4 3 1 2 212 213 Chapter Sixteen| Regrowth Chapter Sixteen Regrowth The first days a�er the uproo�ng from Gush Ka�f - from the house, the community, the se�lement, the sources of livelihood, and the land - were arduous for all. Those were days of mourning, accompanied by tremendous anger, tears, condolence visits from family members and friends, and above all, the realiza�on that the struggle over the home was over. Only a�er the pain has been processed and abated could the acceptance of new reality begin, as well as the transforma�on into a different lifestyle, each at their own pace.1 Few of the evacuees moved to the motor homes built for them in the Nitzan complex. Most were taken to hotels and guest houses na�onwide - in Be'er Sheva, Ashkelon, Hefetz Haim, Jerusalem and more. Some of the se�lements, aided by private ini�a�ves rather than the government, reached independent agreements whereby they moved to field schools, seminaries and colleges across Israel, like the residents of Netzarim who moved their en�re community to the student dormitories of Ariel University in Samaria. Some Atzmona residents decided to live in tents in the 'City of Faith'—in the industrial area of Ne�vot, and Elei Sinai residents moved into tents at the Yad Mordechai junc�on Some families rented apartments in various places, seeking some 'alone �me.' Despite being dispersed across Israel, they were all united by the sensa�on that they had hit rock bo�om, physically and mentally, and from there, one can only grow. Belonging to a community of each par�cular se�lement, and Gush Ka�f as a whole supported them during the rehabilita�on and development period. The fact that most residents were displaced with their en�re communi�es, and most stayed within the Gush Ka�f community, even if not always in the original one, helped them resume their rou�ne and even regrow. The communi�es that fought and labored to stay together hoped it would enable them to grow stronger faster.2 The resilience of the people and communi�es a�er the disengagement set the wheels of change in mo�on, mobilizing government ministries and various bodies. Thanks to them, today, the former residents of Gush Ka�f reside in 22 new communi�es across Israel. A short-lived grief period The people of Gush Ka�f did not have the luxury of mourning for long. Some communi�es had to decide in a hurry where they wanted to establish their permanent se�lement. The elders, who had already gone through all the tedious processes of establishing a se�lement, a home and a livelihood - just sought the necessary strength to start over. Furthermore, it soon became evident how difficult it would be to construct the new se�lements. It was broadly demonstrated in the tes�monies before the State Commission of Inquiry.3 The Se�lers Commi�ee Following the ini�a�ve of the Gush Ka�f Rabbinical Council and the Mateh (headquarters of the struggle), and out of a desire to maintain the communal frameworks, the first body that resumed full func�on immediately a�er the displacement at a collec�ve level was the Se�lers Commi�ee. The residents' council of Gush Ka�f transi�oned from the 'Struggle Headquarters' before the disengagement into a 'Se�lers' Commi�ee' therea�er. This body represented the uprooted popula�on. Beaming with op�mism and raising the banner, it soon started opera�ng on several levels vis-a-vis the evacuees, the communi�es, the state and its various ministries, as well as the various par�es who wanted to help. The commi�ee aimed to address the needs of the evacuees wherever they were, reinstate a sense of normalcy as quickly as possible, reconstruct the se�lements, and simultaneously record and preserve the consciousness of Gush Ka�f. To this day, a decade a�er the uproo�ng, the commi�ee s�ll labors to strengthen and support the communi�es, help disadvantaged families, correct injus�ces in the evacua�on laws, care for youth, promote concentrated construc�on, and cater to the needs arising from the field.4 The commi�ee was co-chaired by Rafi Seri, Lior Kalfa and Doron Ben Shlomi. Its current chairperson is Eliezer Auerbach. Rabbi Kobi Bornstein, one of the heads of the struggle headquarters and a member of the Se�lers Commi�ee, tes�fied: In prac�ce, the rabbis of Gush Ka�f prepared for this and qualified us, the people of the 'Mateh,' to become the body that will deal with the reality of the day a�er when the en�re leadership collapses. In the first days a�er the uproo�ng, the only leadership that func�oned comprehensively for all Gush Ka�f residents was the rabbinic leadership, which pushed for establishing the 'Se�lers Commi�ee' and toured all communi�es to li� their spirits.5 The first drawbacks and ways to remove them The leaders of the se�lements and communi�es faced the daun�ng task of recons�tu�ng the community. They had to navigate the decision-making process for the new des�na�on and grapple with bureaucra�c hurdles. Their goal was to relocate the en�re community, establish a new se�lement, and assist each individual in finding a new home. 1 Plan�ng in Neta, a new se�lement in the Lakhish region 2 A view of Bnei Dekalim, a new se�lement in the Lakhish region 3 The se�lement of Shomria in the Negev 4 A view of the se�lement: Neta
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