Sunday, May 22, 2011

"All of that was not our affair."

Yom rishon, 18 Iyar 5771, Lag B"Omer.

One of the beautiful communities of Gush Katif, before the "Disengagement"
 For friends and acquaintances in Karnei Shomron, Elon Morei, Beit El, Givat Ze'ev, Kochav Shachar, Kochav Ya'akov, Ofra, Shiloh, Eli, Almog, Hevron, Susiya, Otniel, Kiryat Arba, Karmei Tzur, Ma'ale Amos, Nokdim, Tekoa, Itamar (haven't they suffered enough???), I offer the following quote.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.


Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.


Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.


Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.


Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

Before the uprooting of the Gush Katif communities, I never would have thought I would need to employ Niemöller's quote for Jews about Jews.  But now, seeing my community on the list of those that will allegedly survive this proposed cut, I can only think that I must not be silent.  Because in the end, they will come for me.  And there will be no one left to speak for me.
destroyed "for peace," 2005
As far as I know, this list of potential sacrifices is still only at the level of rumor; and I sincerely hope that the events and speeches of recent days have reminded those in power that these communities must never be uprooted.  Especially for hollow promises.  The list is in Hebrew; so if this is not your strong language, read instead the language of numbers.  Each community's name is followed by its number of citizens.  "Citizens" means people like you and me, who go to work, who work the land, who send their kids to the best schools possible, who put on uniforms to defend their families from enemies, who want to live in peace and harmony with their neighbors.
Katif, destroyed "for peace," 2005
Please bear in mind that many of these communities are not "settlements" the way you and I envision settlements, because of the way the media like to portray them.  They are not shabby little tent villages, or clapboard construction, thrown up to "steal" land from harmless Palestinians.  They are communities that have existed in some cases for generations.  They have Biblical history.  Many were uninhabited when their present occupants nurtured them from barren sand.  Just like Gush Katif was.
Netzer Hazani, destroyed "for peace," 2005
We cannot know what is coming, dear fellow citizens of Eretz Yisrael.  But I want you to know that I will not look at you as expendable, for some illusion of safety and comfort.  As our Prime Minister told the American President yesterday:  “A peace based on illusions will crash eventually on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality.”
Neve Deqalim, destroyed "for peace," 2005
Communities rumored to be "on the chopping block" should Israel negotiate more "land for peace":
גוש צ. שומרון

חיננית              906
חרמש              225
מבוא דותן         356
ריחן                 196
שקד                 653

סה"כ               2,336

גוש שומרון

איתמר              939 
אלון מורה          1,520 
ברכה               1,672 
יצהר                1,053 
מגדלים             140 
שבי שומרון        803 
אבני חפץ          1,547 
יקיר                  1,411 
כפר תפוח         1,073 
מעלה שומרון     767 
נופים                471 
סלעית              536 
עמנואל             3,464 
ענב                  688 
צופים                1,290 
קדומים             3,918 
קרני שומרון       7,002

סה"כ                 28,294

גוש בנימין

בית אל             5,867 
בית אריה          4,105 
בית חורון          1,190 
גבע בנימין         4,242 
גבעון החדשה    1,307 
גבעת זאב           12,643 
דולב                 1,308 
הר אדר            3,752 
חלמיש              1,150 
טלמון               2,994 
כוכב השחר       1,880 
כוכב יעקב         6,453 
כפר האורנים     2,332 
מבוא חורון         1,677 
מעלה לבונה      595 
מעלה מכמש     1,363 
נחליאל             454 
ניל"י                 906 
נעלה                930 
עופרה              3,039 
עטרת              510 
עלמון                1,002 
פסגות              1,793 
רימונים             654 
שילה                2,466 
עלי                   3,005

