True Pioneer Spirit: Gal Hill

(All photos are copyright and not to be copied or printed for other purposes than this blogsite.)
Gal Hill is situated within the municipal boundaries of Kiryat Arba, and was originated by the Hacohen family about 5-6 years ago. And as with all who have a pioneering spirit, the family camped out in an old abandoned bus until they were able to eventually expand their living facilities little by little. Home not only expanded on the ground, but the family grew to incorporate 11 children of their own, but also another four families joined the community. My favorite was the adobe Hacienda which reminded me of stucco houses in New Mexico, but looking at the bus which was the original home on the hill, I had a great admiration for the pioneer spirit of the people who live there.
The thing so many of us forget, is those who have this kind of pioneer spirit demand very little for themselves. They are totally dedicated to the land and they live with the dream of something far more for their family, friends and nation. Without these dedicated people, whole societies would have waned along the wayside of humanity. While these loyal pioneers have sacrificed to build and progress, their enemies lurk in the shadows to covet, steal and destroy these sacrificial endeavors.
These few families which make up Gal Hill had a vision to start a goat farm. So, they built a few pens to house the goats. Suddenly, the civil administration shows up with orders to destroy the facilities. BUT, the routine of these actions is usually to destroy the pens while tearing down the houses on the premises in a process of elimination.
In response to the intimidating actions of the government, the residents reacted with a statement of their own: NOT to take down the goat pens, and to lay the cornerstone for a synagogue.
That’s where friends and I came in. We drove the dusty trail to the dedication of the synagogue and enjoyed the faithful land-lovers in their Simcha. I made the statement it would have been easier to travel across the rugged terrain on horseback or a mule train.
The civil administration has given orders that the goat pens are to be dismantled, whereas the residents decided to build a house of prayer instead.
No matter how much you want to encourage these people who live such a simplistic life, free of crime and with few demands on the rest of society, you always leave having been encouraged by their faith, hope and happiness. For them, each day has its own reward or testing, but all in all, no matter what I thrown at them, Hashem is in control of their destiny. They will face whatever, good or bad, in the hour it comes their way and be grateful for the opportunity to bless the name of the Etermal One!

On the way back down a treacherous and dangerous highway of lawless Arab drivers on the loose, I told my friends to buckle up and just slide down in the seats until we got out of the immediate fray of traffic. “These guys make a four-lane out of this narrow dark road!” All the while in the pitch-black of night you’re heading into oncoming traffic of impatient drivers going around a steady stream of vehicles with blinding lights in your face on the other side. My friend alarmingly replied: “They’re not making it a four-lane! They’re making it a ONE-WAY!” And it really seemed we were going the wrong way on a one-way street!

GREATNESS IS NOT FORGOTTEN 091018

Gandhi's Memorial
A son, a husband, a father & grandfather; a friend of the soldiers, a friend of the people, Gandhi is remembered by a nation!
Within every generation are those who are born to be great and destined to greatness on the stage of human endeavors, while many others develop greatness within themselves. The rest of society envelops greatness in an individual, and never allows greatness to be forgotten from generation to generation.
But only G-d is good and just. In the end, only He will determine whether a man’s acts of greatness is of righteousness or unrighteousness, whether it produces Kiddush Hashem or Chilul Hashem in its generation. (Abigail, in memory of Rechavam ‘Gandhi’ Ze’evi 2009)

SUCCOT 2009: SHILO

(TO SEE MORE ABOUT THE CHILDREN, GO TO http://tzometfriknfrak.blogspot.com

Chol Hamoed Succot 2009,
Day 4 TEL SHILO
You really have to give credit to the creativity produced by the residents of Shilo during Hagim. Of course, they have a perfect setting to stage their events, the ancient ruins where the Mishkan possibly stood now referred to as Tel Shilo; without doubt, modern Shilo is the region where the Tabernacle rested when the Israelites entered the Land from their wanderings in the desert. It is definitely the region of the footsteps of the Prophet Shmuel.
Today guests entered into the makeshift world of the ancient, and everyone got a wee-bit taste of the life of our ancestors. Numerous Succahs were erected and not one was lacking in participants who participated in the special activities. Each had its own artisans at work creating things which had to do with life and crafts during the time of the tabernacle: crushing the spices for the incense altar, basket-weaving , practicing on the drums and shofars, a wheel for making clay pots, weaving carpets or materials for clothing, bread-making, and designing tiles from bits of rock for the floors.



As I walked through the crowd, I thought how pleased Hashem must be to see Jews enjoying Succot, a reminder that this is only a practice run of the temporary dwellings and the best is yet to come. I can’t ever go to Tel Shilo with remembering the story of Hanna crying for Hashem to give her children. Not ever having had children, this is undoubtedly my favorite place on the Shomron. A reminder of the conflict of bareness, I often relate to Hanna’s plea for children and am always amazed when I remember that, after all her pleas and the ultimate merciful answer to her request, she gave the gift of her son, Shmuel, to the Lord’s service.
Metaphorically speaking: Hannah often represents the Mother Land of the Jews weeping for Hashem to give her children during years of barrenness. Just as Hashem heard the cries of Hannah and had mercy on her and gave her a son, so too, eventually, He heard the cry of the Mother Land and filled her house with children. And just as Hannah dedicated her son to the service of the Lord, the mothers of Israel are teaching their children to love and serve the Lord.



