1 2 110 111 Chapter Seven | Educa�on and Culture In its first year, the seminary for girls and its 15 female students of the 9the and 10th grades, was housed in Moshav Gadid. It was later moved to Neve Dekalim. Part of the staff of the 'Neot Ka�f' school moved to work at the seminary for girls. At first the all-girls religious high school enrolled mainly girls from outside Gush Ka�f, but following the security situa�on, this had changed and most of its students were from within Gush Ka�f. According to the current school principal, Rabbi Yair Gantz, the all-girls high school was established as an 'academic house' based on a holis�c view that educa�on does not only ins�ll knowledge but primarily educates. And so he wrote a�er the evacua�on: "Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down" Boarding-house schooling offers many opportuni�es to shape a mature, responsible, leading personality in the na�onal, communal and social realms. This reality has proven its outcomes �me and �me again in an indescribable way during the emergency rou�ne in which the residents of Gush Ka�f lived for many years. As an academic house, the working premise was that the events we undergo cons�tute a Jewish, Zionist, educa�onal and religious challenge of the highest caliber, an addi�onal, important chapter in the ongoing war for the revival of the people of Israel in the Land of Israel. Therefore, by strengthening each student's personal and mental resilience and projec�ng it toward their homes, the general atmosphere in Gush Ka�f and the surrounding communi�es, we can all con�nue to exist and evolve. We have generated educa�on based on a personal and binding rela�onship, an atmosphere of dialogue and open communica�on, values of responsibility, trust, respect, tolerance, and vision, a shared educa�onal concept, educa�on for a complex viewpoint over reality, mutual apprecia�on, crea�vity and iden�fica�on. All of these created a great love for the school, which was essen�ally a second home.23 Shoshi Altman from the school's faculty elaborated about this love and the sense of home in the girls' high school: The girls' high school was a kind of family, a home, for teachers, staff and students. Family means trust, relaxed rela�onships, and friendship. If something happy happens to you - everyone is delighted with you, and if something sad happens - they are all saddened with you. When mee�ng a teacher a�er the holidays - it means hugging her. The kitchen served as a central hub, indulging the staff and students with much love, like in a family. The best indica�on for this was that graduates return and are happy to do so. They are involved in everything that happens.24 Ronit Avitan, a veteran teacher at the all-girls religious high school, emphasized the educa�onal-social aspect: "It was a blessed educa�onal ac�vity, with an emphasis on values. The girls would go on seminars and operate within the community. Over the years, the team became professional, par�cipated in various programs, and even won awards."25 The extensive social ac�vity did not impair academic achievements in any way. One could study for five credit points in all subjects and simultaneously par�cipate in educa�onal and social ac�vi�es. The school did not promote excellence, nor was it achievement-oriented per se, yet the significant investment in academic achievements placed it at the top decile of matricula�on scores.26 Yeshiva High School 'Tsvia Ka�f' Rabbi Noah Wijunsky, the Rabbi of the Ka�f se�lement, ini�ated the establishment of the Yeshiva High School, but to enable enrollment of addi�onal students from outside Gush Ka�f, a boarding school was added to it. The Tsvia Network partnered in establishing the Yeshiva, hence the name 'Tsvia Ka�f.' For five years (from 2000 to 2005) it was headed by Rabbi Shlomo Cohen Duras, and in the last year by Rabbi Ari Katz. The uniqueness of the yeshiva was the Environmental Track, which taught about the sea and the environment. This included Torah programs related to the sea, such as "blue" and its produc�on from seashells. Much was also invested in the social domain - within the boarding school and in diverse, extensive social ac�vi�es. The disengagement interrupted the pipeline of programs and led to the closure of the yeshiva because it was too 'young' - only five cohorts - and did not have enough �me to build a legacy to keep it together a�er the uproo�ng.27 State Educa�on There were five secular se�lements in the Ka�f region: two in the south - Rafiah Yam and Pe'at Sadeh, and three in the north - Elei Sinai, Nisanit and Dugit. The small number of children and the distance between the se�lements did not jus�fy the establishment of a State School in Gush Ka�f. Thus, the children enrolled in ~14 different primary and elementary educa�onal se�ngs within Habesor region, in Yad Mordechai, Shaar HaNegev and Ashkelon. To that end, the regional council arranged an extensive transporta�on system to and from all des�na�ons.28 Nitza Cohen of Rafiah Yam, who taught at 'Yuvalei HaBesor' school in the HaBesor region and whose children also studied there, said that they received great empathy, apprecia�on and assistance from the school, who felt that thanks to Gush Ka�f residents, the HaBesor region was protected. The children and teachers felt at home there and managed to keep close contact with friends from the region.29 The Department of Educa�on The Department of Educa�on cared for every child who lived within the regional council's boundaries; it promoted and assisted with anything that could support learning and educa�on, star�ng with finding educa�onal solu�ons for those who did not find their place in the exis�ng se�ngs within Gush Ka�f and ending with finding a suitable framework for each child according to their needs and abili�es. One of the Department of Educa�on's key challenges was maintaining a steady rou�ne even during difficult �mes from a security perspec�ve. That task prooved extremely challenging. The policy was to keep the educa�on system open at all �mes, even during bombings and shoo�ng incidents and throughout the struggle against the uproo�ng. Indeed, except for the demonstra�ons par�cipated by all Gush Ka�f residents, the educa�on system operated con�nuously. Educa�onal ins�tu�ons in the Gaza Strip were protected against mortar bombs, and in Adar of 5765, a new bulletproof school building was inaugurated in Netzarim.30 The council's Department of Educa�on operated in full collabora�on with the 'Child Development Unit,' which diagnosed and treated children with physical and academic disabili�es; the 'Psychological Service,' which provided pre-medical services to the residents; and the 'Ka�fari'—the pe�ng zoo in Neve Dekalim, which provided educa�onal responses and treatments for individuals and groups. The director of the Psychological Service, Moshe Hamiel, said: We engaged with parents and students on stress and crisis management and no�ced that children o�en reacted in accordance with their parents' reac�ons. The significance given to events determined the response. Gush Ka�f was well equipped with the necessary strength to cope. Hence, children did not lose their childhood; there was fear, but it did not stall life.31 It is worth no�ng that the Ministry of Educa�on supported educa�onal ins�tu�ons throughout the years in all areas, even during Rabin's government when Shulamit Aloni served as Minister of Educa�on. All employees and supervisors were accomoda�ng and helpful, regardless of their poli�cal orienta�on.32 1 Students of the high school Yeshiva 'Tsvia Ka�f' in the Ka�f se�lement 2 students of the 'Tsvia Ka�f' high school Yeshiva at a joint meal with the head of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Shlomo Cohen-Doras.
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