THE ROAD TO KFAR MAIMON

For the past two to three weeks the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Moetzet Yesha) planned a three day march to Gush Katif. The march was to be conducted in three stages: Netivot to Kfar Maimon on day one; Tsomet (Junction Raim) on day two; and to Kisufim Junction and onward if possible to Gush Katif on day three. This was announced on the radio and printed announcements were distributed throughout the country. It was not a secret. Thousands were expected to participate. I participated in this event and I would like to share my experiences with you. Just for the record I work full time eight hours a day, five days a week. I took three days vacation to participate in this event. As you well know I am strongly against the Disengagement – a psychobabble word for RETREAT. I will not be a bystander. I will not keep silent. No matter what the outcome -- whether the retreat will be carried out or not --the day after I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and know that I did all I could to protest this injustice. To know that I did not condone or stand silently by while Eretz Yisrael was cut up and given to the enemy. In future when my grandchildren ask me where I was at the time I can say with all honesty that I stood for Eretz Yisrael and the Jewish People.

Day One: Monday July 18, 2005
The march was divided into stages. People were to meet in the town of Netivot on Monday July 18 at 4.00 p.m. A large parking area was available for those who traveled in their own vehicles. Thousands of others were arriving in chartered buses. It was my original intention to travel by bus. Buses were to leave from a central point (Binyenei Hauma) in Jerusalem at 3 p.m. However, my youngest son convinced me to go with him. He was part of a group going from the development town of Ofakim where he had spent his last year in high school in a Bnei Akiva program called Shelef. The group consisted of teenagers, young adults and married couples with children. Since it was an organized group they would provide meals as well. I accepted the offer. We still had to get to Netivot. Instead of taking the bus, my husband offered to drive us so we went in a private vehicle.

Estimates regarding participation ranged from 30,000 to 50,000. As we were driving down to Netivot we heard the hourly news broadcast on the radio. The Prime Minister ordered the Israeli Police to stop all the chartered buses that were headed to Netivot . Police cars went to central locations in all the large cities where these buses were waiting for their passengers, boarded the buses and announced that the people would not be allowed to start their journey. They told the people to disembark and go home. When the bus drivers offered any resistance the police confiscated their drivers license. Where buses were already on the road police cars were dispatched to overtake them and order them to return to their point of departure.

Thousands of people were left stranded. However, they refused to be stopped. As soon as the public became aware of what was happening, friends, relatives and even strangers offered to drive people to Netivot. Others began walking on the roads determined to get there at any cost. The two former chief rabbis of Israel had been on buses and were forced to get off. They began walking to Netivot. Families with little children and babies in strollers began walking down highways to Netivot in heat of the day. Hence, when we arrived an announcement was made that people had called to ask that we wait for them. They were coming from Kiryat Shmoneh, from Eilat, from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa and many other places but they would be late and would not be arriving by bus. Buses that left other communities such as yishuvim and settlements managed to evade the witchhunt.

Later in the afternoon as we waited another announcement was made by the government and the police. We would not be allowed to march from Netivot to Kfar Maimon – the first leg of our journey to Gush Katif.

I must mention that there was considerable public protest over the police preventing the buses from reaching their destination. Even some of the “civil rights” organizations that are left wing and not very supportive of any actions by the right criticized the police as going too far. Even they recognized everyone’s right to protest.

While we were delayed in Netivot we listened to speeches by the organizers who emphasized non-violence. They did not want to see any confrontation between the marchers and the army or the police. They stressed the fact that we and the army and police are the same people who should be fighting our common enemy and not each other.

Finally at 8 p.m. the march organizers received permission to proceed to Kfar Maimon. We started out at 9 p.m. By that time many of the people who had been put off buses had managed to reach Netivot and more were coming.