I often wonder if the modern Jews who have settled certain vicinities are not the direct descendants of those who were once uprooted from the area.

B'NEI DEKALIM

FORMER GUSH KATIF RESIDENTS: “It’s time to move on! It’s time to rebuild! Hashem is faithful!”
Whereas men dream lofty dreams and store them in their memory bank, G-d ignites a flame, His vision upon the heart. I guess it might be considered a ‘shiduch b’shamayim’ when the two unite in hope and faith for a better tomorrow.

The foundation stone lay on the ground, the contract read, and the cement poured over the stone as a seal never to be uprooted again.
May Hashem cause His face to shine on the sons and daughters of the new community of Givat Hazon for B’nei Dekalim – the Hill of Vision for the Children of Dekalim. Although it is in the embryo state at this time, there are rays of hope on the horizon for a bright new day.
Congratulations from deep within the hearts of those who love and admire you!

SUCCOT 2009: ALIYAH TO SHDEMA

Hundreds of families answered the call to go up to Shdema for Succot events, bringing lots and lots of children and youth with them. While the children were having a ball with the clowns and jugglers in one building, or climbing on the inflatables outside, adults enjoyed the klezmer music with Musa Berlin followed by a number of speakers. The classic was the humorous, heroic aliyah story related to the audience by Rabbi Yosef Mendelovitch.
The people behind the scenes deserve much honor for a memorable event the first day of Succot. Gemma Blech and Rivka Rybak displayed their photos which documents the last year and a half struggle for Shdema.
First-timers poured in from all over the country and outside of Israel. Others were the weekly loyalists, but all enjoyed the fun in the sun, and the Succah!
For access to Rivkah's website, go to The Yesha Bulletin at www.yeshabulletin.com
For photos of the children, go to http://tzometfriknfrak.blogspot.com

VISITING THE OUTPOSTS 090923

(PLEASE HONOR: ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COPYRIGHT & NOT TO BE USED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF PHOTOGRAPHY BY ABIGAIL AT uriyah@netvision.net.il)

HORESHA

A serpentine paved road winds up the steep side of a mountain leading to the quiet and beautiful community of Horesha in the central Binyamin Hills. From this summit you can see the view of the Mediterranean coast, including the cities of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Tel Aviv, Netanya and Naharia. To the east, it's difficult to ignore the encroachment of Ramallah with its illegal neighborhoods being built. Only outer frames make up the structures which remain unoccupied. In reality, this is the real illegal expansion Israel is facing as Arabs continue to build massive structures to lay claim to the Land which is not theirs.
Yet, the plight of the residents at Horesha is the recent notification from the court that within the next month it is possible that Jewish homes will be destroyed, EVEN THOUGH, the infrastructure of Horesha was paid for and built by the government when they encouraged Jews to settle there; and EVEN THOUGH, the residents acquired the proper permits to start building when they were encouraged to start building on the premises some ten years ago. They have just learned the last signature needed to secure the hilltop is that of the Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, who refuses to sign on the dotted line.

B'NEI ADAM

The outpost of B'nei Adam is located east of Yishuv Adam in the southern Binyamin hills. The difficulty of arriving to the location makes anyone wonder why even the military would bother to destroy it unless they are just desparately bored and need to run a training maneuver. The few sparse houses stand on rocky, barren land, yet the young residents are digging and tilling the soil by hand. With tenacity, hope and faith, they are planting new saplings for the future in odedience to Hashem's instructions in the Torah that when you come into the Land He has given, you are to plant fruit-bearing trees. As with so many other outposts, a shadow lingers over their daily lives, the uncertainty of tomorrow as they are scheduled for destruction.

RONEN FARM

After a visit at Mtzpeh Yosef, we had picnic lunch at the Ronen Farm. The residents were warm and hopitable, but the children were somewhat perplexed and fearful of strangers since they have been harrassed so much by the Left and anxious about rumors of loosing their homes. Yes, even the children from the best of homes live with daily fear and anxiety. One youngster was home alone and folded over from an anxiety attack that we too were here to invade her home and she was helpless since Abba and Ima were gone at the time. She could not be consoled as strangers invaded her home, until Abba soon arrived and she could be safe in his loving arms. Children have a unique ability to internalize and process everything before them, whether its threats of being uprooted or someone bearing gifts of peace. Lately, fear of outsiders has manifested because of the incitement of Arabs by the Left and the remiss security of our Israeli government.

GILAD FARM

The air was still full of the nauseous smell of smoke as our two full buses pulled up to Havat Gilad. There was absolutely no fresh air to breathe for the ashes. Erev Rosh Hashanah residents ran out of synagogue to the alarm of fire. The Arabs had taken advantage of the time, knowing the worshippers would be in service for the Holy Day. They threw molitov cocktails onto the hills and the caravans. One family caravan was totally wiped out and another is not livable due to the damage. While visiting we observed another catastrophe: the shoddy rooms used for a children's house with the most minimal bare necessities for children's care. Although the children were laughing and playing with the meager swing someone had donated, it breaks the heart to know they are so deprived compared to the average child in our society today.