A full roster of events is scheduled for Tuesday in Jerusalem.
The first event was held this morning (Tuesday) at 8 AM near Kibbutz Kisufim, along the route leading into the Gush Katif area of Gaza. The event, orchestrated by the youth of Gush Katif, featured the near-completion of a Gush Katif Torah Scroll, which will be brought to Jerusalem and deposited later today at the Western Wall - until its restoration to Gush Katif at the proper time.
One of the main themes of today's events is "Nashuv L'chol Yishuv" - We Will Return to Every Community (theme sticker pictured above), along the lines of "Next Year in Jerusalem."
Between 10:30 and 16:00 in Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center in Jerusalem, a potpourri of lectures, panel discussions, films, personal stories, plays and photo/art exhibitions will be held for the public at large. At least five of the above will be held at any given hour. Many thousands are expected to show up; entrance is free.
Beginning at 3:30 PM, Gush Katif supporters will convene in Independence Park in downtown Jerusalem, with the participation of mayors from newly-besieged areas in northern and southern Israel. An exhibit of 35 years of Gush Katif and the 21 uprooted communities, featuring achievements in settlement, agriculture, Torah, arts, education and more, will be on display. Prominently featured will be the struggle for Gush Katif, the expulsion itself, and the following year of wandering and planning the new communities. The four destroyed northern Shomron communities of Sa-Nur, Chomesh, Ganim and Kadim will also be featured.
The Gush Katif Torah Scroll will be completed and then marched down towards the Western Wall.
At the Western Wall, a massive prayer service will be held, beginning with the Mincha prayer and continuing with special Psalms. Former Chief Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu will take part. Egged bus lines will be added to the regular schedule to and from the Kotel (Western Wall).
Two Gush Katif films can be seen here: "www.katifund.org/english/Downloads.aspx?FileType=movie". The organizers hope to add more films in the future.
Lior Kalfa, Chairman of the Gush Katif Communities Council, said at a press conference yesterday,
"Despite the war in the north, the memorial events will take place as scheduled; anniversary dates are not made-to-order... Though we had very strong feelings against the army because of its part in our expulsion, today, in real-time, we stand to the right of our brave soldiers, and the Kotel prayers will be dedicated, inter alia, to the success of our forces in the north and south, and to the return of our captives."
Kalfa said that the goal of today's events would not be "to tell the public which is beginning to realize the truth, 'We told you so.' We have no interest in rubbing salt in anyone's wounds. Instead, we wish to share with the public the beauty, the vitality and the values that characterized our life enterprise that is now destroyed."
Kalfa continued,
"[Hizbullah leader Sheikh] Nasrallah compared Israel to a spider web that collapses into nothing. We know that he is soon to see how wrong he was. Our nation is much stronger than he thinks. Look for example at the resilience of the Gush Katif communities, which even after being thrown out of their homes have not fallen apart or lowered their heads, but rather are continuing to build and perpetuating the pioneering spirit of Zionism.
"Look for instance at the heroism of our soldiers, and the Israeli homefront which is willing to suffer in order to allow the army to win. Even 2,000 years of exile have not broken our ancient people. Yes, we are commemorating the destruction of what we built, but we are also commemorating the spirit that does not cease beating within us and that will give life to our new communities as well."
Many of the Gush Katif communities will hold their own memorial ceremonies in the coming days. A Hebrew list can be found at "www.4katif.org.il/new/yom-shana-yisuvi.asp".
Commemorative events will be held in the United States as well, with a central ceremony taking place Tuesday evening in New York City. The event will take place at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, 5 E. 62nd Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues, from 8-10 PM. A film, along with educational material prepared by the Gush Katif Committee, will be on the program, along with a roster of distinguished guest speakers from Israel and from the New York community.
Other events will be held in Silver Spring, Baltimore, Los Angeles, France, Norway and elsewhere. See "www.katifund.org/english/Article.aspx?Item=88&Section=88" for details.
The first event was held this morning (Tuesday) at 8 AM near Kibbutz Kisufim, along the route leading into the Gush Katif area of Gaza. The event, orchestrated by the youth of Gush Katif, featured the near-completion of a Gush Katif Torah Scroll, which will be brought to Jerusalem and deposited later today at the Western Wall - until its restoration to Gush Katif at the proper time.
