[photos from Efrat by Sharon Katz]
"Expansion in Place of Destruction" - har'havah bimkom hah'ravah - is the motto of the new initiative. The group released an announcement stating:
"Wednesday, the day following Sukkot, we will ascend en-masse, unashamedly and by the light of day, as proud owners of the Land, to establish new neighborhoods in several areas around our Land...
"In the past months we were witness to the terrible crime of the ripping out of parts of our holy and beloved Land, the expulsion of Jews from their homes, the uprooting of graves and the abandonment of synagogues to Arab murderers. We saw with our own eyes that which is called the 'leadership of the state' abandoning our inheritance.
"As youth that grew up on love of the Land, and who realize that without the Land of Israel there is no blessing and the Divine Presence has no place to rest, we ask: What's next? Our answer is that specifically now, we will replace destruction with expansion; we will replace retreat with going out and holding on to our land."
Many of the youths involved in the program were among those who snuck into Gush Katif or the Shomron during the days and weeks preceding the expulsion, giving up their summer vacation to fight the uprooting.
The Land of Israel Youth organization was founded in recent weeks in Kiryat Arba, and just a few days ago conducted a march of some 700 youths in the Shomron.
Rachel, one of the leaders of the organization and in today's Kiryat Arba initiative, told Arutz-7 that the location that was chosen for rebuilding in her area is known as Heroes Hill, between Hevron and Kiryat Arba. An outpost was originally built there three years ago after a terrorist ambush nearby in which 12 civilians and soldiers were killed. The army tore the site down, and residents built it up, in a cycle that repeated itself several times since then.
This morning, some 60 Land of Israel Youths brought a new aluminum shack to the place, and hope to rebuild the neighborhood for the last time. "We believe in building up new neighborhoods in the Land of Israel," Rachel said. "We can't merely settle for sneaking in another caravan here and another one there. We have to build openly and proudly."
One former Gush Katif resident, Raz from N'vei Dekalim, was not so sure that the initiative is worthwhile. "Forget your illusions!" he wrote. "In the year before the expulsion, Gush Katif grew significantly - but it didn't help at all. Physical growth will not stop the decree to uproot us, as we have seen. In my opinion, we should invest all these energies in disseminating the Torah's truth to every Jew and Jewess. I saw many soldiers [involved in the expulsion] who were not at all aware of the severity of what they did."
Rachel said in response, "He's right, we do have to work on Torah, but we also have to work on the physical plane. We saw in the last year or two that only a few new outposts were built; these are just expansions of old locations. We have to build many more new neighborhoods."
At the Elon Moreh site, Yirat S. told Arutz-7 what was going on:
"We are about 50 girls and 70 boys, in two different areas of the same location; this was one of our clear decisions, that there would be total separation... At present, both groups have completed about a meter of height on new stone-and-cement buildings... We have lots of water and much food, and soon we'll be holding a groundbreaking ceremony, with the participation of Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and others."
Asked about the plans for the immediate future, Yirat said, "The plan was for the boys to sleep here tonight, but the army - which is watching our every move from a hilltop overlooking us - has just informed us that though we may remain here today, they will forcibly remove us if we try to stay the night. So we will have a meeting and decide what to do."
Voices from the religious-Zionist public calling of late for less emphasis on Land of Israel issues do not faze the new group. "Our rabbis have taught us," Yirat said, "based on works such as Kol HaTor [by Rabbi Hillel of Shklov, a top disciple of the Gaon of Vilna] that in the period of the Ingathering of the Exiles and the like, we have to concentrate on the Land of Israel." To this end, the organization is calling for more classes on this topic in high schools all over the country.
In Efrat, the activities began this morning with a prayer service adjacent to the IDF checkpoint on the Efrat-Tekoa road, then continued with building, planting, singing and classes. There are no plans at present to actually move to the site, but rather to hold various activities and stabilize the Jewish presence there. "We know that wherever Jews are not present," said Tamar K., aged 17.5, one of the leaders of the some 100 youths at the site, "the Arabs take over. Jews are now afraid to go to lots of places and we're in danger of losing them. As youth who are truly concerned over what has happened in Israel lately, we simply cannot merely sit at home and read Arutz-7 and complain. We have to get out and do something. This is merely our opening shot."
Asked if the army had arrived to interfere with their attempts to build the site, Tamar said, "So far, about seven soldiers have come to protect us. Why should they interfere with us? Doesn't everyone realize that it's only natural for the Jews to settle and build up their Land?"
The new location is being built on a hilltop precisely where the government's separation fence is scheduled to be built. "We don't want to be closed in and ghettoized by fences," Tamar said "Youth all around the country realize that we can't just let it happen, but must get out and do something to stop it. Expansion instead of destruction!"
The Kedumim site appears to be the largest of all. Merav, coordinator of the activities there, updated Arutz-7: "About 100 are already here, and several dozen more are on their way. We are two groups - boys and girls. This [separation] was one of the first decisions we made."
The chosen site for the new Jewish presence near Kedumim is known as Beit HaDegalim [House of Flags], which currently features a couple of long-abandoned structures between Kedumim and the Arab village of El-Funduk. "We will paint them," Merav said, "and clear out the weeds, and possibly build another temporary structure or two. Our purpose, of course, is to express and manifest our bonds with our Land. This is our response to terrorism and to the expulsion."
Asked about the calls to tone down Land of Israel efforts in favor of other causes, Merav said, "We certainly must work on several fronts at once. I, for instance, also belong to a group that works to increase Jewish identity... Now is certainly not the time to abandon the cause of the Land of Israel."
