3 5 4 1 2 36 37 Chapter Five | The Se�lements The children benefited from this mission Rabbi Yitzhak Amitai: We came to Morag on our own for a period of two months, under the premise that coming for two months would not pose a big risk. Morag is close to Atzmona, a fi�een-minute drive. Our house in Atzmona remained with most of the equipment, my wife's and my workplace remained in the Atzmona Talmud Torah, the same society also remained as before, so we assessed that this was not a step from which there is no turning back. We moved to a very lively, interes�ng se�lement, a different society in terms of openness, flow, and friendliness. A�er the first two months, we stayed for another six months, and then another six months, and so we stayed un�l the uproo�ng. We asked our own family, and the Idles family who moved with us, whether our being here brings any blessing. Each �me there were debates on the ma�er, and I think - without talking about what it did to the se�lement, Gush Ka�f and the people of Israel - that it must have been a blessing for our children. They moved to a se�lement where, apart from the children of the Idles family, they had no friends their age, and in this respect, they supposedly paid a price. S�ll, they earned significantly from the mission and the willingness to partake. The people of Morag were very open and forthcoming, with no hidden agenda, and we felt terrific there. In the winter of 5742 (1982) Morag was inhabited by a nucleus that was intended to establish Moshav Bedolah. For four years, the nucleus stayed put un�l it moved to its permanent loca�on in the center of Gush Ka�f.6 On the 26th of Iyar 5742 (05/19/1982) the residents who evacuated from Moshav Atzmona, joined Morag. They stayed there for about eight months, un�l they moved to 'Slav', on their way to the permanent se�lement of Mitzpe Atzmona.7 During 5746 (1986), four new nuclei began to form for the establishment of new se�lements in the Gaza Strip. One of them was the Morag nucleus, which was intended to civilianize the Nahal stronghold of Morag and turn it into a religious workers' se�lement.8 At the end of 5747 (September 1987), a group of se�lers arrived in Morag, most of them from next-gen Negev se�lers, who were eager to engage in farming. A�er a long period of �me as a transit sta�on, Morag regained its status as an independent se�lement, a religious-agricultural workers' se�lement belonging to the Hapoel Mizrachi Moshavim Union. The first group of se�lers comprised ten families - out of a nucleus of 120 families, most of whom le� over the years. A�er six months, only six families remained in Morag, probably due to the distance, the loneliness and the day-to-day hardships. This situa�on lasted for about a year, and the problems only worsened. The se�lers found themselves every Shabbat and holiday troubled by where and how they would gather the require quorum (Minyan) for the prayers. They decided to ask the soldiers who were guarding them to join in for the quorum. The soldiers agreed, and the se�lers asked no ques�ons. Only a�er the prayer did they discover that the kind and disciplined soldiers, who came to complete their quorum, were of a Druze denomina�on... There were also the familiar physical challenges in Gush Ka�f - living in the small pre-fab concrete cubes le� by the army. Only later were the trailers brought in. Tap water was salty and suitable for washing, just barely for showers. The residents had to carry water home in jerrycans from a central water tank, from various water sources in Gush Ka�f se�lements, or from nearby southern se�lements. This went on for three years. The generator also acted as it saw fit, causing many sudden power outages. In the first years, there was no Mikveh in the se�lement, and the women had to risk traveling at night to the nearby se�lements. There was also no kindergarten due to the small number of children, and the children of the moshav had to travel every morning to the kindergartens in the different se�lements of Gush Ka�f. Trips to classes were also exhaus�ng, and more than once the children were prevented from leaving the se�lement even in the a�ernoon. The moshav's loca�on, as an isolated spot in the southern part of Gush Ka�f, soon proved to be an advantage. The exit to the Negev was through the Sufa checkpoint. Unlike the majority of the residents of Gush Ka�f, the residents of Morag bypassed Khan Yunis thanks to this checkpoint, especially when the in�fada broke out, two months a�er they broke ground. Li�le by li�le the se�lement grew, family a�er family, and only when the 11th family arrived, did prosperity come. It was possible to pray in the quorum even if one individual was missing... Later, a rabbi also joined the se�lement - Rabbi Yom Tov - and the number of families further increased. 9 Following the Oslo Accords and the difficult security reality that was created in the area and which le� the se�lement isolated in the southern Gaza Strip, a new nucleus of Atzmona residents, and alumni of Rabbi Kook's Yeshiva in Jerusalem, joined Morag10. To strengthen the se�lement, a group of 15 families, mostly graduates of Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva, urban Ashkenazis, religiously observant, who belonged to the Na�onal ultra-Orthodox movement (Na�onal Haredi). They established a community in Morag, where religious students from other se�lements in Gush Ka�f also studied. This group was received with many concerns by the veterans due to the religious, sectarian and cultural differences between them and the new comers. Over �me, harmonious rela�onship were formed between the various gorups, leading to the development and prosperity of the se�lement and the construc�on of public buildings and permanent homes. Yeshiva members advocated a policy of full integra�on in the se�lement; prayers were held in one synagogue; solidarity between women was growing strong. Although the youth a�ended different schools, the ac�vity in the youth movement was shared by all the children of the se�lement.11 The security situa�on worsened with the outbreak of the Second In�fada on Rosh Hashanah of 5761. Travel to and from Morag was only possible with a military escort for any vehicle. This made life very difficult and oppressive, mentally and physically.12 About two years later, when the security situa�on began to relax, and the social issue strengthened, some of the families who had le� also began to return to Morag.13 In the month of Av 5765 (August 2005), 40 families lived in Morag.14 The se�lement's residents were evacuated from their homes on Wednesday, 12th of Av 5765 (08/17/2005).15 1 Itzik Amitai plan�ng a tree with an IDF soldier 2 A sign on the fence of Morag se�lement 3 A street in Morag 4 The synagogue in Morag 5 A view of Morag
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