3 5 4 12 76 77 Chapter Five | The Se�lements Pe'at Sadeh A secular communal se�lement in the center of Gush Ka�f, that belonged to the Agricultural Center Pe'at Sadeh was a communal se�lement in the center of Gush Ka�f, one of its youngest se�lements. The first 13 families arrived in 1989 at the 'Slav' encampment in the heart of Gush Ka�f, where they lived in difficult condi�ons in trailers and pre-fab concrete cubes.1 The founders of the se�lement resided in the south of Israel. They sought a young se�lement, cheap housing op�ons with a backyard, and a good place that would provide them an opportunity to advance in life and also offer them a quality of life.2 The nucleus was formed through the Labor Party's 'Agricultural Center' - the movement that se�led Pe'at Sadeh and its neighboring se�lement, Rafiah Yam.3 The regional council opened a kindergarten and a daycare center there and promoted the construc�on of the permanent se�lement. The Minister of Housing at the �me, Ariel Sharon, promoted the construc�on of about 100 structures. Within a year and a half, the houses were already built. A poli�cal change ensued in Sivan of 5752 (June 1992), and the Rabin administra�on came to power a�er 15 years of Likud rule. The new administra�on's declared policy was to freeze construc�on in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. A members' mee�ng of the nucleus at the Slav encampment, decided to move into the new houses, but Rabin did not allow the move into the permanent buildings. The leadership of the se�lement decided to force their way into the houses. At the beginning of 5754 (end of 1993) the residents moved independently to the permanent homes. Street ligh�ng was privately connected to the na�onal electricity grid. The electric company was unwilling to connect the private homes to the na�onal grid, and the residents ran temporary cables from the public ligh�ng to their homes. They lived like this for six months, un�l the Head of Council, Zvi Hendel, met with Prime Minister Rabin, and the la�er approved connec�ng the homes to the na�onal electricity grid. From that moment, the se�lement began to develop. A kindergarten and secretariat were built there, and the se�lement fostered gardening and cleanliness. In England I saw the tomatoes I grew Shai Hemo: I arrived in the se�lement in 1889, when it was s�ll in the Slav encampment. We were the second family to arrive at Pe'at Sadeh. In the permanent se�lement I grew cherry tomatoes. A�er struggling with the bureaucracy, I got permission to set up my own 100 sqm packaging house, it was very small. Inside, I had packaging machines, raw materials and workers, a small office and packed produce on pallets. The first pallet I took out from there was beau�ful and exci�ng. Each package read "Shai Hemo" and it was exported to England. Then, I got a call from the truck, that the pallet had flipped over. How depressing... Since then, I have dispatched thousands of pallets. My produce became famous in England. I went to a chain store in England and saw my own produce there. I walked around for two hours from one side of the supermarket to the next, and all I could see are Gush Ka�f cherry tomatoes. The main task was the absorp�on of new families.4 The se�lement was considered secular, but religious families also lived there. Despite the differences in their way of life, the se�lement was cohesive.5 The main problem was earning a living. As a communal se�lement, the families were supposed to earn their living from outside employment, but the increased Pales�nian terrorism made it difficult to commute. As a result, many families le�. In Nisan of 5758 (04/05/1998) a discussion held in the Se�lement Division was a�ended by the Head of Council, Ahraleh Tzur, representa�ves of the se�lement and the Director General of the Se�lement Division, Avraham Duvdevani. The mee�ng discussed the issue of Pe'at Sadeh's con�nued existence, given the residents' struggle to find sources of income. The Regional Director, Hanoch Almasi, said that there was land for ten agricultural families in Pe'at Sadeh (as in the second secular se�lement, Rafiah Yam), but there is not enough water. The a�endants in the discussion agreed that the Se�lement Division would find solu�ons for the lack of water in favor of the first ten families that will be engaged in agriculture. It was also suggested that the se�lers integrate into the Neve Dekalim industrial zone as salaried employees in factories or entrepreneurs in empty areas where industrial buildings will be erected. The parent movement, the 'Agricultural Center', proposed bringing reinforcement nuclei to the se�lements.6 The first two families to win farm units were the family of Nisan Dolinger and the family of Jacob Mazeletrin. Over �me, most of the se�lement's members engaged in agriculture, and the rest worked in other free trades.7 Nisan Dolinger (May God Avenge His Death) was murdered by one of his employees on the 1st of Sivan 5762 (05/12/2002) 1 Aerial photo of Pe'at Sadeh 2 A view at the new houses 3 A memorial site to commemorate Nisan Dolinger (May God Avenge His Death), who was murdered in the se�lement's greenhouses 4 The entrance sign to the se�lement 5 The tomato greenhouse
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