Sderot residents will dedicate a new Torah scroll next Wednesday, the day after the fast of Tisha B’Av (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av), in honor of the Jews who were turned into refugees by the State's expelling them from their homes in Gaza and northern Samaria, in 2005.
The day will mark the two-year anniversary of the destruction of 25 Jewish communities, reducing some 8,000 theretofore proud Israelis to unemployed and homeless citizens.
The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. at the Kisufim junction, adjacent to the entrance of the destroyed Jewish communities, and will conclude in Sderot. Then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, referred to, affectionately, by several political allies and enemies as “the steamroller” spearheaded the unilateral Israeli retreat in 2005.
Films of the history of Gush Katif will be screened.
The ceremony carries additional significance in that the number of Kassam attacks fired from
The refugees, many of whom still have no jobs and no permanent homes will be active in other ways next week as well.
Residents of the former Jewish community of Homesh, who formed the Homesh First organization, have gathered thousands of supporters in a bid to return to their lost homes in northern
Organizers of a planned march to rebuild the destroyed northern
“By Tisha B’Av, we will reverse the mistake and return to Homesh,” vowed Yossi Dagan, spokesman for the Homesh First organization.
The organization originally planned to march to the ruins this week, but in light of the massive deployment of IDF and police forces to prevent the marchers from reaching their goal, they decided to put off the event.
“We have decided not to play into their hands: we will determine the time and place in which we will return and build,” said Dagan. The return will be in the coming days.”