A Field Report

Other sites have this up but Laura's report belongs here as well.

Uncommon Ground

Laura Ben-David, Neve Daniel
E-mail: Laura@LBWx2.com

Neve Daniel is an incredible place to live. Situated 1000 meters above sea level, in the beautiful and historic Judean Hills, it has lovely red tile-roofed homes with panoramic views of Jordan to the east, Hebron to the south, the Mediterranean coast to the west, and Jerusalem to the north. Its sunsets and sunrises are almost as
unparalleled as the fog it is famous for which often blocks them. It is populated by amazing people whose first concern is always "the next guy". In Neve Daniel even life's challenges are made that much more bearable by the kindness of others and a true willingness to help out those in need.

Thus it was with great shock to learn of our neighbors' plight and the utter inability of all those Neve Daniel neighbors to do anything about it. Today, less than 24 hours after the orders were received by residents of Neve Daniel North, known as "S'deh Boaz", more than 100 soldiers and police officers, complete with bulldozers and heavy equipment, converged upon the community with the intent to destroy a new home, a foundation for another new home, and a stable to hold this
gentle community's horses and donkeys. The crime? Why, being there, of course. Though the land was bought and paid for by Jews even before 1948, apparently ownership and legality have no bearing on these decisions. The Jews and Arabs have been in a land grabbing competition in Israel for years. This is nothing new and we are all guilty of it.

But for some reason Jews keep on being expelled. Perhaps we are accustomed to it after so many centuries that we do it to ourselves out of habit.

I left work today in a rush after a distraught Lexi, my 14 year-old, called me to tell me all that had occurred at S'deh Boaz, she having been a witness to it all. As I approached Neve Daniel, I saw a convoy of police and army vehicles at the road leading up to the neighborhood. My eyes welled up in tears as I realized why they were there. I unconsciously flashed back to events we enjoyed at S'deh Boaz since our Aliyah to Israel three years ago: From our first Tu B'Shevat (Jewish Arbor Day) when we joined our community planting trees there with our own hands to this past Rosh Hashana, when I brought several families with me to a natural spring at S'deh Boaz for tashlich when we traditionally "cast away" our sins into a body of water.

I arrived home and did all I could to comfort my distraught children. Lexi not only saw what happened, but was slightly injured in the violence that ensued having been knocked down. She reported that she had been trying to get into S'deh Boaz and found the way blocked by several policemen who were standing there laughing. This was too much for Lexi who said to one, "Imagine if this was happening to you!"

To which the policeman replied, "It isn't me; It isn't you either! What do you care?" What can you say to that? Of course she did care and found another way in.

Lexi was traumatized when she watched an Israeli bulldozer driven by an Israeli soldier raze an Israeli home and stable. This gentle, eco-friendly neighborhood of secular and religious Jews, who live in harmony in the beautiful Judean hills is just a 10-minute walk from my house and a 10-minute drive from Jerusalem. My 16-year old, Shira, was there earlier. Both went in the true spirit of Neve Daniel- to do what they could to prevent a bad thing from happening. But what could teenaged girls do against an army? What could 250 Israeli neighbors, friends and supporters- men, women and kids - do against their own soldiers and police? Unfortunately the soldiers and police had no such reservations. A very violent day ensued with kids literally being lifted into the air and thrown to the rocky ground; one boy was thrown against a wall so hard that he was bleeding heavily from his head. Another boy was so violently handled that it is likely his leg was broken. In fact tear gas was used on non-violent kids who were in the house trying to prevent its demolition. In all, 12 youths were injured and 11 youths were arrested. I am embarrassed to report all this. It never should have happened. But it did. Around this time hail started raining down from the sky, pelting people. Girls everywhere burst into
tears as one despondently remarked that it was the heavens crying. I would not be surprised.

For me, the saddest moment of the day was when my sons, 11 year-old Eitan and 9 year-old Ezra, both extremely anxious, wanted to know if the soldiers might one day destroy our home in our precious Neve Daniel. What could I say? I hope it will never happen. I don't think it will happen. But after the terrible evictions this summer I cannot be certain of anything. The best I could do was to hug them and tell them that G-d only gives people what they can handle. It truly broke my heart.

Life is challenging enough without our purposely self-imposing greater difficulties. Why would we do this to ourselves as a nation? Do we need to have people bombing us in order to remain united? Isn't it possible for us to look out for each other instead of tearing out our very souls to appease others? Perhaps the rest of our precious country can look to places like Neve Daniel and S'deh Boaz as incredible
examples, both of caring one for another and of Jews of diverse backgrounds living in harmony together. Israel, please don't make an example of S'deh Boaz; let S'deh Boaz set an example for you.