Two busloads of Netzer Hazanites - who were thrown out of their homes in northern Gush Katif ten days ago - are on their way this morning from Hispin, in the Golan, to Tel Aviv for the Brit Milah (ritual circumcision) of the baby son of one of their neighbors.
While Hispin is the official temporary home for Netzer Hazani for the next week or so, a group of former residents has set up a protest encampment in Tel Aviv, outside the city's northern train station. The city's permit for the tent city expires on Sept. 1, but for today at least, it will become a focus for joy as a new baby enters the Covenant of Abraham.
For the baby's father, a young student of Yeshivat Torat HaChaim, today's ceremony is just another milestone event in the past few weeks. In addition to losing his home, having a baby, and facing an uncertain future, he sat in jail for over a week two months ago after taking part in an anti-disengagement protest. Upon being released from prison, he was placed under house/yeshiva arrest, and faces trial on charges of assaulting a policeman. Eyewitnesses to the incident, including one who was arrested with him but was not charged, say the charges are completely trumped-up.
--Update: Some 400 people took part in the Brit and the subsequent festive meal. The baby was named Elyashiv, meaning, G-d will restore.
While the buses make their way to the Brit today, other members of Netzer Hazani are on their way to the new cemetery in Nitzan - the caravila (pre-fab structure) site where many of the Gush Katif expellees will be housed for the coming two years. The first of the 48 bodies buried in Gush Katif are being exhumed today, and some are being buried in Nitzan. Among them is the loved one of a Netzer Hazani family; two more Netzer relatives will be reburied on Tuesday in Nitzan, and on Thursday, three more will be re-interred on Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem.
Though spokesperson Anita Tucker says they try not to be bitter, "it's a little hard. For one thing, no one from the families is allowed to be in Gush Katif when they dig up the graves. Only members of the Hevra Kadisha (burial society) of Gush Katif can be there when the Southern Command Chief Rabbinate people remove the body. The families can meet the body only at Kisufim."
"In addition," she continued, "the Hilberg family - whose son Yochanan was killed in Lebanon a few years ago - pleaded with them to wait a few more days, because they don't yet know where they are going to live, and they want to re-bury their son close to them. Every day we find out more information about possible locations, and within a few days, a decision might be made. But no, they can't wait, they have to do it today. It's adding terrible pressures to the family, in addition to everything else."
Netzer Hazani people are far from settled for even the next few months. "Our semi-temporary site #3 is finalized," Ms. Tucker said. "We'll be on land just outside Kibbutz Ein Tzurim, not far from Kiryat Malachi [on the way to Ashkelon]. The government will be building us caravilot, and tenders for their construction have already been issued. But the problem is that even though here in Hispin they're being very nice to us and they want us to stay, even permanently - but our children are registered in schools in the south, and some people have jobs there, so we need a place near Ein Tzurim in which to stay for the next few months. Options being investigated include Shoresh, Beit Meir and Gush Etzion, and we have representatives going to check these places today."
In short, the Netzer Hazanites have gone from the guest house in Hispin, to the yeshiva in Hispin, to a tent site in Tel Aviv, and from there are headed to a temporary site such as Shoresh, from where they will move to Ein Tzurim when the temporary caravilot are ready - and then they will start planning their future permanent homes.
Anita Tucker said that she is appreciative of all the funds that have sprouted up to help the "Gush Katif homeless," but that so far, the money has not yet arrived. "We have day-to-day needs that are going unanswered. For instance, one boy is starting a yeshiva high school in which he is required to wear button-down shirts - but he doesn't have any. The family has no income, and has no money to buy shirts. So I gave them some money from the fund which we developed here over the past few months..."
While Hispin is the official temporary home for Netzer Hazani for the next week or so, a group of former residents has set up a protest encampment in Tel Aviv, outside the city's northern train station. The city's permit for the tent city expires on Sept. 1, but for today at least, it will become a focus for joy as a new baby enters the Covenant of Abraham.
For the baby's father, a young student of Yeshivat Torat HaChaim, today's ceremony is just another milestone event in the past few weeks. In addition to losing his home, having a baby, and facing an uncertain future, he sat in jail for over a week two months ago after taking part in an anti-disengagement protest. Upon being released from prison, he was placed under house/yeshiva arrest, and faces trial on charges of assaulting a policeman. Eyewitnesses to the incident, including one who was arrested with him but was not charged, say the charges are completely trumped-up.
--Update: Some 400 people took part in the Brit and the subsequent festive meal. The baby was named Elyashiv, meaning, G-d will restore.
While the buses make their way to the Brit today, other members of Netzer Hazani are on their way to the new cemetery in Nitzan - the caravila (pre-fab structure) site where many of the Gush Katif expellees will be housed for the coming two years. The first of the 48 bodies buried in Gush Katif are being exhumed today, and some are being buried in Nitzan. Among them is the loved one of a Netzer Hazani family; two more Netzer relatives will be reburied on Tuesday in Nitzan, and on Thursday, three more will be re-interred on Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem.
Though spokesperson Anita Tucker says they try not to be bitter, "it's a little hard. For one thing, no one from the families is allowed to be in Gush Katif when they dig up the graves. Only members of the Hevra Kadisha (burial society) of Gush Katif can be there when the Southern Command Chief Rabbinate people remove the body. The families can meet the body only at Kisufim."
"In addition," she continued, "the Hilberg family - whose son Yochanan was killed in Lebanon a few years ago - pleaded with them to wait a few more days, because they don't yet know where they are going to live, and they want to re-bury their son close to them. Every day we find out more information about possible locations, and within a few days, a decision might be made. But no, they can't wait, they have to do it today. It's adding terrible pressures to the family, in addition to everything else."
Netzer Hazani people are far from settled for even the next few months. "Our semi-temporary site #3 is finalized," Ms. Tucker said. "We'll be on land just outside Kibbutz Ein Tzurim, not far from Kiryat Malachi [on the way to Ashkelon]. The government will be building us caravilot, and tenders for their construction have already been issued. But the problem is that even though here in Hispin they're being very nice to us and they want us to stay, even permanently - but our children are registered in schools in the south, and some people have jobs there, so we need a place near Ein Tzurim in which to stay for the next few months. Options being investigated include Shoresh, Beit Meir and Gush Etzion, and we have representatives going to check these places today."
In short, the Netzer Hazanites have gone from the guest house in Hispin, to the yeshiva in Hispin, to a tent site in Tel Aviv, and from there are headed to a temporary site such as Shoresh, from where they will move to Ein Tzurim when the temporary caravilot are ready - and then they will start planning their future permanent homes.
Anita Tucker said that she is appreciative of all the funds that have sprouted up to help the "Gush Katif homeless," but that so far, the money has not yet arrived. "We have day-to-day needs that are going unanswered. For instance, one boy is starting a yeshiva high school in which he is required to wear button-down shirts - but he doesn't have any. The family has no income, and has no money to buy shirts. So I gave them some money from the fund which we developed here over the past few months..."