סה"כ                 67,617

גוש בקעת הירדן

אבנת                64 
אלמוג               210 
ארגמן               172 
בית הערבה      113 
בקעות              199 
גיתית               316 
גלגל                 160 
ורד יריחו           232 
חמדת              155 
חמרה              150 
ייט"ב                251 
יפית                 174
מחולה              456 
מכורה              166 
מעלה אפרים     1,604 
מצפה שלם       205 
משואה             187 
משכיות              60 
נירן                   65 
נעמ"ה              130 
נתיב הגדוד       181 
פצאל                272 
קליה                328 
רועי                  159 
רותם                 90 
שדמות מחולה   540 
תומר                310

סה"כ               6,949

גוש הר חברון

אדורה              253 
אשכולות           611 
חברון               606 
חגי                   555 
טנא                  679 
כרמל               469 
מעון                 424 
מצדות יהודה     419 
נגוהות              243 
סוסיא               945 
עתניאל             717 
פני חבר            370 
קרית ארבע       6,904 
שמעה              388 
תלם                 221 
כרמי צור           804

סה"כ               14,608

גוש מזרח עציון

מעלה עמוס       388 
נוקדים              1,124 
תקוע                2,074 
אספר-מיצד       377

סה"כ               3,963

סה"כ 123,767 יהודים

Elei Sinai, destroyed "for peace," 2005
When Niemöller was interviewed late in his life about his famous quote, he said, "We let that happen.  All of that was not our affair."  He clearly regretted holding that opinion.

8 comments:

Hillel Levin said...

So Sis is upset that I didn't post a comment even though the Yeshuv I live in: Shiloh and the surrounding communities consist of about 2500 Jews who see that this is the Land that G-D gave to the Jewish People as a Heritage forever.

The fact is that the Land of Israel is the ONLY piece of real estate in the whole world which the Creator of the World has specifically designated to be inherited by a people.

Ireland was not given by G-D to the Irish, nor France to the French, nor New Zealand to the Kiwi nor America to the Americans.

After the Prophet Joshua crossed into the Holy Land and conquered it, following G-D's instructions to rid the land of its inhabitants, Joshua placed the Tabernacle in Shiloh.

I live overlooking the site of the Tabernacle, which was Israel's first capital.

The fact that our Prime Minister is willing to talk about peace with Fatah and Hamas who have repeatedly stated that the only good Jew is a dead Jew.

Sisters, brothers it is time to say no more concessions to peace partners who don't want peace. It is time that Israel stand up and be the Land that G-D wants it to be. Governed by Torah and the connection to G-D.

Time for the non-observant politicians to get some of that old time religion and send the foreigners packing.

Hillel Levin
hillel.leib@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

It's been nearly 6 years since the residents of Gush Katif were removed from their homes and dislocated. The government has yet to meet all its obligations to some 9,000 people. How dare anyone suggest we do this again to over 120,000 people when so many of the Gush Katif families are still in temporary housing, unemployed and suffering from a range of physical afflictions and social setbacks?
R. Rosen

Hillel Levin said...

And some of these Gush Katif refugees are living in the very same communities being abandoned by Bibi.

in the vanguard said...

Ruti - you say,
"... these communities must never be uprooted. Especially for hollow promises."

How an you even suggest that something MIGHT be worth their uprooting?! Even were they NOT hollow promises, uprooting Jews from the Holy Land is criminal, sinful and must not even be entertained!

Better you push for ANNEXATION, rather than falling for conversation your opponents WANT you to be mouthing!

the sabra said...

Huh so what's NOT slated for removal?

rutimizrachi said...

Hillel: Glad Sis got you to comment. Good points.

R. Rosen: Thank you for keeping them "on the front burner." The disengagement isn't over.

ITV: Good point.

Sabra: I'll send it to you off-post.

Lael said...

...HaShem gave us the land, and we should keep every sacred teaspoonful of it! I do not believe that appeasement will bring about peace. Think about how well appeasement worked with Hitler.

Bat Aliyah said...

Reading this list (where did you get it?) gave me a feeling of PTSD from August 2005. Only now, I know a lot more people actually living in these places, so it makes me even more ill to contemplate. On the other hand, Hashem runs the world and I have emunah - a potent antidote to PTSD.