56 2 1 3 4 54 55 Chapter Five | The Se�lements "Bringing a family to the Land of Israel should be done at any �me and with joy, and I wanted to feel it first hand," he said, and began to assist them in bringing their belongings into their homes. Excited, they stayed up all night, watching the first sunrise over the se�lement. The truck driver was awe stricken: "I cannot understand you," he reiterated - "Do you know where you've arrived at? That is why you are so happy?"... 2 A�er two months, six more families arrived. A�er the evacua�on of the Yamit region, in Nisan of 5742 (April 1982), they were joined by the se�lers of Atzmona. Members of the Bedolah nucleus, the 12 families, who were few and lonely un�l then, could not hide their enthusiasm for the surprising and refreshing growth. A�er eight months, the se�lers le� Atzmona and moved to Slav. Once again, they felt lonely, but it drove the families to start building their permanent homes. Each family chose the lot they wanted, with priority given to the first six families. At the request of the se�lers, the moshav was built in the shape of a star with four intersec�ng roads.3 As long as they were at their temporary point, Morag, un�l 5745 (1985), Bedolah was an amalgama�on of Moshav and Kibbutz (i.e., 'Moshabutz'),4 but when they moved to the permanent se�lement, on Rosh Chodesh Adar B of 5746 (03/11/1986), they became a moshav, and in fact, cons�tuted the eighth se�lement of the Gaza Strip.5 For Hapoel HaMizrachi Moshavim Union the establishment of Bedolah served as an adequate solu�on for con�nuing offsprings of farms who were not given plots in their places of birth. Most of the moshav members engaged in advanced greenhouse farming (peppers, tomatoes, insect-free vegetables, and more) for export and for the local market.6 In 5754 (1994), a�er the Oslo Accords, eight families of new immigrants from France were absorbed into Bedolah, as part of a special project of the moshav to absorb immigrants from France.7 In 5765, 40 families lived in Bedolah. On Wednesday, 12th of Av 5765 (08/17/2005), the se�lement was evacuated as part of the disengagement plan.8 1 Rabbi Benny Alon dances with the residents of Bedolah at the ceremony when a Torah scroll is brought into the se�lement 2 The entrance gate to Bedolah 3 The ceremony of bringing a Torah scroll into Bedolah 4 Bedolah children on the dune near the se�lement 5 Aerial photograph of Atzmona 6 A look at Atzmona It was a sad moment, when the dune was taken down Nitza Perry: There was a dune in Bedolah like no other in Israel. We would go up there with the kids, travel and have fun. We played in the dune for about two and a half hours and returned home. A�er a few years, it turned out that the dune had to be taken down to build greenhouses in its place. It was a sad moment in the history of the se�lement. Bnei Atzmon (Atzmona) A religious coopera�ve se�lement in the Southern part of Gush Ka�f near Rafah, belonged to to the 'Amana' Se�lement Movement Moshav Atzmona broke ground for the first �me in the Rafah region on the 23rd of Adar 5739 (03/22/1979)1 as an appropriate Zionist response to the 'Camp David' agreements and to stop the uproo�ng of Sinai.2 On the 26th of Nisan 5742 (04/19/1982), residents of the Yamit region were evacuated without resistance, without knowing where they were going, where they would be dropped off, and what exactly would happen to them. While they were wai�ng to be taken away, Reuven Rosenbla�, Head of the Gaza Coast Regional Council, unexpectedly arrived and informed them: "I may have commi�ed a serious offense, but I concluded things in advance. You will get off the bus not in Tel Aviv, but in Gush Ka�f." Amazed, they agreed on the spot. The buses took them to Moshav Morag, and other families arrived on their own in Netzer Hazani. Morag was only a temporary outpost for Atzmona evacuees. The Se�lement Division had a be�er proposal - to move to the temporary encampment in Slav, which was called Bedolah back then. "Bedolah Nahal stronghold is designated as a temporary se�lement for the Azmona nucleus," - wrote Aryeh Meir from the Se�lement Division on the 18th of Sivan 5742 (06/09/1982) to the Head of the Youth and Nahal Division in the Ministry of Defense - "That is why we are reques�ng to civilianize the place at the end of the current cycle, i.e., end of June/beginning July of 1982. The infrastructure and construc�on work for the civilian nucleus would already be carried out in the field, but un�l it is properly civilianized there will be no damage to the stronghold facili�es so as not to disrupt the rou�ne lives of the Nahal se�lers."3 These were the stormy days, when Opera�on Shlom HaGalil (the 1982 Lebanon War) just started. The en�re state was looking northward, to the IDF soldiers figh�ng in Lebanon. A few people were interested in what was happening on the southern border, and also the evacua�on of the Yamit region seemed to be forgo�en. Exactly one month a�er the war broke out, on the 4th of Tamuz 5742 (July 5, 1982), the people of Atzmona - 15 families, 60 children and addi�onal 15 single individuals - moved to Slav, the Bedolah Nahal stronghold, their third pitstop.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgzNzA=