those that came to him, Bracha Vehatzlacha. It seems to me that what Batya suggests makes alot of sense. May all the people of Gush Katif consider themselves like emmissaries, like Shluchim. It's not that I am promoting Chabad per say but the system is phenomenal and works. Once or twice a year the Shluchim have a Shluchim conference (a separate conference for men and separate for women)where they somehow reconnect and revitalize. Each Chabad House is financially independant. It is decentralized but with a common philosophy and common goals. What binds the people of Gush Katif is love of Torah, Love of Am Yisroel and Love of Eretz Yisroel.
I didn't want to go into too much detail and too many stages into the future, though I agree with you both.
So much is being invested in "temporary" and none of this will rehabilitate those in need.
No employment opportunities at all.
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