A TESTIMONY OF PERSONAL RESISTANCE


Monday: August 15, 2005

The Day of Reckoning has arrived. Implementation of the Disengagement Plan is beginning today. I spent the morning gathering my supplies of food, water, clothing and packing my sleeping bag. I wasn't sure what my destination would be, but I knew I'd be heading south towards Gush Katif. The general instructions were to head south to Netivot, Ofakim or Sderot and from there groups would organize on their way to the Kisufim Junction outside Gush Katif.

Around 4.30 p.m. we set off in two cars. We were five adults in a van and another three people in a second car. There were reports of roads being closed by the police and additional checkpoints to stop people from converging on the Gush. We decided on our route and surprisingly encountered no obstacles. We arrived in Netivot quickly and were told to go to the Babe Sali's gravesite. Upon arrival there were a lot of people.

Representatives of the Council for the Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza were busy organizing everyone. Vehicle owners were asked to sign up for convoys. People without cars were organized into walking groups. If there were spare places in cars people on foot could have rides.

My husband had driven our van, but he was not staying. He had to return to Jerusalem for meetings the next day. Nor could he drive us to some further point because he could not risk having the car landlocked. We joined the people in the second car. In fact we were actually seven adults in a five-seater. It was risky, but none of us were turning back.

The army and police were beginning to encircle the area. At about 9.00 p.m. the convoys assembled. The drivers met separately for instructions how to drive. At first we were going to drive without headlights, but that idea was abandoned because the fields we traversed were too rough. We drove very slowly, about 15-20 kilometers per hour. We were headed to a place called Re'im. In fact it is about 20 kilometers from Netivot, not very far. But we could not travel by road because we would have been stopped by the police or the army. The entire area, including Re'im, was in a closed military zone. So, we had to find an alternate route over the fields.

Three convoys of about 15 cars each began the journey. We travelled for hours. Sometimes our wheels got stuck in the mud and we, the passengers, would get out and walk along the side of the road for a while and then get back into the car. We were lucky, we never went into a ditch. A few cars did and then the convoy stopped while they were pulled out. The dust was awful and we kept the windows closed. Sometimes we saw the flashing lights of police cars and suddenly the entire convoy would change direction.

RE'IM (Tuesday, August 16, 2005)

Finally, at 2.30-3.00 a.m. we pulled into a road at the side of an orchard. Someone stepped out of the darkness and said "Welcome to Re'im." We had made it. The other two convoys had been stopped, but we made it. We all heaved a sigh of relief. Each driver pulled into a spot and everyone got out of the cars and stretched. It was pitch black.

We began to meet our co-conspirators. There were families with small children. Groups of young people. Our group consisted of three women 50 and over and one woman in her late forties with two teenage children. We had all come together with one purpose in mind: TO STOP THE DISENGAGEMENT!!

We were soon joined by a large group that had walked from Netivot to Re'im. I suppose we numbered about 150 altogether. After we had something to eat and drink we were called to attention by our Navat (navigator) who would lead us to Kisufim. He told us we would be walking on a dirt road between two fields. Be quiet. Don't talk. Don't use cellphones. In fact, turn the phones off.

We began the second stage of our journey at 3.45 a.m. Kisufim is about 8-10 kilometers from Re'im. As we walked down the dirt road, on our left was a large field of sunflowers. The stalks were very tall, many of them towering over my head. The Navat was at the head of the group. Everyone tried to keep up a fast pace. You must realize that we were all carrying backpacks, sleeping bags, and most important of all, large supplies of water. There would be no water at Kisufim.

Suddenly a bright light appeared -- a search light on a jeep. Someone ran back whispering loudly: INTO THE FIELDS! HIDE! INTO THE FIELDS! We all scattered. I jumped into the field and ran deep into the forest of sunflowers and bent down near the ground. The jeep drove by. After waiting a long time we emerged and began walking down the road. About 10 minutes later we heard a vehicle approaching and once again hid in the sunflowers. Another all clear signal. Back to the road. We managed to walk for about 45 minutes, when we heard another vehicle. We ran into the sunflowers, but were unable to penetrate very deeply. We dropped to the ground. Another vehicle approached from the opposite direction. We heard car doors opening. Men came to the edge of the field and told us to get out. I didn't move, thinking, I could lie still and conceal myself but they had spotted me and just about everyone else. Slowly we all came forward.