One of the main themes of today's events is "Nashuv L'chol Yishuv" - We Will Return to Every Community (theme sticker pictured above), along the lines of "Next Year in Jerusalem."
Between 10:30 and 16:00 in Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center in Jerusalem, a potpourri of lectures, panel discussions, films, personal stories, plays and photo/art exhibitions will be held for the public at large. At least five of the above will be held at any given hour. Many thousands are expected to show up; entrance is free.
Crowding the entrance to the Jerusalem Convention Center, the site of Tuesday morning's memorial event.
Inside the Jerusalem Convention Center during Tuesday morning's Gush Katif memorial event
Beginning at 3:30 PM, Gush Katif supporters will convene in Independence Park in downtown Jerusalem, with the participation of mayors from newly-besieged areas in northern and southern Israel. An exhibit of 35 years of Gush Katif and the 21 uprooted communities, featuring achievements in settlement, agriculture, Torah, arts, education and more, will be on display. Prominently featured will be the struggle for Gush Katif, the expulsion itself, and the following year of wandering and planning the new communities. The four destroyed northern Shomron communities of Sa-Nur, Chomesh, Ganim and Kadim will also be featured.
Photo exhibit commemorating one year to the destruction of Gush Katif's 21 Jewish towns.
Gush Katif Chief Rabbi Yigal Kaminetzky addresses crowds at entrance to Convention Center
The Gush Katif Torah Scroll will be completed and then marched down towards the Western Wall.
At the Western Wall, a massive prayer service will be held, beginning with the Mincha prayer and continuing with special Psalms. Former Chief Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu will take part. Egged bus lines will be added to the regular schedule to and from the Kotel (Western Wall).
Participants waiting to enter a lecture hall for one of many talks delivered at Convention Center
Two Gush Katif films can be seen here: "www.katifund.org/english/Downloads.aspx?FileType=movie". The organizers hope to add more films in the future.
Lior Kalfa, Chairman of the Gush Katif Communities Council, said at a press conference yesterday,
"Despite the war in the north, the memorial events will take place as scheduled; anniversary dates are not made-to-order... Though we had very strong feelings against the army because of its part in our expulsion, today, in real-time, we stand to the right of our brave soldiers, and the Kotel prayers will be dedicated, inter alia, to the success of our forces in the north and south, and to the return of our captives."
Kalfa said that the goal of today's events would not be "to tell the public which is beginning to realize the truth, 'We told you so.' We have no interest in rubbing salt in anyone's wounds. Instead, we wish to share with the public the beauty, the vitality and the values that characterized our life enterprise that is now destroyed."
Kalfa continued,
"[Hizbullah leader Sheikh] Nasrallah compared Israel to a spider web that collapses into nothing. We know that he is soon to see how wrong he was. Our nation is much stronger than he thinks. Look for example at the resilience of the Gush Katif communities, which even after being thrown out of their homes have not fallen apart or lowered their heads, but rather are continuing to build and perpetuating the pioneering spirit of Zionism.
"Look for instance at the heroism of our soldiers, and the Israeli homefront which is willing to suffer in order to allow the army to win. Even 2,000 years of exile have not broken our ancient people. Yes, we are commemorating the destruction of what we built, but we are also commemorating the spirit that does not cease beating within us and that will give life to our new communities as well."
Many of the Gush Katif communities will hold their own memorial ceremonies in the coming days. A Hebrew list can be found at "www.4katif.org.il/new/yom-shana-yisuvi.asp".
Commemorative events will be held in the United States as well, with a central ceremony taking place Tuesday evening in New York City. The event will take place at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, 5 E. 62nd Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues, from 8-10 PM. A film, along with educational material prepared by the Gush Katif Committee, will be on the program, along with a roster of distinguished guest speakers from Israel and from the New York community.
Other events will be held in Silver Spring, Baltimore, Los Angeles, France, Norway and elsewhere. See "www.katifund.org/english/Article.aspx?Item=88&Section=88" for details.