Slowly we began to pour out of the public gathering place where we had waited for hours onto the road. Everyone followed the same route. You could not deviate and take shortcuts. Finally we were underway. Who were we? A montage of Israelis. Young couples with children. Children in strollers, back carriers and front carriers. Older children holding their parents’ hands or being cared for by older siblings. At least one parent had a huge backpack with supplies for three days. In our group teenagers and young adults helped those couples who had several children. My son and I watched over two brothers (aged 7 and 8) while their parents dealt with three younger children and supplies.

As people walked they talked. It was natural to ask the person next to you “Where are you from?” It soon became obvious that this was a crosssection of Israel. Secular and religious. Natonal religious and Haredi. Men and women. High school students, University students, clerks, teachers, University professors, doctors, lawyers. From Meveseret Ziyon, from Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Kiryat Arba, Efrat, Ramat Hagolan, Kiryat Shmoneh etc. etc.

People sang songs, they talked, played word games to pass the time. Everyone carried bottles of water. Even though it was night time the air was oppressively hot. If someone ran out of water there was always someone with extra who was willing to share. There was a wonderful camaraderie of purpose.

We were still being watched by the police. We walked along a public road . On the right hand side was a line of policemen on horseback. On the left side of the road were two lines of foot soldiers and police. Many of them held light sticks. Thousands of personnel were present. They were not there to protect the marchers. They were there to insure that the marchers would not get to Gush Katif. That the marchers would not proceed further than Kfar Maimon. I have lived in Israel 35 years and this was the first time that the army and police have been trained to look upon a large portion of the Jewish population as the enemy.

Many of the marchers said Good Evening to them. Asked them if they wanted water. Some of the women soldiers and policewomen were crying. Some soldiers said to us: “We are proud of you. Keep doing what you are doing. We are with you.”

After walking for about two hours we suddenly came to a halt. News filtered backwards that the Mishmar HaGivul decided we could not proceed to Kfar Maimon. That we must turn around and retrace our steps. Everyone stopped, many sat down. Others took the opportunity to organize Mariv prayers. Some people said we could take shortcuts off the road. Almost immediately helicopters with searchlights began sweeping the area and following those who wished to continue the journey off the road. Other people said we could go through the fields on the right side of the road and evade the soldiers. However, it was pitch black and people with baby strollers could not negotiate this route with ease. Most of us just sat quietly in the road resting while the Yesha organizers negotiated with the government. About an hour later we resumed our journey.

There was one man who walked the entire way despite the fact that he had metal crutches and metal braces on his legs. I don’t know where he found the strength. He also carried a backpack and a bottle of water across his chest.

By this time it was very late at night. Children were tired. Babies and toddlers were handed over from exhausted parents to friends, relatives and strangers who offered to relieve them for awhile. We all carried children. Finally we reached the turnoff for Kfar Maimon. I thought to myself that “Oh, at last, five more minutes and we can stop.” But we weren’t there yet. We still had a 4 kilometer journey. The road was not that wide and it went up and down like a rollercoaster. By this time it was wall to wall people with little room to maneuver.

This route was also lined with police and soldiers. We were always under surveillance. However, we had musical accompaniment. My son met some friends of his who were carrying guitars. They broke into songs about Eretz Yisrael and began dancing all the way to Kfar Maimon. The crowd joined in. I saw parents carrying sleeping toddlers in their arms. They (the parents) were practically walking with their eyes closed but their lips were moving singing in unison. It was amazing. It was as if the young people’s singing and their enthusiasm infused us with energy and strength to make the final push up the hill to our destination.

At last we turned into the actual community. We still had to find our place of accommodation. As I mentioned earlier I was with a group from Ofakim and they had brought tents and supplies to this community days in advance before the police had closed off the area. As we walked people detached themselves from the crowd and found areas where they could unroll a sleeping bag and put down a backpack. They opened blankets on the ground and put sleeping children to bed.

