THE GILBOA IRIS book trailer

Shame on Us.

Neither side represents me, but both do indeed disgust me.

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/shame-on-us/

Overheard on the One Israel Fund day trip to the Western Negev

“Standing next to me is Eve Harow, our tour guide.”

“I’m deaf, so yell out when I call your name.”

“We don’t go anywhere without Asher.”

“Eve, before you get into your shtick, let me say something.”

“Is there anyone here who does not know what One Israel Fund is about?”

“We are not a touring company.”

“We fill the gaps that others do not address.”

“We connect people to what goes on at ground level.”

“Yep, that’s Marc, our cowboy.”

“I don’t mean to be so dramatic.”

“The Knesset is based on a Greek architectural theme symbolizing democracy and the Supreme Court is based on a Jewish theme of justice.”

“Eve, Asher wants to know where we pick up the Fruchters.”

“We’re leaving Jerusalem now.”

“When guiding, I never travel without my Tanach.”

“Where are we now?”

“Our wine trips…now those are real fun!”

“Wineries throughout Israel are winning international awards.”

“Those who live near wineries, you’ll find are much happier people.”

“A lot of interesting things going on around here.”

“This is like a country of drunkards.”

“There are many people denying there was ever a Kind David.”

“It’s very important to know what we’re up against.”

“Crusaders brought back the Chardonay grape from Israel…the name therefore comes from Shaar Adonai.”

“We’ll be meeting Anita Tucker.”

“She was happy to be known as the celery lady of Gush Katif.”

“It was a meter long.”

“A lot of friendly faces.”

“Welcome to Netzer Hazani!”

One Israel Fund helped us a lot with security and children’s programs in Gush Katif.”

“Do we have Kohanim here?”

“21 communities were destroyed to a pile of rubble.”

“We are now in Nachal Sorek.”

“With great difficulty we are rebuilding.”

“Every house you now see, takes the place of a house that was destroyed.”

“And there’s the basketball court…the most important feature.”

“Everyone from Gush Katif has a story to tell.”

 

“Gaza has the potential to be a home for Jewish families again.”

“First thing we did when we received land here was to dedicate a community center for Itamar Yefet.”

“What was destroyed has to be built again.”

“You can destroy buildings but you can’t destroy the spirit.”

“Can you hear the music? I hear it already.”

“Every person has to have a vision and believe in justice.”

“We’re not giving up.”

“Can you take my picture?”

“You can tell a man by his shoes.”

“You guys are great for wanting to come here.”

“One Israel Fund is amazing.”

“We’re bigger than divisiveness. At some point, we all have to come together.”

“How can you destroy synagogues?”

“So the synagogues remained, but one minute later our enemy came with the axes to destroy them.”

 “I don’t know how she does it.”

“Netzer Hazani should be a tikkun l’chvod Hashem.”

“Hi Anita. I remember visiting you back in Gush Katif.”

“Zahava, would my daughter and her friends be able to stay at Nezter Hazani for Shabbat?”

“Tell them they are welcome anytime!”

“Anita is something else.”

“We came away inspired. The horror brought out the best in us to move on and do whatever it takes.”

“Anita Tucker symbolizes so much of what is good in Israel.”

“It’s our honor to bring people to meet her.”

“We are now heading towards Gaza…on the way to Netiv HaAsara.”

“Eve, before you get into your shtick, let me say something.”

“One Israel Fund provides for the humanitarian, security and medical needs in Judea and Samaria.”

“We’re showing you the sides of Israel that people do not ordinarily see.”

“We enable people to be partners in our projects.”

“You all become our messenger.”

“Bring our message back to your communities.”

“We are one people and we only have one land.”

“Get involved. Speak to us.”

“I don’t use the word ‘Palestinian’.”

“I’m just being historically accurate.”

“Many southern communities have been turning to One Israel Fund.”

“We prevent terrorism before they infiltrate.”

“Tunnels are a big threat for the yishuvim.”

“OIF works in coordination with the army in developing new techniques and strategies for security equipment.”

“We are not reactive. We are proactive.”