One man in a pickup truck said he was the owner of the field and accused us of damaging his property and crop. There were also soldiers, Border Police and an awful looking dog -- a mastiff I believe. They told us we were in a military zone and our presence in the area was illegal. They told us to return to where we came from. After about 20 minutes they drove off. The Navat had disappeared. Obviously, he and a few others had successfully eluded the police and soldiers. We continued for a short distance and saw a military base with soldiers. If we approached any closer we would be seen and quickly apprehended. One individual -- a man -- took charge and said we should return to the area where we left the cars. He kept repeating himself and shepherding everyone back to the rear. After a while there were only about 20 of us left on the road. We saw two paths running off into the fields. We had not noticed them earlier. Some of us thought we should try that route, but then we realized none of us knew where we were going. We were unfamiliar with the area and really needed a guide. We stood around deliberating what to do next. Then we began talking about the man who had convinced so many of the group to return to the parking area. We were very suspicious of him. We began to wonder how the owner of the field knew we were there. Supposedly he had called the army.

After waiting around for another 30 minutes (thinking the guide might show up again) we returned to our base camp. All the people were there except the guy who had appointed himself the new leader and who had encouraged everyone to return. He was an infiltrator -- a Shabaknik -- and had probably been the very person who had notified the authorities of our presence. They work for the Shabak. They are spies who spy on their fellow Jews. We all realized we had to be very careful about what we said and to whom we said it. You don't know who to trust anymore.

Another organizer was on hand who announced that we could sleep in the orchard and remain there during the day and then attempt another trek to Kisufim under cover of darkness. If people did not want to try again they could leave in their cars and retrace their route through the fields. Quite a few people left. They had made their attempt to reach Gush Katif, but had failed.

We decided to stay. I had taken a week off from work for this effort and I wasn't about to give up this easily. We walked into the orchards, found a place to unroll our sleeping bags and prepared to go to sleep. It was already 5.30 a.m. Needless to say we did not sleep long.

I woke up at about 7.00 a.m. Everyone was beginning to stir. Across the clearing an elderly couple were waking up. I had noticed them the night before. He was tall with white hair and he walked with a slight limp. Now, I noticed he was busy holding something long. Suddenly, I realized he was putting on an artificial leg. Even this disability was not going to stop him from reaching Gush Katif. Such dedication.

We found a faucet so we had some running water. We called a general meeting to decide what to do. The woman whose car we had ridden in decided to return to Jerusalem with her two kids. They had had enough. That left us on foot, but we were not ready to go home. Ironically, when our friend tried to drive out the army stopped her. They said she could not exit the area. It was so ridiculous. They kept on telling us that we couldn't stay in the area, yet they would not let her leave. Finally, she found an alternate route.

The army told us we could not remain in the area and then they drove off. We had a group discussion and decided we would stay in the orchard during the day. If necessary we would leave and hide in a different orchard. In other words, play cat and mouse with the authorities.
I tried to sleep but the heat was so oppressive that I couldn't fall asleep. Besides, I was too excited. So, I functioned on adrenalin alone. I did succeed in reading some of the paperback I brought along.

Around 12.30 or 1.30 p.m. word got around that we were moving out. We told someone we were carless. We were put in the back of an old old American car. That's alright -- it moved. All the cars moved out to another orchard. The vehicles were backed in amongst the trees. It was too hot to sit in the car. Everyone got out and lay down on the ground. Luckily we had a nice breeze. Again everyone tried to get some sleep. We also ate some food. After we were in our new location for about an hour someone from Kibbutz Alumim came by. Nice guy. He brought us some apples and water.

He said we would be wasting our time going to Kisufim because as soon as someone appeared there the police arrested them. He related a bizarre event. He said a convoy of cars had succeeded in reaching Kisufim. The people told the army and police they did not want to enter Gush Katif, but wanted to demonstrate at the junction. The army officer in charge told them to come over and talk. They all exited their cars and walked over to him. When they returned to their cars all the keys were gone and they were arrested.

