7 8 5 6 3 4 2 1 164 165 Chapter Twelve | The Struggle Over Gush Ka�f that region to everyone in Israel. They radiated strength, op�mism and a life rou�ne but did not ignore the severity of the situa�on and clearly and truthfully described the various exis�ng and expected difficul�es.12 Ka�f-net The 'Ka�f-Net' website, founded and operated privately by Mo� Sander of Ganei Tal, also contributed greatly to bring the true face of Gush Ka�f to Israeli society in all its aspects, while bypassing mainstream media. Prayer and Cry As the date for implemen�ng the displacement drew closer, the Mateh decided to share their cry with the Israel na�on by holding mass prayers inside and outside Gush Ka�f, arranging mass gatherings, including women and children, for Torah studies and Psalms reading, and praying at the Western Wall and sacred burial places. Many came from outside Gush Ka�f to cry out to the heavens with the residents.13 Demonstra�on A few days before Rosh Hashanah 5765, seventy thousand people came to Jerusalem for a demonstra�on en�tled: "The Disengagement is tearing up the na�on." Tours In addi�on to the external ac�vity, there were also ac�vi�es within Gush Ka�f. Thousands of people were taken to Gush Ka�f by hundreds of buses and given tours of the area. For many of them, this was their first encounter with Gush Ka�f. Most of them only heard about the region from the media, and all they always saw were barbed wire fences and soldiers. They le� the tours shocked and confused because they did not expect to see such a prospering region, with calm and kind people, and beau�ful, modern houses. Poli�cians, military personnel and intellectuals were also invited to learn about Gush Ka�f and its people up close, with the hope that something would change. They also enjoyed and admired what they saw, but nothing further.14 March On the last Independence Day of Gush Ka�f's existence, the residents held a celebratory march along the paths of the region. Crowds of people came to par�cipate in the march, above and beyond the planned forecast. "There was a feeling that God's spirit was hovering on Neve Dekalim," said Rabbi Bornstein.15 The large number of guests from outside Gush Ka�f encouraged the residents, and they believed someone would help them in their �me of need, but they sobered up quite quickly, as can be seen from the words of Avner Shimoni, head of the Regional Council during the Disengagement: I understood that salva�on would only come from the people, which will condemn the Disengagement Plan when the �me comes. I believed that if we showed the public the beau�ful and normal Gush Ka�f, explain the importance of the place to the State of Israel and the mistake of the planned move - everything would be canceled. Unfortunately, I encountered the indifference of the people and the lies of the poli�cians. Our wonderful residents stayed un�l the end, because it was not about money, but about the place and their responsibility for it. 16 Leveraging the Orange Color As part of the orange campaign, there were also the orange ribbon, the orange bracelet, and the 'Orange Cell' - students who campaigned in universi�es against the Disengagement Plan. 1 A prayer mee�ng in Neve Dekalim 2 Blowing the Shofar and crying out - with Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu 3 Suppor�ng women from women's organiza�ons abroad, who visited Gush Ka�f 4 Demonstra�ons in ci�es 5 Support rally at Lake Ka�f 6 The orange bracelet 7 Orange at kindergartens 8 Orange T-shirts hung to dry in the Ka�f region
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