6 5 4 1 2 3 144 145 Chapter Ten | Community Life Chapter Ten Community Life The togetherness and that special something within the Gush Ka�f community Community life was one of the most special and impressive assets of living in Gush Ka�f. It was a perfect, extraordinary and harmonious fabric of people, life and customs, despite their notable differences. The founders of Gush Ka�f came from all walks of Israeli society. People from southern Moshavim (rural se�lements), university graduates from the center, scholars from Jerusalem and veterans of the Nachal Brigade, who shared one common denominator - a yarmulke on their heads. There was also a group of Yamit evacuees and secular people who knew the sands from their reserve duty or trips to the area and felt connected to the landscape and nature. Together, they created a unique social-communal mosaic. The emphasis on solidarity and the fact that everyone accepted everyone, regardless of ethnic origin, religious observance, educa�on, or age, out of tolerance, apprecia�on, and mutual respect contributed greatly to crea�ng the community and the feeling that everyone was welcome. The shared work of the land also supported this feeling.1 The distance and geographical-physical separa�on from any large, central Jewish se�lement also played a part in turning Gush Ka�f into a cohesive community because they needed to help each other, be content with what they had and accept diversity. As a result, close friendships were formed within each se�lement and between the different se�lements, and the feeling was of one big family.2 Everyone felt that Gush Ka�f was their home, where they wanted to grow old, a place that provided everything a family needed in the Land of Israel.3 In her research, Miriam Billig notes that the se�lement in the Gaza Strip was built on communi�es and sub-communi�es. The communi�es differed from each other in their characteris�cs. Each community had unique features and a different way of handling situa�ons of tension and the threat of evic�on. Most were close-knit communi�es, and their cohesion became even stronger with the outbreak of the terrorist events.4 1 Independence Day in Neve Dekalim - A regional celebra�on 2 'Torat Chayim' student studies with Bnei Menashe 3 Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, Rabbi Elkana Kahana Shapira, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and Rabbi Yosef Elnekave at a Bar Mitzvah ceremony for the children of Gush Ka�f, 5671-2001 4 Inaugura�on of the house of the Kalfa family in Neve Dekalim on the eve of the disengagement 5 The morter-bombs Hanukkia 6 Independence Day March, 5764-2004 The unique 'togetherness' of the community meant they were united in their joys and sorrows, in cultural events and the synagogue, on the grass in the playground and on the beach. The feeling that there was someone familiar and loved in every home inspired security, independence and hope. From a young age, the children felt very secure walking around the se�lement alone because they knew they could turn to anyone in �mes of need.5 Charity Commi�ees were established in each community to help in �mes of joy, trouble, or sorrow. For example, when the Cohen family in Neve Dekalim had a quintuplet, the whole community rallied to help her for years. And contrary to that, when Tali Chatuel and her daughters were murdered, the whole community prepared to help the bereaved father in whatever was needed. For many months, he was helped and supported, day and night. Dealing with the Security Situa�on The security situa�on did not scare the residents, but it also bolstered the communi�es and their members. One of the most no�ceable proofs of the special atmosphere in Gush Ka�f was that despite the difficult security situa�on that prevailed there for quite a few years, people rarely chose to leave - a phenomenon that was illogical, not self-evident, and contrary to human nature. Moreover, Gush Ka�f suffered close to 6000 mortar bombs in the last five years of its existence and about 15,000 terrorist a�acks, and the number of residents only kept growing.6 For example, in Kfar Darom, the se�lement that suffered the greatest amount of casual�es, the popula�on doubled in the last five years in Gush Ka�f. Some second-genera�on members, the boys who got married, returned to live in Gush Ka�f, near their parents, despite the distance from the center and the dangers along the way.7 The feeling of security also stemmed from a cri�cal and no�ceable element at the founda�on of the religious residents of Gush Ka�f - a genuine, firm faith in the Lord. "We were u�erly devout; No one could overpower us, which strengthened and kept us going."8 The fact that thousands of mortar bombs fell on them, yet the number of casual�es was minimal, added to this and evoked in the residents the feeling that they were living in a godsend reality. Such miracles le� their mark on everyone, brought people closer to each other and made them realize the importance of their se�lement in Gush Ka�f, from which they drew strength and resilience.9 In her research, Billig claims that analyzing social capital and its components can teach and explain, to a large extent, the origin of the mental powers of Gush Ka�f residents. In her opinion, the religious and ideological factor is the dominant element in social capital, although not all se�lements were religious. The above-men�oned factors equipped the residents with internalized values that jus�fied their se�lement in the Gaza Strip despite the risks involved.10 The affinity of the residents of Gaza to their place of residence was powerful, and its roots lie in the consciousness of a na�onal mission, religious ideology and a concrete connec�on to the community.
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