Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Question & Answer With Shifra Shomron - Remembering Neve Dekalim


A Simple Jew asks:

In your book "Grains of Sand" The Fall of Neve Dekalim", you wrote,

"The tragic events regarding Gush Katif burned in me, forcing me to take pen in hand and spill the burning lava of my thoughts and emotions onto white paper."

Now with two years behind you since the time you and your family were expelled from your home in Neve Dekalim, have your opinions about the State of Israel lost any of their intensity? Do you feel that is hard to remain living in a country that betrayed you?

Shifra Shomron answers:

Two years since Disengagement have not lessened my feelings regarding the State of Israel. Perhaps, I should first state that Disengagement itself did not change my feelings towards the State - though perhaps it sharpened them. I do not feel that my country betrayed me - since I never had any trust in its leaders.

Indeed, looking back in our history, we can see that little has changed in the ensuing 60 years of statehood. David Ben-Gurion refused to conquer all of biblical Israel in 1948 though he admittedly had the capacity to do so. He then gave away the Sinai and Gaza in 1956. Levi Eshkol refused to annex the re-conquered lands in 1967. Golda Meir publicly announced that she could forgive the Arabs for attacking us but she could not forgive them for teaching us to kill. In other words, she preferred sacrificing Jews rather than defending them. Menachem Begin was the first Jewish Prime Minister to forcibly remove Jews from their homes in Israel, as he destroyed the Jewish communities in the Sinai region and gave the Sinai to the Egyptians. And the more recent Prime Ministers have done nothing to make us trust them. So why should I feel betrayed? Have I ever been given reason to expect alternative behavior from Israel's leaders?

However, my identity with the State of Israel is not because of the leaders but rather in spite of them! As a daughter of the Jewish nation, this is my land. This is my heritage. And I love my country and my people - and do my best to make this a better place by participating in national elections, writing articles, publishing my historic novel "Grains Of Sand: The Fall Of Neve Dekalim", and studying to become a high-school English and Bible teacher. Yes, it is difficult to live in Israel - but God gave this land to the Jewish nation, and this is where I belong.

6 Comments:

At August 22, 2007 at 6:16:00 AM EDT, Blogger A Simple Jew said...

A somewhat related posting from Rabbi Lazer Brody from today can be seen here

 
At August 22, 2007 at 7:25:00 AM EDT, Blogger yitz said...

Thank you Shifra, and may it be soon that "nashuv l'chol yishuv" - that Hashem leads us back to each & every settlement in our Holy Land that has been forsaken! May it be today.....

 
At August 22, 2007 at 11:28:00 AM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

shifra, i have your book. you are an inspiration. may H" continue to guide and strengthen you for a long and healthy life.
i always use the term "precious jews of gush katif" because to me, they,you, are extremely precious to the jewish people. when the expulsion was happening the emotion and devekut of gush katif residents made a deep impact on me and propelled a feeling for the need to make aliyah.
i think there are more jews than you realize who love and appreciate and respect the residents of gush katif and want to see them return.
i remember when all those people came to the kotel.
listen, i personally would be happy to take any of your history or torah courses. i would consider it an honor to learn from you.
don't only teach high school. teach adults also.
thanks to simple jew for putting you up on the blog.
pls let the yehudim of gush katif. the precious yehudim of gush katif know that we keep them in our prayers and that we never forget...and we ask H' daily to return you to your land. the place that with H's help you made into a paradise and a beautiful example of what life can be.
chazak chazak!!!

sincerely,
joshua spiegelman/yehoshua ben-moshe halevi
joshuaspiegelman.com

 
At August 22, 2007 at 3:53:00 PM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yasher Koach on another great post. "L'toeles HaRabim", I posted a link to it. Thanks & B'soros Tovos. Judah Mischel

 
At August 23, 2007 at 12:47:00 PM EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear bloggers,

Thank you very much for your supportive comments! It strengthens us Gush Katifnics to know that people still care! Kol Ha Kavod to you for your continued good efforts.

May we speedily return,

--Shifra

 
At August 28, 2007 at 3:07:00 AM EDT, Blogger Batya said...

Shifra, what can I say? other than you're amazing

 

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