Israel Hayom..
14 July '13..
On a scorching summer day last week, I enjoyed some shade under an ancient olive tree at a beautiful vantage point in Maoz Zvi in northern Samaria. A pleasant breeze moved between the branches and diffused the summer heat. Below us stretched the Dotan Valley in all its glory. The blue sky and the green earth made love as bright rays of sunlight lit the fruits of their love with a slow dance. Gone were the smoky chimneys of the Hadera power station that had accompanied us along the way. The air was clean as it poured into our windpipes.
David Botzer, a former elite Israel Defense Forces commando whose family built the farm at the vantage point, pointed to a pit into which Joseph had been thrown by his brothers in biblical times.
Around the olive tree, some sheep gathered. Without noticing, these sheep have become fighters for our right to live, build and be built in the Land of Israel. Olive trees and sheep are spearheading our return to our historic homeland, the land of our forefathers.
Four families of Jewish herders live in this picturesque isolated spot. Two of them look like drawings of the biblical fathers straight out of the illustrated storybooks we would leaf through as children. Young girls and boys, breathtakingly beautiful, moved rapidly between the rocks on the hills, looking as though they had never set foot on a paved sidewalk. Women wearing head coverings -- the true heroes of the settlement enterprise -- traded homes in opulent Raanana for old caravans. They are humble, content with the little they have. They are far beyond the foolishness of material luxury. It is a picture of the beautiful land of once upon a time; of the Zionist dream that has since been eroded by years of perceived plenty. In 50, maybe 100 years, historians will write about young couples and their children who held onto the homeland and thanks to whom Israel retained its historical borders.
In the settlements of Mevo Dotan and Hermesh, we met some wonderful characters. Real pioneers who, despite the challenges and the painful deaths of neighbors and friends along the pathways of northern Samaria, never abandoned their communities. They continued to carry the torturous burden of building the Land of Israel. We saw mixed communities made up of both observant and secular Jews who share a common sense of mission. Far away from the cynicism and swampy decadence of Tel Aviv, a life of vision and faith is taking shape.
About ten minutes' drive later, we jumped forward thousands of years into a modern industrial park. At Park Shahak we visited a tire recycling plant (motto: "We didn't invent the wheel, we just recycle it"). Hundreds of thousands of tires are brought to the plant each year to undergo a sophisticated process that turns them into an expensive rubber powder. This powder, in turn, can be used to coat sports courts or, mixed with asphalt, to pave roads. At the plant, Jews and Arabs work side by side in true coexistence. This is a peace that exists without politicians, without written agreements, and certainly without any territorial concessions.
The moving finale to our northern Samaria visit took place at an impressive factory built by the Beth El community of Israel-loving Christians who migrated decades ago to Zichron Yaakov. The manager of the factory, a young man speaking fluent Hebrew with a German accent, took us on a tour of the research and production wings. We were extremely impressed with the level of sophistication of the products, the machinery and the assembly lines. The factory also houses an industrial school that trains Israelis to work in the industry.
At the entrance to the factory is a handsome glass plaque. I asked the manager to explain the plaque and he said there had once been a grave dispute among the elders of the community on whether to invest in a factory in the area which might end up being given to the Palestinians. It was a terrible dispute that was finally resolved by the words of the prophet Isaiah. The prophet's words are quoted on the plaque: "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited" (Isaiah 54:2-3). If the Jews had been swayed by Isaiah's prophecy, the entire Land of Israel would already have been gloriously built.
On our way home, we saw the land of Harish. Right then I knew in my heart that in a few years, perhaps 20 years, thousands of housing units would be built in this place. Hermesh, Mevo Dotan and Harish will become one enormous community that will glorify the vision of Zionism. The Land of Israel as it was envisioned by the prophets.
Link: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=4975
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