This past election was not about the land of Israel. As much as many of us would have liked it to be about the future and destiny of our people in their land, it was not. The election revolved around the issue of economics. The Pensioners Party won their surprising seven seats because of the economy. The Labour party that was running primarily on an economic platform garnered 19 seats. The Likud and Binyamin Netanyahu were rejected not as a function of their security platform, but rather because the public hurt by Netanyahu's economic measures were intent on punishing the man.
The Kadima party of Ehud Olmert would not disclose any agenda or plan except their desire to continue the unilateral retreat begun by Ariel Sharon. This was their desire in spite of the fact that the previous retreat most probably led to the rise of the Hamas and to the onslaught of terrorist missiles. The Kadima party, as a result, slipped dramatically from 45-46 seats to 29. This fact will not stop Olmert and his friends on the Left from continuing with their dangerous vision, but the statement that the voters of Israel gave him the go ahead on this plan is simply untrue.
On the other hand, what is painfully true is that the faithful segment of this land has not succeeded in sharing their love for the vision and destiny of this land and its people with the rest of the country. The people of Israel did not reject the land of Israel, but, sadly, they have not even stopped to ponder its importance and relevance.
What was clear to the thousands of volunteers who participated in the face-to-face encounters with the citizens of Israel was that Kadima was quickly sinking in popularity. When we were told by someone that they were voting Labour or for the Pensioners Party, we smiled and wished them luck. We were too intent on stopping the expulsion bulldozer from maintaining its momentum to consider the implications of other electoral constellations.
That was a mistake. The many thousands of young and old volunteers were successful in doing what was thought to be impossible a mere month ago, and came very close to tipping the scale. Yet, in the world of politics close is not good enough.
There have been many recent articles in the media describing the deterioration of the Orange Camp and the slow death of the vision-filled dreams of the faithful. It is clear to me that these articles represent wishful thinking on the part of writers, as opposed to a realistic appraisal of the power and potential of those who carried the orange flag of Gush Katif aloft in the past.
Two days after the election, I arrived at a synagogue dedication in small settlement nestled in the southern tip of the Negev desert, between the borders of Egypt and the Gaza Strip. In the town of Yevul, over fifty families expelled from the Gaza Strip settlement of Netzarim have been living in caravans and have set up schools, roads, hopes and dreams. They have been allotted a large section of the Halutza desert lands. These were lands that David Ben-Gurion once envisioned would begin to flower, but never found the people to actualize that dream.
The residents of Gush Katif, who had achieved "the miraculous" on the sand dunes of Gaza, were now poised to repeat their divinely directed ventures in the sands of the Negev. Inspired by the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 35:1) "The wilderness and the parched land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose," they have already begun flattening the dunes and erecting hothouses. The skeptical Israeli government was moved into action when idealistic Jews from Toronto, Canada initiated the Desert Blossoming project. This partnership between the Jews of the exile and the Jews of Netzarim simply forced the Israeli government to begin to do their share.
On that evening, we participated in the dedication of their new synagogue and mikveh. My feeling of depression and malaise from this past election was quickly swept away as we danced through the trailer-lined streets. My most vivid memory of the expulsion from Netzarim was watching the footage of the residents of the town bidding farewell to their beautiful synagogue. I remember seeing young girls leaning on their arms and weeping, and the residents dancing in pain and hope in front of the empty ark of the Torah scrolls. As we entered the synagogue, I saw what I imagined were some of the same girls seemingly weeping in the same pose. I followed their gaze and saw again the dancing and singing in front of the empty ark. Yet, the singing was different and the dancing was of another world. This time, these residents were fulfilling another purpose. They were returning the scrolls and refilling the newly constructed ark. That moment was so intense and so sweet that the singing residents would not give up the Torah scrolls and would not, or could not, stop dancing.
I witnessed another more subtle image on that night in Yevul. Residents of the nearby secular communities came to participate with their children in the synagogue dedication festivities. These were some of the same people that aided and supported the expulsion forces as they proceeded to destroy the communities of Gush Katif last summer. Yet, here they were, joining in the festivities. At first, they stood hesitantly on the side, but the yearning to be"a part of" overcame their reticence. Souls always yearn to be rekindled. They just need the right atmosphere and situation. It is important to remember that to fan the flames of these rekindled souls one must use a gentle breeze. A strong, aggressive gust of wind will simply snuff out the yearning again.
That is the true answer to these past elections. We cannot separate from our brothers and sisters, but rather are bidden to reengage with them. They are desperately in need of the spirit and vision they have lost. We cannot let anger and frustration get in the way of our ultimate purpose. That purpose is defined by walking the long road until its conclusion without losing sight of the stragglers left behind. We also cannot be dismayed or swayed by the aggression and vehemence that will be turned against our camp. It is anger and vehemence that comes out of weakness. We need again to strengthen our resolve and bolster our spirit. As the cruel results of massive retreat will be made clear to this nation by the impending surge in terrorism and rockets, the people will look for direction. We need to remain steadfast on that long road in order to offer that direction.
