3 1 2 50 51 Chapter Five | The Se�lements In the winter of 5763 (2003), a synagogue inaugura�on ceremony was held in Slav, commemora�ng Uriel Peretz (May God Avenge His Death), a student of the preparatory school in Atzmona who was killed in Lebanon. It was ini�ated by his brother, Eliraz, a local resident. The parents donated the Holy Ark, the chairs, the podium and the valance. Crowds of people a�ended the ceremony. On the 11th of Nisan 5770 (03/26/2010), Eliraz Peretz, who was the Deputy Commander of the 12th ba�alion in the Golani Brigade, was also killed. He was killed in an exchange of fire with terrorists in the Kissufim area during a chase that was conducted a�er them in the Gaza Strip. Two weeks later, another ceremony was held - the introduc�on of a Torah scroll donated by a Jewish community from New Jersey, commemora�ng the martyrs of the preparatory school of Atzmona. The ceremony was a�ended by foreign representa�ves of the community as well as the vic�ms' parents. In 5763, 26 residents lived in Slav. In 5764 (2004), their number increased to 42.8 In the summer of 5764 (2004), four out of eight families le� the place. However, the rest, including the absorp�on coordinator Hadas Madmon, soon rebounded and started a renewed absorp�on opera�on, bringing five new families into the se�lement.9 In Av of 5765 (2005), 11 families lived there. On Sunday, 16th of Av 5765 (08/21/2005) the residents of Slav evacuated from their homes, without the interven�on of the IDF forces.10 1 A look at Slav 2 A trailer at Slav 3 Aerial photograph of Moshav Gadid I felt like I had returned home Ayana Yogev: On Elul of 5765, when I arrived at Slav with my husband Amichai, I felt like I had returned home. As a na�ve of the nearby moshav Atzmona, I spent my childhood between these houses, in the years a�er the withdrawal from Sinai, un�l the moshav moved to its permanent point, in Bnei Atzmon. We were among the eight families that founded Slav, almost all of them graduates of the pre-military preparatory school in Atzmona. Gadid A Religious Moshav Ovdim (worker's village) near Khan Yunis, that belonged to the Hapoel HaMizrachi Moshavim Union The idea of establishing Ka�f D was already devised in Nisan of 5739 (April 1979), right a�er the peace treaty with Egypt was signed. The Deputy Minister of Defense, Mordechai Tzipori, directed the Na�onal Security Unit at the Ministry of Defense to prepare a plan for Nahal outposts, including Ka�f D, "because of the poli�cal need to hold on to the Gaza Strip." On the eve of Independence Day 5739 (April 30, 1979), the Inter-Ins�tu�onal Se�lement Commi�ee decided to establish the stronghold.1 Three months later (24th of Tamuz, 5739 - 07/19/1979), the blueprints were submi�ed for the construc�on of the stronghold that would serve as a focal point for the planned se�lement. The plan included the construc�on of residen�al homes for 80 soldiers and staff members, and the construc�on of buildings that would serve as headquarters, warehouse and armory, toilets, a clinic, a dining room and kitchen, a club and a synagogue. In December of that year, a staff officer of the Military Government approved transferring 1.2 hectares of State lands near the stronghold to the World Zionist Organiza�on and the Se�lement Division for the sake of a vegetable garden.2 In Tamuz of 5740 (07/02/1980) the stronghold broke ground under its new name - Gadid. The Governmental Names Commi�ee decided that, in addi�on to the many agricultural names that graced Gush Ka�f se�lements, Ka�f, Morag, Netzarim and more, there is also room to pay respects to the thousands of date palms planted in the Gaza Strip and call the se�lement a�er the date harvest - Gadid. The official ceremony was held about two months later, on Elul 5741 (September 4, 1980). It was a�ended by the Deputy Minister of Defense, Mordechai Tzipori; Head of the Youth and Nahal Division, Raphael Shefer; the new Nahal Commander, Col. Amnon Eshkol; the parents of the Nahal youth; and many guests. "The Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria are not Sinai. In these areas, the Jewish se�lements will not be a subject to bargaining," Tzipori declared. All the while, five families and ten single individuals were wai�ng in Kfar Darom, for permission to civilianize the spot and turn it into a new se�lement. As early as 9th of Iyar 5739 (04/06/1979) 12 families entered Kfar Darom, des�ned to populate the se�lement of Gadid. It was a nucleus formed by families from all over the country. As in the old Moshavim, the Hapoel Mizrachi Moshavim Union was in charge of establishing the nucleus but received considerable assistance from the neighboring council, the Azata Regional Council, which sought to take care of the next genera�on of its se�lements, the con�nuing offsprings. Thus, several families gathered from Shibolim, Beit HaGedi, Shuva and more, who wanted to establish an agricultural se�lement. They were joined by other families, alumni of the Nahal, and three single individuals. The members of that nucleus stayed in Kfar Darom for three years and four months, longer than the Netzer Hazani and Ganei Tal nuclei, who also lived there in prepara�on for the se�lement of their designated points. When they moved to Gadid, the nucleus already numbered 15 families. In 26 of Sivan 5741(06/28/1981) the official groundbreaking ceremonies of Gadid and Gan Or were held,3 but in prac�ce, the arrival of the se�lers was delayed.
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