In addition to the Netzer Hazani encampment in Tel Aviv, two other tent cities have also been formed by Jewish refugees from Gaza. One is of displaced persons from Elei Sinai, who are camping out near the Yad Mordechai junction north of Gaza, only a few kilometers from their former homes. As in the case of Netzer Hazani, they demand a solution that will enable them to remain together as a community.
The other encampment has even more ambitious goals. Refugees from Atzmona are camping out in Beit HaGedi, just outside the Negev city of Netivot. They hope to ensure that the entire Gush Katif remains together, and they in fact invite all former Gush Katif residents to join their encampment.
"We have some 1,500 dunams (370 acres) of room here," one Atzmonah man said, "room for plenty of tents - and later caravans, and hopefully houses."
The somber mood at Beit Gedi will be replaced with joy tonight, as Atzmonah celebrates the marriage of the daughter of their respected spiritual leader, Rabbi Reuven Netanel.
The residents of Moshav Katif are prime candidates to join the Atzmonah tent city - and in fact are planning to do so next week. Meanwhile, however, they are busy trying to pack up their belongings. "I have some good news and some bad news to tell you," said Naamah Zarbiv, head of the Katif secretariat. "The official army echelons are trying their best to make it as difficult as possible for us to pack. They handed down a directive, for instance, saying that we can no longer come in with our private cars to pack, but only in a bus. This is impossible for us. The only thing that saves us is that the soldiers at Kisufim realize the injustice of it - of taking away not only our homes, but also our property - and they can't withstand our pleas, and they let us in. But each day we have to take a chance with our cars and plea again... We have problems with containers, and trucking, and in general, even though I hope that by tomorrow we will be finished, there is a terrible feeling of despair at having to pack up with such uncertainty..."
Now for the good news: "It is important for everyone to know that every day that we've been here packing, there is a group of soldiers and officers who come around here, take off their uniforms, and say, 'OK, what can we do to help?' They go around from house to house, and help us pack, and help us save things from the house that we never would have thought of taking - doors, and windows, and even light fixtures and electric outlets. They pack up our cars, and they are just great. They call themselves 'Atonement and Peace' - just like an organization of Germans after World War II that wanted to atone for the German atrocities... This is really something that saves the pride of the State of Israel."
Another bright spot in the gloomy picture of Gush Katif refugees' lives this week was Kibbutz Tzuba near Jerusalem. The Kibbutz's amusement park - Kiftzuba - hosted dozens of Gush Katif children almost every day this week, free of charge. On Tuesday, for instance, 300 children from Atzmonah came to enjoy. Manager Yael Kerem explained,
"Look, here in the kibbutz, we're in favor of the disengagement. But at the same time, we feel the pain of the residents, and we wanted to show our solidarity with them. We also wanted to give the parents a little break to deal with everything they have to deal with. So this is our contribution to the cause... Oh, yes, we also sent down [from the kibbutz] a work group to help the residents dismantle their greenhouses a few days ago."
The other encampment has even more ambitious goals. Refugees from Atzmona are camping out in Beit HaGedi, just outside the Negev city of Netivot. They hope to ensure that the entire Gush Katif remains together, and they in fact invite all former Gush Katif residents to join their encampment.
"We have some 1,500 dunams (370 acres) of room here," one Atzmonah man said, "room for plenty of tents - and later caravans, and hopefully houses."
The somber mood at Beit Gedi will be replaced with joy tonight, as Atzmonah celebrates the marriage of the daughter of their respected spiritual leader, Rabbi Reuven Netanel.
The residents of Moshav Katif are prime candidates to join the Atzmonah tent city - and in fact are planning to do so next week. Meanwhile, however, they are busy trying to pack up their belongings. "I have some good news and some bad news to tell you," said Naamah Zarbiv, head of the Katif secretariat. "The official army echelons are trying their best to make it as difficult as possible for us to pack. They handed down a directive, for instance, saying that we can no longer come in with our private cars to pack, but only in a bus. This is impossible for us. The only thing that saves us is that the soldiers at Kisufim realize the injustice of it - of taking away not only our homes, but also our property - and they can't withstand our pleas, and they let us in. But each day we have to take a chance with our cars and plea again... We have problems with containers, and trucking, and in general, even though I hope that by tomorrow we will be finished, there is a terrible feeling of despair at having to pack up with such uncertainty..."
Now for the good news: "It is important for everyone to know that every day that we've been here packing, there is a group of soldiers and officers who come around here, take off their uniforms, and say, 'OK, what can we do to help?' They go around from house to house, and help us pack, and help us save things from the house that we never would have thought of taking - doors, and windows, and even light fixtures and electric outlets. They pack up our cars, and they are just great. They call themselves 'Atonement and Peace' - just like an organization of Germans after World War II that wanted to atone for the German atrocities... This is really something that saves the pride of the State of Israel."
Another bright spot in the gloomy picture of Gush Katif refugees' lives this week was Kibbutz Tzuba near Jerusalem. The Kibbutz's amusement park - Kiftzuba - hosted dozens of Gush Katif children almost every day this week, free of charge. On Tuesday, for instance, 300 children from Atzmonah came to enjoy. Manager Yael Kerem explained,
"Look, here in the kibbutz, we're in favor of the disengagement. But at the same time, we feel the pain of the residents, and we wanted to show our solidarity with them. We also wanted to give the parents a little break to deal with everything they have to deal with. So this is our contribution to the cause... Oh, yes, we also sent down [from the kibbutz] a work group to help the residents dismantle their greenhouses a few days ago."