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| Boca Raton? Nope. Ra’anana. (photo credit:Brauner Properties) |
People in Israel tend to be polarized, be it religiously,
politically, socially or culturally. So here we are, a Canadian family living in Ra’anana, a suburban town that resembles Boca
Raton more than Israel. We have limited exposure to Hebrew media and thus live
in a ‘bubble.’ People joke that Ra’anana is not even in Israel!
(not exactly a typical Ra’anana outing). We were hauling huge packs on our
shoulders and were dusty and dirty.
south. Only after the fact, my daughter turned to me and asked, “Why
did he think we were in Amona?”
unkempt, we were instantly judged and labeled? (Amona is a settlement in Yehuda
and Shomron that is right now on the verge of being evacuated as it has been
deemed illegal by the court and the government.) A label.
My daughter’s boyfriend’s sister Manya has been living there for 14 years. Before the community started, it was empty, unclaimed land and the government gave the green light to these people to legally live there.
Someone then dug up some British documents about the ownership and discovered that several Arab families had claims to this land. What should have been done at the time, is to legally compensate the owners for their land. This is how land claims are settled in Tel Aviv and in other places around the world. Yet, land is a charged commodity here.
With initial government permission, Manya and her family, along with eight other families from Amona, built homes here. After the claims began, nine homes were destroyed by Israeli army bulldozers, including hers.
This was 11 years ago. Now she
lives with her husband and children in two trailers. She loves her life and her
community.
She was interviewed by Dutch TV and I urge you to watch the whole interview below as it is enlightening.
There is a lot of international pressure and many divisive opinions on the
subject.
interview (and you can do your own research), is that the issue was hashed by
Jews pitted against Jews. Apparently left-wing groups with deep pockets and
loud voices are stirring an already boiling pot.
And because of this, Jewish policemen and Jewish soldiers will have to forcefully evict Jewish families from their homes. With so many
enemies in this world, Jews fighting Jews is abhorrent.
to negotiate a deal but was not successful. After his negotiations fell apart,
a busload of Amona youth arrived outside Bennett’s house in Ra’anana and began shouting
with loudspeakers. They were obviously upset and had no one else to turn to. But Bennett could not help.
As it was such a cold
night to be standing outside, my daughter walked over to the house with
hot tea for her boyfriend’s young nephew who was part of the demonstration.
and said, “Who is she?” If someone is surprised that a settlement person knows
a Ra’anana person, it’s a sure sign that we live worlds apart. Another label.
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| Amona (photo credit: IsraelStreet.org) |
Just last night, the government presented the community of
Amona with an agreement. I read about this agreement in the news and was
excited as it sounded as if the community was offered enough land for the 41
families close by. I thought they would agree to this and we could put the
discord behind us.
debating what to do. Turns out the agreement only gave enough land for 11
families to live in one caravan each with no promise that they could receive more land. As the families are large, most need two caravans to live comfortably so land for 11 single caravans would not be enough.
A
community needs space to grow. The people of Amona really care for each other
and do not want to be split up. They voted 58-20, rejecting the agreement, then
went home to pack up.
agreement that was not the same as the one presented to the people of Amona?
Was it because the government knew the people would reject this agreement? And if the public assumed the agreement looked
fair and was then rejected, the settlers would look like radicals and the government
could look justified. Is this the idea? I just don’t know any more.
house to help them out. He is babysitting the anxious kids, giving the parents time
to pull their lives together. Last night at 4am, with the children fast asleep,
they all started to pack up the house. After there was no hope of an agreement,
the people of Amona were sure the police and army would soon arrive.
flashlights, feeling like fleeing, downcast vagrants, they packed up clothing,
dishes and toys. Someone observed this was not the first time Jews had to pack
up in the middle of the night to flee. Except this time it is different. They
are not fleeing the Crusaders or the Cossacks or the Nazis. It is Jews.
we could see each other as people and not labels, we could start to empathize
with the other.
To ensure all act peacefully, the rabbi of
Amona is running around speaking to the youth who are arriving. Yesterday he set up a speaker from his balcony that played a song with the sweet words:
וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ
Love your neighbor as yourself.
packing up their lives and their memories, saying goodbye to good neighbours.
They do not want a fight. They simply want a home together.
aside our egos, open our hearts, stop stirring an already boiling pot and know when to be quiet. We must talk with each other and strive for understanding and unity. Love your neighbor as yourself.
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| Photo credit: Arutz Sheva |
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