Kaisler home in Kida
Kaisler home in KidaBinyamin Regional Council

Sagi Kaisler, Director of the Shomron (Samaria) Residents' Committee, was struck by tragedy this month when the Civil Administration demolished his home in Kida, Samaria -- but he is not letting it keep him down.

Kaisler relates that after their home was destroyed, he and his wife Morag sat down and asked their children what they want to do now. Their response: "we want to go back to where we lived, to the exact same house." Kaisler intends to make that dream a reality.

A new campaign has been started to help the Kaislers fund the rebuilding of their home. As of this week the campaign succeeding in raising 300,000 shekels ($85,000), although the family was left with losses of over 1 million shekels (over $280,000) by the destruction.

The Residents' Committee has accused the Civil Administration of committing a "price tag" vandalism crime, saying "there is no explanation for this other than to say that this was an act of revenge against Sagi, who has worked for years on behalf of the communities of Judea and Samaria."

Attorney Doron Nir Tzvi noted that the house was targeted despite the presence of hundreds of Arab-owned buildings with much more problematic legal standing in the immediate area.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, visited the ruin of the home recently to show support for the Kaisler family, and said the home "must be rebuilt. This whole area must be built up."