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THE WAR — THE VIEW FROM GUSHKATIFERS NOW IN NETZER HAZANI IN EIN TZURIM

by Anita Tucker

To all who have called and written in concern as to how Gush Katif people in "dangerous circles" are doing:

In Ein Tzurim we feel like total idiots — as our homes and businesses were destroyed so that we can be in same situation as before but now have no protection whatsoever — while many children have no school and will be wondering around unprotected while the schools all have protected rooms (chelm or not chelm) — we had to put up a big fight to get the kindergartens to reopen so that the children might be near a protective room when the alert goes off (if we happen to hear it from a distant area of kibbutz Ein Tzurim — one hears it from here only outdoors and indoors only if you leave windows open and have no music on). They are also concerned that too many be concentrated in one location and if rocket happens to fall there then many will chas vechalila be hurt at one time. So this statistically slight chance is causing all to react exactly as the enemy intends — to cause our daily lives to be turned inside out and freeze people with fear — to me it seems absurd and almost sick.

Of course a little piece of Eretz israel of shevet yehuda was given away free of charge so that we could fight this dangerous war to rid us of the enemy to whom we gave the land. It is now ten years since Oslo Peace agreement and all the craziness it brought. Ten years and Am Yisrael seems to be walking backwards on a endless plank with its eyes tied close. I recall writing such an email letter to friends right after the road map agreement trial telling about the same preparations for the missle attacks in Netzer Hazani.

I may as well be back home [in Gaza] — nothing has changed except that I'm less protected than then and threats are worse for many more people. So maybe they can make some order and let us go back home.

Now we are fighting to have the afternoon moadoniot open for same reason — while Pikud Haoref (Homefront Command) only know how to make general announcements without checking the situation in each location. We are also trying to pressure Kibbutz Hadati to allow us to leave the shelters in the yeshiva of Kibbut Hadati open — as it is closed down this year) or at least give us keys so that families who are fearful have the option of sleeping there if they wish. I don't know of any such families but having that option open is comforting to some, we believe. (Among many families injured from shrapnel of rockets in Netzer Hazani, we have one fellow that still has 116 slivers of shrapnel in his body, one who was injured quite seriously — and three more rockets fell in his garden after he was injured -- the family was saved by mammash miracles). Meanwhile we are trying to fulfil our responsibility by nudging pikud HaOref to bring us Miguniot — but we fear they will degrade us as they have done to our friends in Nitzan who also made a lot of noise as to lack of any protection — and resulted in Pikud HaOred bringing them big sewage pipes with Battonadot on each open side — into which they are to enter with families if there is a red alert.

Last night we had meeting of our Tzevet Cheirum Yishuvi (committee of our town that deals with emergencyh situations). We are unfortunately a well oiled experienced committee — and among our members who live here in Netzer Hazani in Ein Tzurim is the school advisor of the religious elementary school in shderot (Zahava Almassi — remember this mom of kallot and hattanim) and Monique Zarbiv who is head nurse in the clinic of the caravilla site in Nitzan (another mother of chattanim) who gave us rundown of what is happening there. We decided to keep sending daily notices to our population to keep them as informed as possible as to all that is being done. also to shlepp moatzas Social worker to visit those families most likely to get stressed out in this tense atmosphere — with no protection around and nothing to do about it other than write emails and faxes to Pikud HaOref — after their poured concrete home was destroyed to bring them to this.

We also will continue and have more shiurim that are mechazk and tehilim etc as that is the most relaxing solution we all know of and the only place one finds any logical answers — as well as the meetings planned about the building anew — unless the officials who are supposed to come to speak chicken out. We also hope to activate our young people whose studies in Ashkelon and Shaar Hanegev are closed to help in our efforts. We will take interest in our families whose kids are in the special units fighting back home in Azza [Gaza] — the craziness of their situation is beyond words. Most of the birthright groups who were to have been in guesthouse in Ein Tzurim and I was to speak to have cancelled as they are not allowed in the circles of the red alerts so they can only visit the northern half of the country. Only ZOA student group who are to come tonight have not yet cancelled. — kol hakavod to ZOA!.

Late last night we received notice which schools will open and which will not — so some kids here have school and some don't depending on decisions of Pikud HaOref and Moatzot and whether school has protected area or not. By this morning it turned out that almost all the kids are not learning today. They will be wandering around unprotected with no school and with some of their parents at work (those working north of Asdod-Yavneh) — a lovely situation.

Our koach this week comes from the koach of Channukah — and we certainly won't allow anyone to turn off those lights strength and miracles we so enjoyed last week. if we keep our eyes open it is easy to see the lights are still on in so many spots of chesed and caring. BE"h they will gets stronger and be seen and felt in more and more circles.

BE"H certainly soon Hakadosh Baruch Hu will let us know clearly why all this is LeTovah — we yearn for this time anxiously — meanwhile praying for this time gives koach as well as connecting with all you great people who feel care and understand.

PS Feel free to nudge Pikud HaOref (IDF homefont command) to provide us with Miguniot (small structures that are protective for some rockets that are placed in neighborhoods to run to for protection when have red alert of rocket attack) — sewage pipes are only protective against shrapnel at most but cannot protect against even the smallest of missiles as it is not thick enough concrete. No doubt our protection will come from Hakadoah Baruch Hu. As we had the zchut to see endless miracle, now people all over the country have the zchut. However we are still obligated to do our hishtadlut.

Anita Tucker was a farmer and had lived in Netzer Hazani, Gush Katif, Gaza, some 29 years, until she and all the other Jews of Gush Katif were expelled from their homes in August 2005. Her family is of the group that are settling down at Kibbutz Ein Tzurim. They are yet to be provided with permanent homes.

Contact Anita Tucker by phone at 972-54-7775268 or 972-8-8585744 or by email at atucker@bezeqint.net