When does dignity begin and when does it take second place to need? Who are the people in need? Are they the shouters, the whiners, the shirkers, or are they the quiet people often too proud to ask for help? These are the problems I ponder as I am suddenly pressed for cash gifts.
When we were at the hotel stage following our expulsion from Gush Katif, people were in desperate straits. Having left the Gush with only the most basic needs in their luggage, they were also stranded without cash to purchase simple items. So, the people of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria came with toothbrushes, pajamas, shoes and socks, and for the first Shabbat, white shirts for our men. And so, Operation Band Aid came into being. People brought and sent cash, and we gave out the money as quickly as possible. There was no question of need. The money was handed out equally.
The Band Aid Fund became Operation Dignity, a non-profit organization with new needs to fill. As families left the hotels and came to live in the "caravillas" of Nitzan and Yad Binyamin, an envelope containing NIS 1,000 was given to each family - to help the folks get started in their new environment. We are so grateful that you, the people out there, sent us your gifts of money.
Now, Operation Dignity is experiencing a dilemma and a new task. To respond to a request for money from those families that voluntarily left Gush Katif before the actual expulsion, or not? They, too, want the NIS 1,000. They feel it is their right, as residents of N'vei Dekalim, to receive this cash gift. They claim they are just as deserving a those who were forcibly evicted.
Is this a case of deserving or a case of need? Do people who deliberately signed away their homes to the government and moved away without so much as a token fight deserve the aid of Operation Dignity?
There are two Nitzans: that of those who left under their own volition with their belongings intact and sums of money from the government in the bank; and that of those who were physically ejected with their belongings locked in containers and their pockets empty. We call the first group the vatikim, the old-timers, a euphemism for those who physically left early, and the the newcomers are the hadashim, those who stayed until the end.
I've learned since coming here that the vatikim have been left with their own scars and a deep sense of betrayal. There are different people. Some simply wanted out; take the money, take the "caravilla", and ideology be damned. Some did not wish to expose their children to the horror of soldiers and police dragging them and their parents from their home. Some left as a majority of their farm community had decided as a group to leave together. Others just gave up.
In N'vei Dekalim, the largest of the communities, the vast majority remained until the end, ignoring all government offers and threats. Out of 550 families, 40 left.
Today, the problem of those who left early remains with us. Many of those who left found themselves cheated by the government. Many did not receive fair compensation or employment. The first "caravillas" were shoddily made. Water seeped out of shower stalls, toilets overflowed, roofs leaked, mud surrounded each home, hot water and electricity were sporadic. A food outlet was non-existent. Families with four children were closeted into 60 meter trailer homes. Today, each family receives a 90-meter "caravilla", with 120 meters for larger families.
But worse is their own sense of shame. We hear over and over again, "What are we? Second-class citizens?" The government not only betrayed them, but robbed them of their dignity and self-worth. Their children are often ashamed of them. They suffer deeply.
Operation Dignity responded with gifts of NIS 1,000 to all. Those who did not ask for help received their gift first. Many were in desperate need, but did not ask. The shouters received their money last.
Passover, the holiday of freedom, is upon us. The families of Gush Katif - the vatikim and the hadashim - are in need. The special foods for Passover are expensive. Operation Dignity, along with other funds, is determined to give all the families NIS 500 for Passover needs. NIS 500 is US$110. The mitzvah of kimcha d?paschah, money for Passover, is required of us all. All the Gush Katif funds are banding together to help each family.
Please send your kimcha d?paschah as quickly as possible. Earmark checks "Operation Dignity ? Passover Fund".
May we all have a kosher and peaceful Passover.
Send contributions earmarked Operation Dignity to:
Central Fund for Israel
13 Hagoel Street
Efrat 90435
Israel
or
Central Fund for Israel
Marcus Brothers Textiles
980 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10018 USA
When we were at the hotel stage following our expulsion from Gush Katif, people were in desperate straits. Having left the Gush with only the most basic needs in their luggage, they were also stranded without cash to purchase simple items. So, the people of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria came with toothbrushes, pajamas, shoes and socks, and for the first Shabbat, white shirts for our men. And so, Operation Band Aid came into being. People brought and sent cash, and we gave out the money as quickly as possible. There was no question of need. The money was handed out equally.
The Band Aid Fund became Operation Dignity, a non-profit organization with new needs to fill. As families left the hotels and came to live in the "caravillas" of Nitzan and Yad Binyamin, an envelope containing NIS 1,000 was given to each family - to help the folks get started in their new environment. We are so grateful that you, the people out there, sent us your gifts of money.
Now, Operation Dignity is experiencing a dilemma and a new task. To respond to a request for money from those families that voluntarily left Gush Katif before the actual expulsion, or not? They, too, want the NIS 1,000. They feel it is their right, as residents of N'vei Dekalim, to receive this cash gift. They claim they are just as deserving a those who were forcibly evicted.
Is this a case of deserving or a case of need? Do people who deliberately signed away their homes to the government and moved away without so much as a token fight deserve the aid of Operation Dignity?
There are two Nitzans: that of those who left under their own volition with their belongings intact and sums of money from the government in the bank; and that of those who were physically ejected with their belongings locked in containers and their pockets empty. We call the first group the vatikim, the old-timers, a euphemism for those who physically left early, and the the newcomers are the hadashim, those who stayed until the end.
I've learned since coming here that the vatikim have been left with their own scars and a deep sense of betrayal. There are different people. Some simply wanted out; take the money, take the "caravilla", and ideology be damned. Some did not wish to expose their children to the horror of soldiers and police dragging them and their parents from their home. Some left as a majority of their farm community had decided as a group to leave together. Others just gave up.
In N'vei Dekalim, the largest of the communities, the vast majority remained until the end, ignoring all government offers and threats. Out of 550 families, 40 left.
Today, the problem of those who left early remains with us. Many of those who left found themselves cheated by the government. Many did not receive fair compensation or employment. The first "caravillas" were shoddily made. Water seeped out of shower stalls, toilets overflowed, roofs leaked, mud surrounded each home, hot water and electricity were sporadic. A food outlet was non-existent. Families with four children were closeted into 60 meter trailer homes. Today, each family receives a 90-meter "caravilla", with 120 meters for larger families.
But worse is their own sense of shame. We hear over and over again, "What are we? Second-class citizens?" The government not only betrayed them, but robbed them of their dignity and self-worth. Their children are often ashamed of them. They suffer deeply.
Operation Dignity responded with gifts of NIS 1,000 to all. Those who did not ask for help received their gift first. Many were in desperate need, but did not ask. The shouters received their money last.
Passover, the holiday of freedom, is upon us. The families of Gush Katif - the vatikim and the hadashim - are in need. The special foods for Passover are expensive. Operation Dignity, along with other funds, is determined to give all the families NIS 500 for Passover needs. NIS 500 is US$110. The mitzvah of kimcha d?paschah, money for Passover, is required of us all. All the Gush Katif funds are banding together to help each family.
Please send your kimcha d?paschah as quickly as possible. Earmark checks "Operation Dignity ? Passover Fund".
May we all have a kosher and peaceful Passover.
Send contributions earmarked Operation Dignity to:
Central Fund for Israel
13 Hagoel Street
Efrat 90435
Israel
or
Central Fund for Israel
Marcus Brothers Textiles
980 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10018 USA