We found ourselves in the yard of one particular family. They had a huge shed and we set up our kitchen area there. The boys in our group erected tents in the yard (a very large one). I had a single tent. The young women had several tents. The largest were for families with children and the young men had one tent and the rest just unrolled their sleeping bags on the ground. It was about 1.30 a.m. by this time. Then everyone helped to prepare a hot meal (hot dogs, salad and soup). By the time I crawled into my tent it was 3 a.m. I began to wonder where all the thousands of people were going to stay, but I soon succumbed to exhaustion.

Day Two: Tuesday July 19, 2005
I awoke at 6.30 a.m. When I left my tent and made my way to the front of the house and packing shed where our meals were prepared I was amazed. Many more people had arrived during the few hours that I slept. All available space was filled. People were asleep on the lawn in sleeping bags or sitting in small groups surrounded by backpacks, bottles of water etc.

After breakfast I decided to find a spot of shade and relax, read a little and perhaps get a little more sleep. The gracious family who allowed us to camp out in their yard also allowed us to use their bathroom facilities. We just lined up outside their front door or back door and waited in line. One could even take a shower in their house. An elderly woman who had arrived on her own with a backpack and sleeping bag was stretched out on their lawn. She must have been 70. As soon as our hosts saw her they insisted that she stay in their home in a spare bedroom.

At midday we ventured down to the the main road in the yishuv. We were headed to the Beit Knesset to listen to a shiur to be given by the Rav Mordechai Elon. I tried to enter the women’s section but it was full. The entire Beit Knesset was full. The Rav Elon appeared and announced that he would give the shir outside where many more people could be accommodated. He insisted that everyone must sit under the shade of a tree, building or canopy. No one could sit in the sun and everyone must have drinking water. Hundreds of people gathered to hear him. He was an inspiration to us all.

There was a complete program of lectures and shiruim planned for the entire day. The road in front of the Beit Knesset was filled with stands where one could buy water, drinks, fruit, sandwiches and salads at very low costs. The streets were filled with people. Naturally everyone encountered friends and acquaintances. I met a friend from Jerusalem. I did not know she was planning to come to this event. My son met over a 100 friends.

The organizers announced that at 4.30 p.m. they would announce whether the march was proceeding to Tsomet Raim. We were about to return to our base camp when some young men (20-23 years old) began running through the street yelling that the police were attempting to break through the main gate of the yishuv. They wanted to enter and round up all the demonstrators. We should all run to the gate and join in an attempt to keep the police out. They ran up to people and tried to convince them to run to the gate to engage the police. I asked my son if he knew any of these individuals. He did not. Soon everyone was asking each other if they were known. Very few people reacted to their cries to repel the police.

Later that afternoon we learned that there had been an encounter with the police and a couple of people were hurt including Benzi Liberman. The organizers said these young men had not been participants but infiltrators, provocateurs sent by the police to stir up trouble so the protesters would be accused of violent tactics.

Everyone waited in anticipation of the coming announcement. We wanted to resume our march and it was frustrating to just sit in the oppressive heat and contemplate what might happen. Meanwhile more and more people were arriving. Although the police had closed the roads, people knew how to cross through the fields and enter Kfar Maimon.

At 5 p.m. everyone gathered in a large open area where a raised platform had been erected. The organizers said the police were not prepared to allow us to continue. That if we were determined to do so we would have to break through the fence and fight our way through the soldiers and police. They would let us know when to be ready to continue our journey. They emphasized that there must be no violence.

We went home to have an evening meal. Someone organized showers. I walked down the road to a particular house where the owners were prepared to have people shower . Very nice family. Offered us cold drinks, cookies. Since there was a line waiting for the showers they invited us to come into the living room and watch the evening news on TV.

The commander of the police said that all the protesters were locked in Kfar Maimon and that’s where the police wanted us. They talked about the violence that had erupted earlier in the day and expected further “bloodshed.” After my shower I returned for dinner and was told to pack all my belongings because we would probably be awakened in the middle of the night to march out of Kfar Maimon. When I went to sleep I expected to get up at 2 or 3 a.m. and begin walking.