"Expansion in Place of Destruction" - har'havah bimkom hah'ravah - is the motto of the new initiative. The group released an announcement stating:
"Wednesday, the day following Sukkot, we will ascend en-masse, unashamedly and by the light of day, as proud owners of the Land, to establish new neighborhoods in several areas around our Land...
"In the past months we were witness to the terrible crime of the ripping out of parts of our holy and beloved Land, the expulsion of Jews from their homes, the uprooting of graves and the abandonment of synagogues to Arab murderers. We saw with our own eyes that which is called the 'leadership of the state' abandoning our inheritance.
"As youth that grew up on love of the Land, and who realize that without the Land of Israel there is no blessing and the Divine Presence has no place to rest, we ask: What's next? Our answer is that specifically now, we will replace destruction with expansion; we will replace retreat with going out and holding on to our land."
Many of the youths involved in the program were among those who snuck into Gush Katif or the Shomron during the days and weeks preceding the expulsion, giving up their summer vacation to fight the uprooting.
The Land of Israel Youth organization was founded in recent weeks in Kiryat Arba, and just a few days ago conducted a march of some 700 youths in the Shomron.
Rachel, one of the leaders of the organization and in today's Kiryat Arba initiative, told Arutz-7 that the location that was chosen for rebuilding in her area is known as Heroes Hill, between Hevron and Kiryat Arba. An outpost was originally built there three years ago after a terrorist ambush nearby in which 12 civilians and soldiers were killed. The army tore the site down, and residents built it up, in a cycle that repeated itself several times since then.
This morning, some 60 Land of Israel Youths brought a new aluminum shack to the place, and hope to rebuild the neighborhood for the last time. "We believe in building up new neighborhoods in the Land of Israel," Rachel said. "We can't merely settle for sneaking in another caravan here and another one there. We have to build openly and proudly."
One former Gush Katif resident, Raz from N'vei Dekalim, was not so sure that the initiative is worthwhile. "Forget your illusions!" he wrote. "In the year before the expulsion, Gush Katif grew significantly - but it didn't help at all. Physical growth will not stop the decree to uproot us, as we have seen. In my opinion, we should invest all these energies in disseminating the Torah's truth to every Jew and Jewess. I saw many soldiers [involved in the expulsion] who were not at all aware of the severity of what they did."
Rachel said in response, "He's right, we do have to work on Torah, but we also have to work on the physical plane. We saw in the last year or two that only a few new outposts were built; these are just expansions of old locations. We have to build many more new neighborhoods."
At the Elon Moreh site, Yirat S. told Arutz-7 what was going on:
"We are about 50 girls and 70 boys, in two different areas of the same location; this was one of our clear decisions, that there would be total separation... At present, both groups have completed about a meter of height on new stone-and-cement buildings... We have lots of water and much food, and soon we'll be holding a groundbreaking ceremony, with the participation of Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and others."
Asked about the plans for the immediate future, Yirat said, "The plan was for the boys to sleep here tonight, but the army - which is watching our every move from a hilltop overlooking us - has just informed us that though we may remain here today, they will forcibly remove us if we try to stay the night. So we will have a meeting and decide what to do."
Voices from the religious-Zionist public calling of late for less emphasis on Land of Israel issues do not faze the new group. "Our rabbis have taught us," Yirat said, "based on works such as Kol HaTor [by Rabbi Hillel of Shklov, a top disciple of the Gaon of Vilna] that in the period of the Ingathering of the Exiles and the like, we have to concentrate on the Land of Israel." To this end, the organization is calling for more classes on this topic in high schools all over the country.
In Efrat, the activities began this morning with a prayer service adjacent to the IDF checkpoint on the Efrat-Tekoa road, then continued with building, planting, singing and classes. There are no plans at present to actually move to the site, but rather to hold various activities and stabilize the Jewish presence there. "We know that wherever Jews are not present," said Tamar K., aged 17.5, one of the leaders of the some 100 youths at the site, "the Arabs take over. Jews are now afraid to go to lots of places and we're in danger of losing them. As youth who are truly concerned over what has happened in Israel lately, we simply cannot merely sit at home and read Arutz-7 and complain. We have to get out and do something. This is merely our opening shot."
Asked if the army had arrived to interfere with their attempts to build the site, Tamar said, "So far, about seven soldiers have come to protect us. Why should they interfere with us? Doesn't everyone realize that it's only natural for the Jews to settle and build up their Land?"
The new location is being built on a hilltop precisely where the government's separation fence is scheduled to be built. "We don't want to be closed in and ghettoized by fences," Tamar said "Youth all around the country realize that we can't just let it happen, but must get out and do something to stop it. Expansion instead of destruction!"
The Kedumim site appears to be the largest of all. Merav, coordinator of the activities there, updated Arutz-7: "About 100 are already here, and several dozen more are on their way. We are two groups - boys and girls. This [separation] was one of the first decisions we made."
The chosen site for the new Jewish presence near Kedumim is known as Beit HaDegalim [House of Flags], which currently features a couple of long-abandoned structures between Kedumim and the Arab village of El-Funduk. "We will paint them," Merav said, "and clear out the weeds, and possibly build another temporary structure or two. Our purpose, of course, is to express and manifest our bonds with our Land. This is our response to terrorism and to the expulsion."
Asked about the calls to tone down Land of Israel efforts in favor of other causes, Merav said, "We certainly must work on several fronts at once. I, for instance, also belong to a group that works to increase Jewish identity... Now is certainly not the time to abandon the cause of the Land of Israel."