“The south will heat up again and we’re working hard to prepare for that.”

“Can we donate to the Gush Katif refugees through One Israel Fund?”

“A security head from the south told me, ‘…we learned from our mistakes…We are all Netzarim.”

“We are One Israel and we help the southern communities too.”

“Asher, can you turn up the AC?”

“It was very emotional.”

“Are you the one who writes books? I also write!”

“We’ve got a tight schedule.”

“Lunch is confirmed.”

“Wake up!”

“We’re in Netiv HaAsarah named after ten soldiers killed in a helicopter crash.”

“Each house here was hit by some kind of rocket.”

“We’re in sand.”

“What about the fence?”

“We’re at the northern tip of the Gaza Strip.”

“There are refugees here not only from Gush Katif but also from Yamit in Sinai.”

“You can see how close they are.”

“There’s the Erez checkpoint.”

“The cameras are in the balloons.”

“Our female soldiers are on the ground staring at the screen.”

“That was my daughter’s job in the army.”

“We can’t drive through now, the army closed off the road.”

“This is a hotbed.”

“The Nakba was in 1948 when Arab communities were destroyed and NOT in 1967.”

“We humiliated them. To rectify their situation, they needed war and not a peace treaty.”

“Woe to any of us if we don’t listen to what the Arabs say.”

“This is where I wanted to be.”

“Petrified means turned to stone.”

“When is the next bathroom stop?”

“I’m of the same mind.”

“Up until two months ago the rockets were raining down here.”

“The next round is coming.”

“Most Israelis understand that when we left Gush Katif, we brought death and destruction on the western Negev.”

“We won’t go up there because of the snipers.”

“Sounds like a Clint Eastwood movie.”

“Not in my backyard!”

“This is a very sensitive spot.”

“Can you take my picture?”

“If there was a candidate that would say he’d shut down the water and electricity to Gaza solving the problem without sending our soldiers in, he’d be elected unanimously!”

“Is there a school in the area?”

“We’re heading for Sderot.”

“The IDF goes out of its way to save Arab children during war, yet we are blamed for the opposite.”

“We have to wean the world off of fossil fuels.”

 “Money is money.”

“Can you take a train from the airport to Jerusalem?”

“Be careful of the smooth talker.”

“It’s a huge challenge.”

“The Tanach teaches us, it’s not how you speak, it’s what you say.”

“King David united the tribes.”

“We’ve changed the world and that’s where the Jewish pride comes in.”

“Where are you originally from?”

“Great lunch!”

“Can I see that map?”

“Lunch was fattening, but the bread was really good.”

“Hey, I’m happy it wasn’t in a box with an apple in it.”

“Before you get into your shtick, let me say something.”

“Check out the urban art done by Artists for Israel.”

“OIF works with them beautifying bomb shelters.”

“They’re artists from the States, largely not Jewish, and they’re spreading the truth.”

“What you all should know, is that this cowboy is an incredible artist himself.”

“We have historical proof that Jews were in the south.”

“Somebody paid a price for us to be here.”

“There is not an Israeli family who hasn’t paid the price.”

“Everyone has two sides…Black Arrow Memorial is dedicated to Arik Sharon.”

“It’s important to inject balance.”

“Are the Israeli Paratroopers like the Marines?”

“Ha! They make the Marines look like a bunch of pansies!”

“My two sons are joining the army!”

“Do you know Steve Orlow?”

“Gaza is on our right.”

“There’s one of those balloons.”

“Israelis are a little nuts about flowers.”

“Everything is relative.”

“These were the staging grounds in the Gaza war.”

“Is this your first time on an OIF day trip?”

“Marc, get Eve a bottle of water.”

“Hazards of the profession.”

“Eve, would you like a sucking candy?”

“We are now passing the Gazan northern command army base of  IDF.

“Just look at me as Julie from the Love Boat.”

“My daughter lives in Nof Ayalon.”

“Are you related to the other Zahava Englard?”

“I’ll give you the pre-story before we get off the bus.”

“Anyone want water?”

