Chapter Thirteen |The Destruc�on of Gush Ka�f 7 5 6 3 4 2 1 174 175 Lorem ipsum Opera�on Yad La'Achim failed on its first day. In most se�lements, the residents prevented the entry of the IDF and the police, and the orders were not handed over. On Monday evening, the chairman of the Neve Dekalim Secretariat, Lior Kalfa, was invited to a mee�ng with Major General Guy Tzur, the Southern Ground Forces Commander in Chief. The commander informed him that Neve Dekalim would be the first se�lement to be evacuated, and that on the next day, Tuesday night, the army would enter Neve Dekalim. Un�l that �me, it will be possible to leave voluntarily, and from Wednesday morning the departure will be forced. Kalfa returned home discouraged and broken. Later, he announced an emergency gathering of Neve Dekalim residents. On Tuesday, the 12th of Av, 5765 (08/16/2005), at 10:00 A.M., a large crowd came to the gathering. The full events hall proved that the Mateh's mission to keep the residents in their homes un�l the last moment was successful. Kalfa informed the a�endees that the deporta�on would begin that evening. Many burst into tears. Rabbi Kaminetzky, the regional rabbi, and Avner Shimoni, Head of the Council, talked about the wonders of God's ways and how everything can s�ll change, while Lior began talking about the technicali�es of how the deporta�on will be conducted, where there are packing cartons, and more. He recommended holding neighborhood meals to give people strength. The public thanked Lior for all his ac�ons as chairman of the Neve Dekalim secretariat and as a member of the campaign headquarters, and a�er a tearful song and dance, the conference ended. Everyone went home to get organized. "I don't understand what they thank me for. People have no idea where they're going tomorrow. I didn't take care of any arrangements for them...," Kalfa said to Rabbi Bornstein, and the rabbi answered: "You gave them the most important thing: Safeguarding their world of values." At some point, the army forcibly broke through Neve Dekalim's gate and sawed it down to prevent it from being closed again. As a result, clashes broke out between the residents and the police and Border Patrol forces. Garbage containers were set on fire, and bus �res were punctured. In the evening, long lines of soldiers and policemen dressed in black coveralls started entering Neve Dekalim. The difficult sight caused many to cry and realize the struggle was over, and deporta�on is imminent. Soldiers knocked on resident houses' doors to offer help and clarify that staying there a�er midnight would be deemed illegal.9 On Tuesday, the last day when residents were allowed to legally stay in the se�lements, most of them stayed in their homes. It was a tremendous victory of determina�on. People risked their future for their faith. Despite the army and government threats that those who did not leave on �me would not receive the compensa�on they deserved, the residents felt that by their ac�ons, by not coopera�ng with the authori�es and by their spiritual faith in God and His power, they would demonstrate absolute loyalty to God, which might succeed in reversing the decree. They felt it was their moral and ethical duty not to cooperate with the abandonment of that beau�ful land where they were privileged to live. They felt the test of faith un�l the last minute, so they avoided actual prepara�on. In the a�ernoon, a new Mikveh was inaugurated in Neve Dekalim, and a new Torah Scroll was introduced into the main synagogue, celebrated with singing and dancing. Only a small por�on started packing and removing valuables, including vehicles. Rou�ne life vis-a-vis the feeling of the near end. The feeling that the end was near was felt in every corner as early as Sunday, the day a�er Tisha B'Av. More and more containers and trucks were seen between the houses.10 Some residents felt that a psychological warfare was being waged against them, that someone had ordered trucks with containers to go around the se�lements to break their spirits.11 Residents of Elei Sinai received a bill from the electricity company to pay for the power cut.12 The regional council concluded its du�es. Its employees, mainly department heads, took their personal paperwork with them and, leaving the professional paperwork to the liquidator of the council on behalf of the government. And to increase the confusion - none of them received a no�ce of dismissal, yet the entrance to the offices was blocked. They were no longer employees of the council.13 Despite this, the residents endeavored to maintain a sense of normalcy - with flourishing gardens and bustling communi�es in every se�lement. At the community center, prepara�ons began for the tradi�onal basketball final game - the "Yulis Tournament" - which was also the last cultural event held in the sports hall at the community center of Neve Dekalim. Crowds of youth and adults filled the stands, holding signs in support of the struggle over their homes. The great excitement that enveloped everyone, mee�ng friends and neighbors, encouraged and gave them hope, that if they con�nue un�l the last moment, maybe something will happen a�er all.14 The forced evacua�on phase In the early morning hours of Wednesday, 12th of Av, 5765 (08/17/2005), the forced evacua�on phase began, and ba�alions of soldiers and policemen strode into the first two se�lements to be evacuated: Neve Dekalim and Ganei Tal. They marched like a Prussian parade, bringing along Yasam Troops (special patrol unit) dressed in black uniforms, a reminder of dark days in the history of the Jewish people.15 "It was hard not to compare this sight to familiar images from the Holocaust, and the very thought was shocking," said Hani Zadok.16 Holocaust survivors and members of the second genera�on who were among the residents, could not help but remember the last �me they met these black uniforms, 17 and the other residents immediately made this clear and painful connec�on.18 Shlomo Yulis recalls the sight he experienced when he was a 7-year-old boy, of the Bri�sh soldiers roaming the streets of Tel Aviv a�er they had put Dov Gruner to death (May God Avenge his Death) on the gallows.19 The image of the swarms of soldiers that filled the roads and paths of the se�lements became one of the most painful and humilia�ng images of the evacua�on. It was hard for the residents to ignore the thought that if such a quan�ty of soldiers had been guarding them, the situa�on would have been much different.20 1 Avi Farhan at the gates of Elei Sinai on the day of the evacua�on 2 Farewell from the Holy Ark at the Atzmona Synagogue 3 The regional council building a�er the evacua�on 4 Transporta�on of containers from Gush Ka�f 5 Protest and burning �res at the gate of Netzer Hazani on evacua�on day 6 The interior of the synagogue in Neve Dekalim on evacua�on day 7 Torah books are being taken out from Gush Ka�f
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