On the Ground in Israel A personal view of our efforts in Israel from Amir Shacham, UJC MetroWest Director of Israel Operations May 26, 2008

Just One Israeli Afternoon

Noon – I drive down to the city where I grew up, Ashkelon. On the radio is a live broadcast of the arrival of President Bush in Israel. He is coming as a gesture for our 60th birthday, and this already is his second visit here within a year. The speeches, interviews, and commentaries are all very festive and exciting. We all feel proud to hear how supportive of Israel he is, and yet we keep reminding ourselves that the crazy reality in our wild neighborhood is much more complicated than any guest can absorb, even if he happens to be the leader of the free world.

1 p.m. – I have lunch with my parents in Ashkelon’s busy commercial area. We talk about the deteriorating security situation, the “Grad” and “Kassam” rockets that are launched from Gaza, their old house, which is not protected, the municipal alarm that goes off too often, the feeling of being once again on the front line, and the visit of President Bush. We sit in a small, vegetarian restaurant, an institution in itself, known for the best heimish food. (You can ask Daniel and Barbara Drench about their stuffed cabbage.)

The name of this restaurant is Hanitzachon, “The Victory,” named for the outcome of the Six Day War, in which we took the Gaza strip from Egypt and thought that we distanced Ashkelon forever from future threats.

2 p.m. – Sagi Bashan, a very big, heavy guy and the well-known reporter of TV’s channel 2 in the Negev, enters the restaurant with his crew. We joke about the fact that while he is waiting, god forbid, for the next terror attack and for his next report, at least he knows and clearly enjoys the best food in town. I recall his excellent TV reporting about our P2K “Women’s Ethnic Empowerment Group” (the cooking ladies) and the fact that he insisted on tasting every dish they made, for the sake of honest journalism.

3 p.m. – I pick up Kurt and Teva Altman at the Ashkelon train station. They are West Orange residents, activists in the MetroWest community, and former Israelis. They came all the way from Haifa, where they are now staying, to join me this afternoon and see first hand some of their community’s connections in the south. When I offer them a chance to visit the Gaza region, they don’t think twice, in spite of the tense security situation.

4 p.m. – We visit Kibbutz Erez, facing Gaza, where UJC MetroWest is heavily involved in building security rooms, renovating bomb shelters, and upgrading the quality of life. We tour the Kibbutz, taking pride in the many plaques and signs of our community’s fingerprints and listening to the stories from the old and present days about defending the country and fighting terror. In spite of the heavy security burden, the Kibbutz is going through a major restructuring and privatization plan. The day of our visit is the day of the final vote. The plan is approved nicely, and Yahel, the young Kibbutz director, is going to lead a major strategic process for the future of Erez. You are welcome to congratulate him for this achievement.

5 p.m. – We tour the Nachal Oz army base. This base, the northern Gaza brigade headquarters, has become another UJC MetroWest focal point in Israel. We visit there on a regular basis, showing our community the amazing job that our kids, the young Israeli soldiers, are doing in protecting the Jewish state and the Jewish people from terror attacks. We see the soldiers club and kitchenette that were donated by UJC MetroWest donors, we visit the “war room” where the action is, and we get a briefing from the officers in command about the future. The officers are not very optimistic, to say the least, but Kurt and Teva tell me that they feel that the Jewish people clearly are in good hands.

6 p.m. – We are standing in front of the house of Jimmy Kedoshim z”l in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Jimmy was working in his garden a few days before when a mortar shell launched from Gaza took his life. We are there to pay a shiva call on behalf of UJC MetroWest, together with our mutual friends from Gush Etzion. The Sha’ar Hanegev and the Gush Etzion regions are partners with our community, and we support each other in happiness and in sorrow. Unfortunately, we have met too often recently during condolence visits. The house is full of holes from the bomb and so are the hearts of the many visitors who knew Jimmy. When I hear the stories about him, I can’t stop thinking about the three consecutive Torah portions that we recently read: Acharei Mot, Kedoshim, and Emor, which, when translated together, make a phrase that means “After their death, they say: Holies.” We often use this phrase to point out that one should always speak positively about the dead. With Jimmy, whose distinctive last name was Kedoshim (holies) and who contributed so much to his community, the feeling is that he was truly holy and beloved in his lifetime, as well.

Alon Schuster, the mayor of Sha’ar Hanegev, now joins us. He reports that, a few minutes before, a missile from Gaza hit a shopping mall in the commercial area of Ashkelon and that there are many wounded people. This is near where we had lunch only a few hours before. I try to call my parents but the lines are all disconnected.

We talk with Jimmy’s wife and brother, explaining why it is important for people from New Jersey and from Gush Etzion to be with them in such a difficult time. They are amazed and become emotional over the global solidarity that we demonstrate. In the guest book, we write that “the community of MetroWest will always be together with our family in Sha’ar Hanegev and we are very proud of their courage and determination.” I still can’t get a hold of my parents.

Amazingly, the living room and the dining room of the Kedoshim family are full of holes, as well. The pieces of this deadly mortar shell penetrated through and damaged the inner home. On the shelf, there are six wooden sculptures that Jimmy brought from Africa, five of them are still standing, each one showing a different kind of work. One fell over after it was hit by some of the shrapnel. It was a sculpture of a man gardening.

I finally reach my parents. They are fine.

7 p.m. – I take Kurt and Teva to see the bomb site in the shopping mall in Ashkelon. All the wounded were evacuated and the police closed the roads, but we arrive there with all the news reporters and many dignitaries. I notice Sagi Bashan, from TV’s channel 2, reporting live. He was probably one of the first to arrive at the site, and he is going to work late that night. Good to know that he had good lunch.

8 p.m. – I drive home after dropping off Kurt and Teva at the train station. They thanked me for introducing them to reality, and I thanked them for showing solidarity. It is so important and so encouraging that Diaspora Jews come here to see things first hand, to be with their Israeli family, and to deliver the message back home.

On the radio is a live broadcast from the opening festive event of President Peres’ “tomorrow” international conference. The hall is full of tomorrow’s, today’s, and yesterday’s world leaders, headed by President George W. Bush. Attendance is highly impressive. All the guest speakers are addressing the fresh terror attack in Ashkelon and say in various languages that this situation can’t go on for long.

I keep reminding myself that the crazy reality in our wild neighborhood is much more complicated and unexpected than these guests can absorb, even if they happen to be the leaders of tomorrow.

Drishat Shalom,

Amir

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On the Ground archive

• May 12, 2008
• April 28, 2008
• April 14, 2008
• March 31, 2008
• March 17, 2008
• March 3, 2008
• February 13, 2008