We acquired a new member. From Ofakim. I knew he was legit because he brought greetings to me from my son-in-law. After a few discussions it was decided that we had a new mission. Instead of heading for Kisufim we would go to Gama Junction where the tent city for the soldiers was located. The buses sent to carry out the inhabitants of the Gush originated from Gama. We would assemble there in large numbers and sit on the road. There were several groups of people in the area and we would all converge on this point.

THE ROAD TO GAMA

Around 4.30 p.m. we left our hiding place, formed another convoy and headed for the main road. We found an access point and crossed the main highway. We arrived at a wadi where we hid the cars and ourselves until dark. Other small groups joined us. The drivers were apprehensive about leaving their cars in this isolated spot. How would they retrieve them? We sat around in small groups talking, eating and preparing ourselves. It was a known fact that we would probably get arrested. But if we could hold off the disengagement or stop it altogether it would be worth the price.

Just as we prepared to leave the wadi on foot a jeep with two soldiers and a policeman showed up. The policeman told us we could not leave the immediate area and tried to block our way, but we just walked around him. We knew that other jeeps would be nearby and that our movements would be monitored.

We climbed up out of the wadi. There were steep hills that were not easy to negotiate. In my normal life I do nearly 20 hours of exercise a week: an hour of strenuous walking with weights every day as well as hours in the workout room in a gym and three group exercise classes a week. All of this effort paid off. I was much more agile than many of my companions. Once we reached the top of the hill it was easier and made good progress along what appeared to be a dirt road. Then a jeep appeared and we all ran from the road to the rough terrain where the jeep could not follow us. Lots of rocks and boulders. Slow progress. It was getting darker and we could hear a helicopter overhead. It was still very hot and the sweat was running down my face, arms and back.

We stopped and did a head count. Everyone had a number. We didn't want to leave anyone behind. Another jeep appeared to our left. We had to run for the fields. They weren't really fields. They consisted of rows of trenches. Each one about half a meter deep. So you had a choice of stepping down into each trench or gully and then climbing out to the high ground and then going down into the next trench. Alternatively, you could hop over the trenches landing on the higher ground. But sometimes that high ground had a pipe running along the top. If I jumped over the trenches without thinking then I was ok, but if I thought about what I was doing then I would fall and fall I did several times. But I got right back up and continued on.

It got darker and darker. I had a flashlight but didn't dare to use it. Eventually we got to an area where we could just walk along the higher ground between the trenches. Narrow but doable. A young woman walked in front of me and she had reflectors on her shoes. This was a great help. She stayed with me all the way and was very helpful and caring. It seemed as if this part of the journey went on forever. Although young people had offered to take my backpack and sleeping bag several times I always refused. However, we were running now and speed was of the utmost importance. I surrendered my equipment to a young man. We were all running. There were jeeps around us, far away, but they could not reach us.

GAMA (9:30 p.m.)

At last we saw bright lights in the distance and new we were approaching Gama. We were going to make it! We had outwitted the army and the police. We found a path through some bushes and suddenly we were just 3 meters beyond the road. When we emerged we saw several hundred people sitting in the middle of the road. There were army vehicles in front of the crowd. They could not pass on the road. As I went to take a seat a young woman stood up and embraced me. She had been in the group that had attempted to reach Kisufim. When she had been turned back she had left and returned to Netivot. She had joined up with another group that eventually made its way to Gama. She recognized me and greeted me with Mazel Tov and Kol Hakovod!!

We found ourselves in the front row on the ground. Shlomo Cohen from Kohav Ya'acov had become the leader of the group. He found a microphone and began talking to the crowd. We began singing songs and then a group of young men began reading Tehillim. There were reporters and photographers all around us. Also the army photographer who was carefully using a digital camera to capture all our faces. I suppose there is a huge database that compares all these photos to driver's licenses or something. Big brother knows who we are, where we live and how to apprehend us. Not surprising in this dictatorship that Sharon has established.

More and more people kept arriving. I stood up at one point and looked behind me. I think there were between 800 and 1000 people. We were all exhausted. Our journey had taken about 2-2 and a half hours. Others had walked further: some from Netivot, some from Kfar Maimon. I leaned back on my backpack and drank a lot of water. I was too tired to eat. But I was happy and excited. We had accomplished our goal. Some of my companions thought we would be there all night long and into the day. I explained to them that even if we held out all night we could not survive long in the heat of the day.

