Settlement: The word conjures up a picture of small, dilapidated caravans parked on a windswept hillside. Of course it makes sense to abandon places like this, returning Jewish settlers to more civilized homes within the Green Line in order to make peace.
That?s what most Americans, and many Israelis, believe.
But, as my husband and I learned on our recent trip to Israel, this image is false. We visited twelve communities in Judea and Samaria with populations ranging from 120 families to 40,000 people. We learned that some settlements are completely secular, some are completely religious, and some are home to people from across the Jewish spectrum. Some communities are now raising their third generation of inhabitants. While in many communities, the majority of adults fall into a relatively narrow age range, many aging parents have moved in to be near their children and grandchildren; so these villages, towns and cities are home to people of all ages.
?When we first came, this place was desolate,? said Tamar Feld, a resident of the small village of Kochav Yaakov in the Shomron, north of Jerusalem. ?What I noticed immediately was the absolute silence. Except for the wind, there were no sounds, not even any birds or insects.?
Today, however, her community and the others we visited are bustling places. Lovely private two-story stone and stucco homes sit on hillsides near side-by-side duplexes, high-rise condos, and six- or eight-unit buildings. Set on hillsides, many apartments are designed stepwise, so that one apartment uses the roof of the lower one as a large, private patio. These outdoor living areas are gorgeous roof gardens, children?s play yards, and the sites of large family sukkahs in the fall.
During our November visit, purple bougainvillea, roses and hibiscus in all shades of pink swept across walls and fences, setting off dark green fig, carob and pomegranate trees. Rosemary, lavender and jasmine thrive, sending their heavenly scents across the air. The lush plantings have attracted both migratory and local birds.
We visited modern supermarkets and pizza shops in the settlements. The larger ones, such as Efrat and Karnei Shomron, host modern indoor shopping malls. Tiny and large synagogues are spread throughout the communities. The settlement of Maale Adumim, northeast of Jerusalem, has a brand-new, handicapped-accessible library building with collections in English, French, Spanish and Russian, in addition to Hebrew. Schools, recreation halls with indoor swimming pools, landscaped parks with picturesque pergolas overlooking dramatic scenery, bike paths and more draw residents to these communities from all over Israel, as well as from the Diaspora.
Some dilapidated caravans still exist, but like the World War II temporary buildings on American college campuses in the ?60s and ?70s, they?ve found other uses: community offices, dorms for men in mechina (post-high school, pre-army educational programs), classrooms for overflowing elementary schools.
Israel?s settlements are not rough, dilapidated places. They are not, as the news would have it, temporary places where only hardy pioneers venture, places that can be easily destroyed or handed over to Arabs. They are settled communities, where people live, love and work. They were built where they are for good reasons, historic and defensive.
Copyright © 2003 by Hanna Bandes Geshelin
That?s what most Americans, and many Israelis, believe.
But, as my husband and I learned on our recent trip to Israel, this image is false. We visited twelve communities in Judea and Samaria with populations ranging from 120 families to 40,000 people. We learned that some settlements are completely secular, some are completely religious, and some are home to people from across the Jewish spectrum. Some communities are now raising their third generation of inhabitants. While in many communities, the majority of adults fall into a relatively narrow age range, many aging parents have moved in to be near their children and grandchildren; so these villages, towns and cities are home to people of all ages.
?When we first came, this place was desolate,? said Tamar Feld, a resident of the small village of Kochav Yaakov in the Shomron, north of Jerusalem. ?What I noticed immediately was the absolute silence. Except for the wind, there were no sounds, not even any birds or insects.?
Today, however, her community and the others we visited are bustling places. Lovely private two-story stone and stucco homes sit on hillsides near side-by-side duplexes, high-rise condos, and six- or eight-unit buildings. Set on hillsides, many apartments are designed stepwise, so that one apartment uses the roof of the lower one as a large, private patio. These outdoor living areas are gorgeous roof gardens, children?s play yards, and the sites of large family sukkahs in the fall.
During our November visit, purple bougainvillea, roses and hibiscus in all shades of pink swept across walls and fences, setting off dark green fig, carob and pomegranate trees. Rosemary, lavender and jasmine thrive, sending their heavenly scents across the air. The lush plantings have attracted both migratory and local birds.
We visited modern supermarkets and pizza shops in the settlements. The larger ones, such as Efrat and Karnei Shomron, host modern indoor shopping malls. Tiny and large synagogues are spread throughout the communities. The settlement of Maale Adumim, northeast of Jerusalem, has a brand-new, handicapped-accessible library building with collections in English, French, Spanish and Russian, in addition to Hebrew. Schools, recreation halls with indoor swimming pools, landscaped parks with picturesque pergolas overlooking dramatic scenery, bike paths and more draw residents to these communities from all over Israel, as well as from the Diaspora.
Some dilapidated caravans still exist, but like the World War II temporary buildings on American college campuses in the ?60s and ?70s, they?ve found other uses: community offices, dorms for men in mechina (post-high school, pre-army educational programs), classrooms for overflowing elementary schools.
Israel?s settlements are not rough, dilapidated places. They are not, as the news would have it, temporary places where only hardy pioneers venture, places that can be easily destroyed or handed over to Arabs. They are settled communities, where people live, love and work. They were built where they are for good reasons, historic and defensive.
Copyright © 2003 by Hanna Bandes Geshelin