“During the Byzantine era, it was not all Christian. In fact a mosaic from a synagogue, known as the Maon Synagogue, was uncovered nearby leaving a message behind.”

“I forgot my camera.”

“It’s such a small world.”

“Can you take my picture?”

“We’re planning on moving here.”

“We bought a place in Jerusalem.”

“Where are we going next?”

“Zahava, are we good?”

“Is everyone on the bus who should be on the bus?”

“OK we’re good to go.”

“Do you three always run the day trips together?”

“We call ourselves the Mod Squad.”

“Yeah, cuz no one else does.”

“We’re at the Egyptian border.”

“Who has bad knees?”

“This is a memorial to soldiers that fell in the Six Day War.”

“You might notice a tall tower behind me.”

“Gilad Shalit was kidnapped a short distance from here.”

“Hold on Marc, you want me to climb WHAT?”

“OIF has brought security equipment for the communities down here.”

“I know I sound like a commercial, but One Israel Fund is the only one doing it.”

“Did you climb the tower?”

“Sure did, ask me how I feel tomorrow.”

“I survived it.”

“The poles symbolize our soldiers who fell here in 1967 and the steel remnants on top were from the tanks.”

“We are right near Keren Shalom.”

“They just finished the fence here. Until then there were infiltrations each day.”

“They’re growing grass here and I don’t mean the enjoyable type.”

“Marc, when did you make aliyah?”

“I had a story book aliyah.”

“I learned how to laugh in Hebrew.”

“I was disappointed when I didn’t see people dancing the Hora when I landed at Ben Gurion.”

“People danced when I got off the plane, Marc!”

“Look at your maps and check where we’re going and you’ll see how far away from Kansas we are.”

“We’re heading down to Bnei Netzarim.”

“These people are literally on the fence.”

“They’d wake up in the morning to find Sudanese in their front yards.”

“One Israel Fund acted on it and provided special high tech cameras to prevent infiltration.”

“Look at the lovely growth in the desert. It’s amazing.”

“Six years ago, everything here was a desert.”

“In Gush Katif, Arabs destroyed what Israel made beautiful.”

“It’s very emotional being here.”

“We have toys to give to these children.”

“The first face you see when you’re in trouble are those of the security teams.”

“One Israel Fund developed a compact emergency medical kit for patrol cars and today we’re giving them out.”

“The Egyptian border is right next to us.”

“We gave this community a Tac Sight camera.”

“Meet Pinchas. He’s the ravshatz here and he was the ravshatz in the original Netzarim in Gush Katif.”

“What we’re doing here is in essence Zionism.”

“These guys are working the gound.”

“We’re going to visit the children now.”

“If they have musical instruments, I can play for the children!”

“If people have to go to the hospital, where do they go?”

“It’s not simple to live here.”

“Where do they do their shopping?”

“I’m a teacher and I find this school fascinating in the middle of nowhere.”

“Eve, before you get into your shtick, let me say something.”

“The strength we have here, we can give to you.”

“We connect Jews living overseas by having them partner with us.”

“You’ll feel ten feet tall.”

“Be in touch!”

Z-News out of Judea

Brought to you by Zahava Englard of One Israel Fund

On the road again with Marc Prowisor.

Starting out bright and early, I’m on the way down to the southern hills of Hevron with Marc Prowisor, chief of security projects for OIF. The jeep Marc drives, it’s back loaded down with a myriad of security and emergency medical supplies, greets the bumps on the road with a dull heavy thud. We stop at the Gush Etzion junction just south of Efrat to meet Ofer, the head of Hatzola Yosh. Marc opens the trunk of his weathered jeep and lugs out a bounty of emergency medical kits that OIF acquires thanks to the generous donations from our supporters.

.

It is One Israel Fund’s guiding principle to encourage unity and we therefore, work together with other organizations throughout Judea and Samaria. There are no egos involved, no elbowing one or the other for the spotlight; rather, we join forces with other groups to create a greater positive impact. 

There is one goal, which is to keep Judea and Samaria flourishing for the Jewish people. Building and further developing the communities along with proper security provisions can accomplish this.