We chanted "A Jew does not evict a Jew;" "Policeman, soldier we love you." Soldiers and police and border police were all over and they did not look too happy. We had stopped them. They couldn't run over us -- at least not with the foreign press around. Someone said we should walk to Gush Katif and the crowd started to get up. But then others said no. Stay here and stop the buses. Everyone sat down again.

There was no spokesman for the army/police. No one negotiated with us. No one said you better get up or we will remove you by force. We just sat on the ground, shared food, passed around water, recited Tehillim and sang.

Around midnight there was a shout. Link arms, link arms. I quickly intertwined my arms with the two women on either side of me. Something was happening but the action and movement was coming from behind me. I heard young men shouting "Don't touch the girls. Don't touch the girls." Another said "Don't touch the Savtot." I remember hearing that -- he was referring to us! I knew who said this. We had been talking earlier. We are neighbors. Both from Ramot Alef. The next thing I knew he was flying through the air above my head.

The Border Police and Police were grabbing everyone and were quite brutal about it. There were no policewomen, only men although there were lots of policewomen in the area. The police grabbed boys and girls around their necks and dragged them away. Others were grabbed by their arms and legs and were carried long distances and then thrown on the ground. Others were punched.

A policeman grabbed my left arm, raised it over my head and pulled it backwards. He then dragged me by my arm about 50-60 meters. I was yelling at him to stop all the time. I was fortunate to be wearing my backpack. It protected my back. When he reached the side of the road he just dropped me. I anticipated this so I held my head up so it wouldn't hit the asphalt. Just for the record I am 56 years old. An older woman of 70 or older was treated in a similar manner.

After a few seconds I started to get up. Two young people, a boy and a girl, ran to my side and insisted on helping me. They asked if I was ok. The girl was crying and the youth was agitated. Young people were running into the fields. I thought about doing this myself, but hesitated. I had made it through the fields once, but I was not confident that I could negotiate them a second time with policemen chasing me. Besides I had seen a large number of Border Police enter the fields earlier. I began walking in the direction where I had sat on the road. I was looking for my friends, but did not find them. Then the police formed a wall that moved towards us in order to close in on us. We were between the policemen and the fields. They brought in buses and herded us onto them. I evaded them as long as I could. Eventually I got on a bus.

As soon as the bus was full it began moving. A policemen and a policewoman were on each bus, but they did not speak with the passengers. The children were hysterical. They were crying and wringing their hands. The adults were trying to comfort them.

Some of my group were on the bus. One woman called Honenu -- an organization of lawyers who give legal advice to people who are arrested for resisting or opposing the Disengagement. I asked her for the number and called as well. They told me not to cooperate with the police. Not to give my name or ID number. Exercise your right to silence. Do not agree to be fingerprinted or photographed. The person I spoke with said that thousands of people were being apprehended, but that neither the police nor the courts could handle the numbers and it was almost definite that we would simply be released.

We asked the police where we were being taken, but they would not tell us. One woman was yelling at the policemen, calling them Nazis. A man of about 60 said to them: "Why did you pull my beard? He almost pulled part of it out! That's what the Germans did to my father in WWII." There were two Habadnikim on the bus. The police had pulled their hats and kippot off and stomped on them on the ground.

Some people spoke of a young woman injured and lying on the ground with a broken leg or arm. They said when bystanders asked for a medic to help her the police replied saying that no medics were available. This is inconceivable since we were in an army base. People asked for her to be transported in an ambulance, but the police said she would only be sent out on a bus. I did not see this, I only heard about it. However, I saw enough brutality. And I want to call your attention to the fact that none of the police or border police were wearing name tags as is the regulation. They were told to take them off. There was no way to identify anyone by name. This is absolutely illegal.

I leaned back in my seat and starred out the window. It didn't take long to figure out our destination. First Askelon and then Tel Aviv. At 1.30 a.m. we were put off the bus at the train station in North Tel Aviv. Naturally there are no buses or trains at that time of night. There were young teens who had to get home. We checked that they had money for a sherut or could stay with someone in Tel Aviv until the morning. A lot of people had to get to Jerusalem. We managed to fill up two sheruts. The ride up to Jerusalem was very long that night. My husband met me at Binyenei Ha-uma and we went home.