The Kadima party of Ehud Olmert would not disclose any agenda or plan except their desire to continue the unilateral retreat begun by Ariel Sharon. This was their desire in spite of the fact that the previous retreat most probably led to the rise of the Hamas and to the onslaught of terrorist missiles. The Kadima party, as a result, slipped dramatically from 45-46 seats to 29. This fact will not stop Olmert and his friends on the Left from continuing with their dangerous vision, but the statement that the voters of Israel gave him the go ahead on this plan is simply untrue.
On the other hand, what is painfully true is that the faithful segment of this land has not succeeded in sharing their love for the vision and destiny of this land and its people with the rest of the country. The people of Israel did not reject the land of Israel, but, sadly, they have not even stopped to ponder its importance and relevance.
What was clear to the thousands of volunteers who participated in the face-to-face encounters with the citizens of Israel was that Kadima was quickly sinking in popularity. When we were told by someone that they were voting Labour or for the Pensioners Party, we smiled and wished them luck. We were too intent on stopping the expulsion bulldozer from maintaining its momentum to consider the implications of other electoral constellations.
That was a mistake. The many thousands of young and old volunteers were successful in doing what was thought to be impossible a mere month ago, and came very close to tipping the scale. Yet, in the world of politics close is not good enough.
There have been many recent articles in the media describing the deterioration of the Orange Camp and the slow death of the vision-filled dreams of the faithful. It is clear to me that these articles represent wishful thinking on the part of writers, as opposed to a realistic appraisal of the power and potential of those who carried the orange flag of Gush Katif aloft in the past.
Two days after the election, I arrived at a synagogue dedication in small settlement nestled in the southern tip of the Negev desert, between the borders of Egypt and the Gaza Strip. In the town of Yevul, over fifty families expelled from the Gaza Strip settlement of Netzarim have been living in caravans and have set up schools, roads, hopes and dreams. They have been allotted a large section of the Halutza desert lands. These were lands that David Ben-Gurion once envisioned would begin to flower, but never found the people to actualize that dream.
The residents of Gush Katif, who had achieved "the miraculous" on the sand dunes of Gaza, were now poised to repeat their divinely directed ventures in the sands of the Negev. Inspired by the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 35:1) "The wilderness and the parched land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose," they have already begun flattening the dunes and erecting hothouses. The skeptical Israeli government was moved into action when idealistic Jews from Toronto, Canada initiated the Desert Blossoming project. This partnership between the Jews of the exile and the Jews of Netzarim simply forced the Israeli government to begin to do their share.
On that evening, we participated in the dedication of their new synagogue and mikveh. My feeling of depression and malaise from this past election was quickly swept away as we danced through the trailer-lined streets. My most vivid memory of the expulsion from Netzarim was watching the footage of the residents of the town bidding farewell to their beautiful synagogue. I remember seeing young girls leaning on their arms and weeping, and the residents dancing in pain and hope in front of the empty ark of the Torah scrolls. As we entered the synagogue, I saw what I imagined were some of the same girls seemingly weeping in the same pose. I followed their gaze and saw again the dancing and singing in front of the empty ark. Yet, the singing was different and the dancing was of another world. This time, these residents were fulfilling another purpose. They were returning the scrolls and refilling the newly constructed ark. That moment was so intense and so sweet that the singing residents would not give up the Torah scrolls and would not, or could not, stop dancing.
I witnessed another more subtle image on that night in Yevul. Residents of the nearby secular communities came to participate with their children in the synagogue dedication festivities. These were some of the same people that aided and supported the expulsion forces as they proceeded to destroy the communities of Gush Katif last summer. Yet, here they were, joining in the festivities. At first, they stood hesitantly on the side, but the yearning to be"a part of" overcame their reticence. Souls always yearn to be rekindled. They just need the right atmosphere and situation. It is important to remember that to fan the flames of these rekindled souls one must use a gentle breeze. A strong, aggressive gust of wind will simply snuff out the yearning again.
That is the true answer to these past elections. We cannot separate from our brothers and sisters, but rather are bidden to reengage with them. They are desperately in need of the spirit and vision they have lost. We cannot let anger and frustration get in the way of our ultimate purpose. That purpose is defined by walking the long road until its conclusion without losing sight of the stragglers left behind. We also cannot be dismayed or swayed by the aggression and vehemence that will be turned against our camp. It is anger and vehemence that comes out of weakness. We need again to strengthen our resolve and bolster our spirit. As the cruel results of massive retreat will be made clear to this nation by the impending surge in terrorism and rockets, the people will look for direction. We need to remain steadfast on that long road in order to offer that direction.