To this end, One Israel Fund is dedicated to the safety of all the residents in all of the communities throughout Judea and Samaria and it makes sense to work in conjunction with others who feel the same way. Hatzolah Yosh, Tatzpit, Regavim are three such groups that OIF is proud to work with. It is the perfect prototype of achdut, unity.

Before leaving the junction, we meet an Israeli soldier from the Kfir unit working his beat. Marc notices that the shluker/camelback he is outfitted with is one of ours, the One Israel Fund emblem proudly stamped onto it. “We gave these out a couple of years ago,” Marc says pointing to the smiling soldier’s shluker. “It’s good to see how well they’re holding up.”

We wind our way back up the road to Caliber 3 tucked off the road northwest of Efrat where Marc speaks with a group of ravshatzim, heads of emergency response teams in Judea who are there for security training, a project funded by OIF. Assessments are made as to what type of security equipment is needed by each response team.

The surveillance equipment we provide is cutting-edge. With the information we gather from the response teams in the field, OIF works together with our manufacturers in making the necessary technological revisions. Our suppliers will update equipment and provide special components, modeling the equipment according to our specific needs.

Subsequently, the IDF has taken notice of what we are doing and the Home-Front Command is interested in working together with us in securing the civilians of Judea and Samaria.

Marc and I continue on highway 60 towards Kiryat Arbah. We stop at the gas station there that houses a small grocery store. I need a quick chocolate fix and Marc needs another coffee. From there we head further south towards Yatir, a community of over one hundred families that boasts an outstanding mechina, a pre-military yeshiva headed by Rav Moshe Hagerlow, a former Division Commander in the IDF. At the mechina, his students are highly motivated with love of the land and social activism. They regularly do farm work and gardening in the community as well as volunteering to help another local farmer in the area, a widow by the name of Dalya Har Sinai, whose husband was killed by Arab terrorists. Despite ongoing threats, she is staying put and OIF protecting her is a big reason why.  In addition, the students volunteer in Sderot and in hospitals.

At Yatir, we also meet with Shai, the director of the mechina who informs us that they badly need an exercise room for the students who wish to train before their army service. Many of these young men strive to serve in elite units. We’re told of three brothers who graduated from the mechina, each of them going on to become pilots. Shai shows us around, and we meet several students working in the kitchen, mostly city kids who are now experiencing a hands-on approach in connecting to the land, thanks to Yatir’s mechina.

We wind our way outside and up a metal staircase bringing us to a look out point that affords us a stunning panoramic view of the surrounding hills with the village of Sussia in the distance as well as the Carmel winery. Shai asks for One Israel Fund’s help in providing the funds toward the exercise room. He also tells us that Yatir’s ambulance is lacking some crucial equipment.

Marc instructs Shai to make a list of what he needs before we continue to the southern Hevron city council to meet Dan, the Regional Director of security in the Hevron Hills. He’s been waiting there for us to bring the shopping list of security equipment that each of the ravshatzim in the area requested for their response teams. It was getting late in the day, when Dan joins us and further discusses the type of security equipment that he requires. “Don’t say another word,” Marc tells him. “I know just what you need”. He follows us to the jeep and Marc shows him one of the latest state of the art mini surveillance cameras. Chanukah may be over, but Dan’s eyes widen, excited with this latest gift from OIF to add to his security arsenal.

In our travels, we discover a surprisingly large and successful cosmetics manufacturer who not only is a major exporter but he is the third generation of his family in the area and he employs Jews as well as Arabs to work in his factory. Marc and I walk through this wonderful find, uplifted by the living example of coexistence in the southern Hevron hills.

All in all, a good productive day.

The sun is just about to set when we head back home, passing by several Jewish communities along the way − most of them, secular while some are mixed.  I indulge myself in a nap as Marc drives north.  About a half hour later, he drops me off in Efrat and continues home to Shilo with an entire new list of requirements and security assessments for the Judea region.

There is an answer. One Israel Fund.

Be a partner with us!

www.oneisraelfund.org

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To be seventeen again? No thank you.