CONCLUSIONS

Gains vs. losses? Victory vs. defeat? We survived for two days in the field and defied all attempts by the army or police to stop us. We were right to do this. As I emerged from the fields and joined the other protestors at Gama I felt as if this was one of the most important days of my life. No Jew should be evicted from his home. And no other Jew should stand by quietly and let it happen. All the people in Gush Katif and Northern Shomron who are being driven from their homes are heroes. They have endured terrorist attacks, bombardment by kassam rockets and artillery shells. They have been steadfast in the face of the enemy. And how do we repay them -- the government throws them out of their homes! Good people. Hardworking people! They serve in the army, they contribute to the economic growth of the country.

This is not right. This is immoral. This is inhuman. I could not stand by and let this happen without protesting. I refuse to be a bystander.

Sharon's Disengagement Plan has:
1. Rewarded terror and encourages more terror.
2. Torn the country apart by ordering Jews to drive other Jews from their homes.
3. Destroyed the bond between the people and the army. Instead of the army defending Jews and Eretz Yisrael Sharon has enlisted the army to fight Jewish civilians and drive them from their homes where they have lived for 30 years.
4. Made a mockery of Israeli Democracy: the plan was bulldozed through the Knesset by bribery, threats and dismissal of all government officials who opposed him. No discussion, no debate.

My perspective has changed. I no longer have any faith in the Army. Not all orders should be obeyed and those ordering Jews to be driven from their homes should have been refused en masse. Every individual can choose between good and evil. That includes every soldier and policeman. They have failed the test.

Most of the public remained silent. I know countless people who said they opposed the Disengagement, but they did not attend any demonstrations, did not travel to Gush Katif or northern Shomron. They did not get involved. Bystanders!!

I will not remark on the silence of international Jewry. That is the subject of another entry.

I dwell on the fact that Jewish policemen and Jewish Border Police beat up or roughed up young and old alike. They came in with fists swinging and did not for one moment think "Hey, that's my brother, a fellow Jew." Apparently, we do not stand together anymore. We cannot depend on each other anymore. We are not one people anymore. Our oneness has been shattered -- by Arik Sharon and those without the courage to refuse to abet his plan to surrender to Arab Terror.

August 2-4, 2005

SDEROT and OFAKIM

Well, I've just turned over my sleeping bag to air out the other side. No, I haven't returned from a camping trip to Galiee or the Golan, nor have I come back from a trip to the Sinai. I've come home from Ofakim where another attempt was made to reach Gush Katif. But let's begin at the beginning.

Once again Moetzet Yesha (the Council for the Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza) organized another rally and march to Gush Katif. This time it was held in Sderot.

Well, Yesha's original plan was to have it in three towns: Sderot, Ofakim and Netivot. Almost immediately the Police objected. No, Yesha could only have in one location for the march. Fine, Yesha decided to have the meeting point in Sderot. The police object for several reasons. First, Sderot is too close to Gush Katif. They figured that too many protesters might actually be able to make it into Gush Katif. Second, Sderot is basically a war zone. Kassam rockets are fired on Sderot on a regular basis. Lately the government and the army are doing less and less to implement countermeasures such as finding the launch sites for the Kassams and destroying them or launching artillery barrages to discourage the Palestinians from firing the rockets. The army is too busy preparing to implement the Disengagement Plan that will force 10,000 Jews out of their homes, where they have lived for decades. Sharon and company realized it would look really bad if 50,000-60,000 or more protesters arrived in Sderot for a prolonged stay and suddenly Palestinians began firing Kassam rockets into the crowds. There was a potential for massive casualties and that wouldn't look good for Sharon who repeatedly claims that once the Gazan settlements are emptied of Jews Israelis will be more secure. Yesha objected resulting in a stalemate.

Yesha was determined to hold the march. The police were determined to stop it. It looked like a repeat of Kfar Maimon two weeks earlier. Except it is much more difficult to close off and lay siege to a town of several thousand people than to a small community of 180 families. The police threatened to stop the chartered buses once more.

