Uplifted Spirits mixed with Shock atEitam
TheJewish ownership of Eitam is gradually becoming based.
Yesterday,Friday of the Torah portion of Beshalah,after hearing a fascinatingshiur by rabbi Shlomo Kimche, the Committee for the Development of Eitamand Women in Green conducted a tour with dozens of people in jeeps, to thehill, that had been purchased in 1946 by the Himanuta Corporation. After legalstruggles, the longed-for permit was received, to establish an agriculturalfarm there.
Everyonewas in uplifted spirits, to return to the land that the Arabs were certainwould remain theirs forever. Thanks to the reliable testimony two years ago inthe court-hearing by Mordechai Aharoni, who had been present in 1946, as aseventeen-year-old, to the purchase of the land (some 300 dunams) by theredeemer of the lands of Gush Etzion Mr. Molcho – there will not only be a farmthere, but, with G-d’s help, a neighborhood.
Ouruplifted spirits were accompanied by shock. The Arabs are closing in on the 300dunams from every side. New terraces were built, areas were fenced off, a newbuilding was constructed, all this under the watchful eye of those supposed tobe supervising. From experience, we know that they know how to supervise …over almost every planting of ours on state lands there are CivilAdministration stop-work orders.
Theland at the top of the hill is rocky, on the slopes there are plots that areeasier to cultivate, filled with earth brought by the rains. The almond treesare almost ready to blossom, water in the cracks in the rocks glistens in thesunlight that greeted the land’s owners returning to their heritage.
Unfortunately,we could not take too much pleasure in the view from Eitam, because we receivedan urgent call to come to Netzer. Jews replanted a plot that had been uprootedby the Arabs, and then a confrontation began. The Arabs summoned the CivilAdministration, the Police, and the IDF. All of them came. It pains us torealize every time from anew that the authorities’ basic conception is that thepeople of Israelhas trespassed to a land not its own, that the Arabs are the true owners of theland – and the Jews are a nuisance, a trespasser, an occupier. Accordingly, ouractivity is twofold: (1) to impress upon people’s consciousness that this isour land; and (2) it is necessary to guard it, cultivate it, and apply Israelisovereignty over it.
WithG-d’s help, coming up to Tu bi-Shevat, we plan to plant on Eitam, this time asa major event, with the participation of the Efrat Local Council. We arehopeful that these plantings will receive maximal Jewish protection. At thesame time, we do not intend to ignore the other hills of Eitam, and we willcontinue to act on them until their full redemption.
The Committeefor the Development of Eitam and Women in Green
for details:
YehuditKatsover – 050-7161818, Nadia Matar – 050-5500834
Attached are pictures of the shiur given by rabbi Kimche- of the jeeps driving to the newhill and of the group at the new hill
