As part of a project called “Revitalizing Gush Etzion Junction”, men and women activists of Women in Green set out, together with residents of the Gush, to carry out the renovation and restoration of the Gush Etzion Junction. The place which was marked by the incidents of recent months as a focal point for terror attacks and defensiveness has begun to take on a new, thriving and inviting look.

 

The activists and residents together with youth from the surrounding area, decorated the path that goes up to Oz veGaon, overlooking the Junction, with decorative plants and natural rocks of the area, a “Welcome to Gush Etzion” sign was placed on the slope toward the nature preserve, and as part of the objective to improve the appearance of the place, the Gush Etzion Council had an oak tree of about a hundred years planted in the center of the square.

 

“We took on this initiative from the understanding that normal life, which is what we aspire to here, cannot exist if we feel that we are living in a bunker and with an atmosphere of having to defend ourselves. The square at the Junction is actually the calling card that welcomes those who come to the entrance of Gush Etzion, Israelis as well as tourists, and the appearance of the concrete barriers is not a welcoming sight”, say the heads of Women in Green, Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, the initiators of the project, which won warm encouragement from the military commanders of the area.

 

We are filled with gratitude and appreciation for the IDF soldiers its officers who spend days and nights here to maintain the security of the residents and as part of the daily battle with terror, but nevertheless in our public domain, and especially at the central square of Gush Etzion, we wish to project an inviting and friendly sense, and this is what we wanted and succeeded to achieve with our latest campaign”.

 

Katsover and Matar praise the youths from the communities of the Gush and Judean Hills who joined the activists who dedicated long days of work in renovating and improving the face of the Gush Etzion Junction. The two women also note the artistic contribution of the students and teachers from the Art department of Neve Hanah School, who worked on the artistic adornment of the concrete protection barriers scattered throughout the bus stations, the hitchhiking places and the guard posts at the junction. “We were able to do all of this thanks to donations from Jews in Israel and abroad, and especially the members of AFSI”, said the two women.

 

This coming Friday (July 1, 2016) will mark two years since our ascension to Oz veGaon, the nature preserve that was established and renovated in memory of the three youths who were abducted, may G-d avenge their blood. The date will be commemorated with a family happening, a musical appearance and attractions, attended by the head of Gush Etzion Council, Davidi Perl, and members of the abducted youths’ families. “At the event we will salute the residents, our wonderful youth, IDF soldiers and their commanders, businesses at Gush Etzion Junction, the many visitors who make Oz veGaon a bustling, lively place and the hitchhikers who maintain the blessed routine of life”, say Katsover and Matar.

 

 

Photos credit Women in green

Photo of the Welcome to Gush Etzion sign at night: credit Gershon Ellinson