Several government ministers thought the demonstrators should be allowed to march. After all, Israel is supposed to be a democracy. Sharon removed the topic from discussion at a cabinet meeting. Hm, sounds like suppression of free speech to me! After much negotiation, threats and counter-threats an agreement was reached. Yesha could have a rally in Sderot, but after the rally (which the police wanted to end by 10 p.m.) the demonstrators could only travel to Ofakim where they could stay for several days. The police really wanted everything to end before Shabbat August 5.

Tuesday: August 2, 2005 SDEROT

We left Jerusalem for Sderot around 4.30 p.m. We had our own vehicle (didn't want to risk being on a bus and having it stopped by the police). Thousands of cars on the road all with orange ribbons and flags, all headed for the same place. We arrived about 6:00 p.m. What a traffic jam! Trying to find a place to park took time and great patience. Lots of police and soldiers too. We walked to the area designated for the rally. Lots of people were there already! As we walked through the streets of Sderot many of the local people were out on balconies and we waved to them.

I have great admiration for the people of Sderot (a development town in the Negev). Palestinians have targeted this town for months with Kassam rockets. When the people complain that the government is not doing anything to defend them a few ministers make a photo-op appearance in the town for a few hours and then ride off into the sunset. End of story!!! The municipality's pleas for better defense and protection have fallen on deaf ears. Until recently, Sderot tried to distance itself from the Disengagement issue, but recently it has come to realize that once the Gaza settlements are destroyed Sderot will become the front line. It is in their interest to join forces with Yesha and oppose the Disengagement.

The program began at 7:00 p.m. We sat on a large grassy area and listened to speeches by Knesset Members (Uzi Landau, Natan Sharansky, Zvi Hendel, Effie Eitam, Eli Yeshai); Rabbis (Haim Druckman, Menahem Porush, Kaminetsky and others); Yesha representatives (Pinchas Wallenstein, Benzi Liberman and others.).

The main points were:

1. Eretz Yisrael is not for sale.

2. We should not reward terrorism by unilateral withdrawal.

3. We should not take Jews out of their homes.

4. The army should not be used to implement the Disengagement Plan.

5. The huge number of army, police and border police personnel being trained to force Jews out of their homes should be used to fight the Palestinian terrorists.

It became known that a group of twenty-nine women were leaving to march to Gush Katif. They set out on their own. Later that night it was announced that they were apprehended and taken to a prison. During the night all of them were released except for Daniella Weiss, who claims she was roughed up and man-handled by the police. ALL TRUE I'M SURE. For those unfamiliar with her name, Daniella has been a dominant figure in the Gush Emunim settlement movement, which has restored Jewish life to Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan Heights. She was elected mayor of Kedumim in 1996 and re-elected for a second term in November 2001.

When the speeches ended we sang HaTikvah and were told to leave in an orderly manner for Ofakim.

Once we got to our car we sat in traffic for one hour without moving. There was only one exit out of Sderot to Ofakim or so the police said. We tried a couple of alternate routes that didn't pan out, but my persistent and resourceful husband found a path across a field that was wide enough for a car and we arrived at an accessible road that took us out of Sderot within minutes. Later, I was to learn that most people spent three hours getting out of Sderot.

We, however, spent the night in a nearby moshav called Tukumah.

Wednesday: August 3, 2005 OFAKIM

We arrived in Ofakim about 8:30 a.m. after a good night's sleep in a regular bed. All the demonstrators were settled into a huge park next to the industrial zone. There were thousands and thousands of people. Tents were set up all over and areas had signs indicating where the inhabitants originated from. There was a group from Kedumim, Gush Etzion, Haifa, Carmel, etc. Not everyone had tents. Lots of people had sleeping bags and were asleep on the ground.

There were stands selling water, soft drinks, ice cream, cakes, sandwiches etc. Multiple electrical outlets where you could charge a cell phone. Vendors selling Gush Katif hats, bracelets, tote bags, etc. Television crews were in abundance, photographers all over the place and reporters roaming around looking for interviewees.

