Rabbi Melamed
Rabbi MelamedHezki Ezra

Two Torah scrolls were welcomed Sunday into the Ulpana Neighborhood of Beit El, to mark the first anniversary of the eviction of residents from five buildings, upon orders from the High Court, and the destruction of the buildings, which are to be rebuilt elsewhere in Beit El.

One book was contributed by Herbie and Debbie Dan, and the other by Rabbi Yosi and Orit Segal. These are 80-year-old scrolls that were brought especially from the United States to the Ulpana Neighborhood.

"I am so glad so see that the majority here are children, and the adults are a minority,” said Beit El Rabbi and Dean of Beit El Yeshiva, Rabbi Zalman Melamed. “It fills the heart with joy and it means that we are in a situation of joy and positivity.”

He said that while he felt “a tug at the heartstrings” when he saw the destruction of the buildings in the neighborhood, his conclusion was that perhaps the buildings had been too small – and that is why they had to come down. “Maybe we needed to build buildings that had six or eight floors,” he explained. “It seems they had to be demolished so that we could build bigger ones in their stead.”

Deputy Religions Minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan evoked a similar theme and spoke of a long road that must be walked. “On the way, there are snakes and scorpions,” he said, “and sometimes one falls. I wish upon all of you that from this fall, you will rise upward.”