Today is the day, and the excitement in many areas is palpable: An as-yet unknown number of tens of thousands of people will take part in the Human Chain for Gush Katif this afternoon. The chain will begin in the northern Gaza community of Nisanit with Yitzchak and Shlomit Shamir, two of the residents of the original Kfar Darom community of the 1940's - a reminder that Jewish settlement in Gaza did not begin only in the past 35 years. The Shamirs' granddaughter, 6-year-old Yael Better of N'vei Dekalim, will close the chain by placing a note in the Western Wall - a prayer asking the Creator to nullify the decree of expulsion of Jews from their homes in the Land of Israel.
It is assumed that it will take some two hours to organize the chain - the first one in the history of the State of Israel - and people are set to begin arriving at their places, or at one of the more than 40 parking lots along the 80-kilometer route, at 5 PM. Some 1,000 volunteers will be on hand along the route, as well as hundreds of policemen, to ensure order and safety. At 6:45, with everyone hopefully in place, prayers will be held; at 7 PM, everyone will join hands and show their support for the Land of Israel and its residents, and opposition to giving up portions thereof.
The Chain Task Force is busy 24 hours a day preparing the complex logistics of this initiative, as phone callers to the headquarters can verify.
The Chabad Rabbinical Court, as well as Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu, have called on their followers to take part in the chain.
The Young Israel movement - which has two synagogues in Gush Katif: in Netzer Hazani and Ganei Tal - has decided to interrupt the meeting of its national leadership scheduled for today in order for its members to take part in the Human Chain. The meeting will resume afterwards.
Two large sections of the route have been reserved for total separation between men and women: near Kiryat Malachi and along Jaffa St. in Jerusalem. In addition, in order that unrelated men and women not hold hands with each other, the Chain Headquarters says that if siblings and spouses cannot be found to link each other, "lo no-ra - it's not so terrible" if people merely stand near each other and don't hold hands.
Special sections will also be reserved for special groups. At the entrance to Jerusalem will stand veterans of the War of Independence; IDF disabled veterans and terror victims; former Prisoners of Zion; new immigrants; Knesset Members; reserves soldiers, and mothers of soldiers, serving in Gush Katif; Druze citizens; Professors For a Strong Israel; and people from around the country whose relatives are buried in Gush Katif.
The six Knesset Members of the National Religious Party will stand together, despite the fact that two of them have quit the government.
What of "holes" in the chain? Kfar Darom spokesman Asher Mivtzari says, "There won't be any - except in places where the police, for reasons of public safety, don't allow us to stand. For instance, we're supposed to stand behind barriers, but in certain spots along the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, there aren't any barriers. But you have to understand: 800 [the number was later updated to closer to 900 - ed.] buses will be bringing people in from all over the country, and we know of thousands of cars, and many people from towns along the route, such as Kiryat Malachi, Masuot Yitzchak, Telz Stone, and many others, will simply walk to their places in the chain."
At least two of Israel's three public television channels are planning to put helicopters in the air to cover the event.
It is assumed that it will take some two hours to organize the chain - the first one in the history of the State of Israel - and people are set to begin arriving at their places, or at one of the more than 40 parking lots along the 80-kilometer route, at 5 PM. Some 1,000 volunteers will be on hand along the route, as well as hundreds of policemen, to ensure order and safety. At 6:45, with everyone hopefully in place, prayers will be held; at 7 PM, everyone will join hands and show their support for the Land of Israel and its residents, and opposition to giving up portions thereof.
The Chain Task Force is busy 24 hours a day preparing the complex logistics of this initiative, as phone callers to the headquarters can verify.
The Chabad Rabbinical Court, as well as Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu, have called on their followers to take part in the chain.
The Young Israel movement - which has two synagogues in Gush Katif: in Netzer Hazani and Ganei Tal - has decided to interrupt the meeting of its national leadership scheduled for today in order for its members to take part in the Human Chain. The meeting will resume afterwards.
Two large sections of the route have been reserved for total separation between men and women: near Kiryat Malachi and along Jaffa St. in Jerusalem. In addition, in order that unrelated men and women not hold hands with each other, the Chain Headquarters says that if siblings and spouses cannot be found to link each other, "lo no-ra - it's not so terrible" if people merely stand near each other and don't hold hands.
Special sections will also be reserved for special groups. At the entrance to Jerusalem will stand veterans of the War of Independence; IDF disabled veterans and terror victims; former Prisoners of Zion; new immigrants; Knesset Members; reserves soldiers, and mothers of soldiers, serving in Gush Katif; Druze citizens; Professors For a Strong Israel; and people from around the country whose relatives are buried in Gush Katif.
The six Knesset Members of the National Religious Party will stand together, despite the fact that two of them have quit the government.
What of "holes" in the chain? Kfar Darom spokesman Asher Mivtzari says, "There won't be any - except in places where the police, for reasons of public safety, don't allow us to stand. For instance, we're supposed to stand behind barriers, but in certain spots along the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, there aren't any barriers. But you have to understand: 800 [the number was later updated to closer to 900 - ed.] buses will be bringing people in from all over the country, and we know of thousands of cars, and many people from towns along the route, such as Kiryat Malachi, Masuot Yitzchak, Telz Stone, and many others, will simply walk to their places in the chain."
At least two of Israel's three public television channels are planning to put helicopters in the air to cover the event.