It did not happen. All night long helicopters flew overhead shining their spotlights on the ground below. Once I woke up and thought one was just above my tent. They would swoop down very close to the ground. Very loud, very scary – not conducive to sleep. There were drones also flying above: they make noise too. I did not sleep well at all.


Day Three: Wednesday July 20, 2005
Everyone got up early. Why didn’t we leave? When are we going? The air was thick with speculation, rumor, anticipation. I was very anxious. I was supposed to return to work on Thursday morning and here it was Wednesday and we were still in Kfar Maimon. Should I stay? Should I go? What if they just remain in Kfar Maimon? I couldn’t use up all my vacation days now. What about August?

The organizers sent messengers with loudspeakers announcing that they would make an announcement at 4.30 p.m. about how to proceed. It became apparent that this was turning into a waiting game. Even if they decided at 4.30 to get ready to march they would not begin until 6 p.m. or later. So I decided to head back to Jerusalem. I had committed myself to three days. Unfortunately we had not reached Gush Katif.

My son remained to see events play themselves out. I arranged for another son to get as close as he could to Kfar Maimon and I would meet him. It worked out well and I arrived home in Jerusalem at 4.30 p.m. I had mixed feelings. I felt very guilty about leaving – like a captain abandoning a sinking ship. On the other hand, I cannot afford to lose my job and besides there will be more marches, more protests.

I felt privileged to have participated in this event. I was proud to be one of 30,000-50,000 people who walked to Kfar Maimon in an attempt to reach Gush Katif. At a time when so many people are complacent or unaware of what is happening, it was wonderful to see so many people who were willing to unequivocally announce their disagreement with the Disengagement Policy, who think it is not only wrong, but a suicidal move for the State of Israel. People who were willing to donate three days of their lives to protest non-violently against this policy.

During the week prior to the march two things happened with two of my children that really depressed me and made me realize how divided this country is. One involved my son who accompanied me to Kfar Maimon. He was in Givat Shmuel standing at a junction handing out orange ribbons to motorists. There were not many takers in this region, but most people were polite. “No thank you.” However, one car stopped for a traffic light. My son offered him a ribbon. The driver said no. “With luck they will shoot all of you like mad dogs.” A family man (wife and children in the car), a Jew said this about other Jews to my son.

The other event involved my daughter and her husband. There is a project called Panim el Panim that was begun a few months ago by several people in the religious Zionist community. The idea is to encourage dialogue between the religious and secular community. Religious people go knocking on doors and introduce themselves to people. They want to talk about the fact that we are one people. You may be secular and I may be religious but we are both Jews and we can be friends who have different ideas. This has nothing to do with the Disengagement. My daughter and her husband spent hours in Ramat Aviv Gimel going from door to door. One young mother opened the door for them and invited them inside. When she called her husband from another room and he walked into the living room and she said these people would like to speak to us etc. etc. his reaction was “I can’t believe you let them in." To the visitors he said "I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to hear your ideas. I want you to leave my house.” My son-in-law said ok we’ll leave and he extended his hand to shake hands. The man said “I don’t want to shake hands with you. I don’t want you to touch me” with a look of revulsion on his face.

When my children related these incidents to me I was shocked. I cried to myself. I thought, “Is there such hatred among us?” Are we making it this easy for the enemy? What is happening to Eretz Yisrael? With such feelings of animosity between fellow Jews, will there be an Eretz Yisrael when my grandchildren grown up? I was very disturbed by this.

I must say that the people I encountered -- those who participated in the march and the residents of Kfar Maimon who not only welcomed us but opened their homes and their hearts to us -- renewed my faith in my people. We are in good hands! These people who are proud of who they are and not afraid to defend the Land -- their descendants will be around for generations to come. They will preserve and protect Eretz Yisrael. Those who are ashamed of their heritage, who think the land unimportant, just a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder -- they will vanish into oblivion, forgotten.