Large tents were set up for lectures and shiurim. Loudspeakers announced a schedule of activities for adults, youth and children. Frequent reminders were made that everyone should drink a lot of water, wear a hat and try to stay in the shade as much as possible.

We began walking around the park area. I was particularly eager to look for people I knew. My husband had to return to Jerusalem and I preferred connecting with a small group that I could camp out with. Within minutes I met several women acquaintances from Jerusalem and they were happy to have me join their company. I was delighted. They had arrived by bus to Sderot the night before -- all carrying sleeping bags and backpacks. They had arrived in Ofakim from Sderot at about 1 a.m.

By 11 a.m. we were listening to a lecture being given by a career officer in the Israel Defense Forces. He left the army in protest against the Disengagement Plan. He refused to play any part in making part of Eretz Yisrael Judenrein. He was giving a lesson on how to persuade soldiers to refuse participation in forcing fellow Jews out of their homes. He gave examples of how to engage soldiers in conversation and how to convince them to refuse or at the very least to think about what they were intending to do. We received colorful printed material on this subject and were asked to go out later in the afternoon to meet with several groups of soldiers who were stationed around Ofakim on duty to help stop us if we tried to continue on to Gush Katif.

Yesha had a huge tent where they were selling hot meals for lunch -- meat and vegetarian -- at very low prices. You have to understand that large families had come to this gathering. Families with 8-10 kids and they could not afford regular restaurant prices. I must, once again (see my blog on Kfar Maimon) , express my admiration for all the families who showed up with small children -- infants and toddlers. Living out of a tent or out of sleeping bags and backpacks is not easy at the best of times. Compound this with the oppressive heat, use of portable toilets, lack of privacy and all the other inconveniences that result when a large number of people gather in one area and you realize how much these people are dedicated to Eretz Yisrael. There is no other population in this country that would do this except the nationalists (religious and secular). The people who are willing to do all that is necessary to prevent Eretz Yisrael from being given away, piece by piece. Kol Hakovod!!!


After lunch I tried to sit quietly in a shady spot under a tree and read. It was hard to concentrate in the heat.

PANIM EL PANIM (FACE TO FACE)

At 5 p.m. we were invited to accompany Ariel Zilber around Ofakim to meet the soldiers and speak with them. Ariel Zilber is an Israeli folksinger who is against the Disengagement. Several months ago he moved to Gush Katif. Of course, this did not help his career as a singer. The entertainment community in Israel is very leftwing and distanced itself from him. However, he believes that Jews do not evict Jews from their homes and his principles are more important than his career.

He has written several songs about the Disengagement, the most popular being "A Jew Does Not Evict/Throw out a Jew (יהודי לא מגורש יהודי). He sat on a truck playing his music and we walked behind him. We walked around Ofakim visiting three army encampments. Each time the soldiers saw us approaching they ran to form a tight line either holding hands or intertwining their arms and forming a line that would prevent anyone breaking through. As we approached police came to stand in front and behind the line of soldiers. We offered them candy and bottles of cold water. They refused to take anything. Obviously, they had been told not to take anything. We began talking to them. They were obviously uncomfortable. One woman soldier asked if we were from Gush Katif. When no one answered in the affirmative she asked "Then why are you here? Why are you concerned that the people in Gush Katif are being taken out? Why is it so important for you?" We tried to explain that all Jews should be concerned for each other. This seemed a new concept to her. We queried whether they had thought about their actions. Most said they were following orders.

Their commanding officers were nearby listening to every word they said and discouraging them from speaking with us. We tried to hand out some literature to them, but they refused to take it. We left some on the ground, thinking one or two might take it after we had walked away.

There was a young woman in our group who began to cry. We asked her what was wrong? She said she was from Haifa. She had been in the army. Only recently, had she become religious. She felt that it would be easier for her to talk to the soldiers since she knew what it was like to be in the army, but after she had spoken with them she felt she and they were worlds apart with nothing in common. Even though she had been in the army and told to obey orders she felt that the soldiers should refuse to carry out the Disengagement. We tried to calm her down, but she just wept and wept.

It is interesting to note that every time we approached a line of soldiers one officer came toward us with a video camera and made sure he got all of our faces on film. I suppose our faces will be included in a gigantic file labeled "right wing extremists." Is this what Israel is turning into -- a police state, a dictatorship where everyone who opposes the government line is photographed and kept on file for future reference?

This was an exhausting walk that lasted two and a half hours. I can only hope that we had an impact on some of the soldiers. That they should think about what they are about to do! That they should realize these are very unusual orders. Usually the army is asked to protect Jews, whereas here they are being asking to force Jews out of their rightful home! We tried to tell them that if they decide to carry out these orders they should do so with as much compassion and regret as possible! That they should not be proud of what they are doing! It was hard to make eye contact with the soldiers, but occasionally we succeeded. What I saw was doubt, fear, and tears.

We returned to the center of Ofakim. People were gathering in a large area where a platform had been erected. An announcer with a loudspeaker was calling everyone to gather around. A second rally was in progress in downtown Ofakim. Soon there were thousands and standing room only. We heard from Yitzhak Levy, Gila Finkelstein, David Levy, Rabbi Druckman, the mayor of Ofakim, Pinchas Wallenstein and Benzi Liberman. They announced that after the rally we would begin our march to Gush Katif.

We had been away for hours visiting the soldiers and did not know that we were going to begin the march so soon. We did not have our backpacks because we had left them in the park. If the demonstrators were going to sleep out in the fields we had no sleeping bags, water or food. Not good! We decided to walk back to the park and get our belongings. Who knows? Perhaps we would be allowed to go all the way to Gush Katif.

You must realize that we are not familiar with Ofakim. We were a long long way from the park. We asked directions several times and were told there, there, there. We passed a couple of fast food places with TV sets. We could see the police and soldiers harrassing the marchers when they were only a kilometer out of Ofakim. We weren't optimistic.

We were beginning to think we were lost. We saw two young girls sitting on some steps and asked if we were close to the park. Suddenly, an older woman appeared behind them, their grandmother. She asked where we were from and invited us into her courtyard. We told her we were there for the demonstration and were headed to the park to pick up our belongings and then catch up with the marchers. She insisted that we have some fruit and something to drink. She ended up telling us her life story, how she was born in Morocco and came to Israel when she was 18 and lived her whole life in Ofakim. She had 9 children, but none of them lived in Ofakim. She wanted us to stay for a meal but we had to get back. She walked with us for about a block and then said Shalom. A wonderful woman, so friendly and such hospitality.

We finally straggled into the park at 12:15 a.m. Most of the people had left to go on the march but there were several people left in the park. Some people with small children chose not to go and some singles had also stayed behind. We were so exhausted, we just dragged our gear under a thin canopy and unrolled our sleeping bags. Within a few minutes I was asleep. At around 2 a.m. I woke up hearing voices. Some teenagers had just arrived in the park. I asked them what happened? They said the police and army had stopped the marchers. Most people were too tied to return and just slept on the side of the road and on the grass at traffice circles. These young people had been at the end of the march and decided to make their way back to the park. Stragglers arrived throughout the night.

In the morning the park was full of people again. Many more had returned. At 11:00 a.m. we were given an update. The marchers had been stopped, but several hundred individuals had reached Gush Katif by alternate routes. Rabbi Haim Druckman said that one local reporter/photographer (remember the local media is not a friend of the anti-Disengagement people) said to him: "Aside from all political issues, I want to tell you that no other group of people in Israel would do what these people are doing. No other group thinks anything is important enough to warrant sleeping on roadsides or in parks, to endure such discomfort as the oppressive heat, etc."

Pinchas Wallenstein said the head of the Galilee Council called him and said: "I envy you your people. I wish I had them." Yesha announced that people were staying in the park everyday and night. Those who thought they needed to leave to recuperate before the next march should do so. There would be continuing efforts to reach Gush Katif.

You must realize that thousands of police and soliders had been diverted to Ofakim. This is good. While they are watching us they can't practice for the evacuation. We weaken their resolve.

I decided there was little more I could do and decided to return to Jerusalem on a 2 p.m. bus. I was exhausted and worn out from the heat. I needed to gather strength for the next phase of the struggle.

I would like to end this entry with a quote I read in an article:

FOR THE ETERNAL PEOPLE A LONG JOURNEY IS NOT A HARDSHIP!!