By Shalom Pollack
I visited an “outpost” today.
What is an outpost? In the current Israeli context, it is usually a remote hilltop surrounded by mostly bare rolling hills as far as the eye can see. If you are an Arab or a leftist, you are vehemently opposed. If you are a proud nationalist Jew, you love it.
Sometimes there is an Arab village to be seen in the distance—or a Jewish one (the “mothership,” if you will).
They settle on government land that has not been walked upon for centuries. This is in contrast to much of the land settled by Israelis in “pre-1967” Israel; and that was conquered from enemy Arabs in 1948 and from which Arabs were expelled.
Who lives in these places? Young idealistic Jews whose very identity and life’s purpose is tightly wrapped up with the Land of Israel, its people, and its Torah, similar to Jewish pioneers in Israel 100 years ago (perhaps minus the Torah).
A big difference between today’s idealists and those of 100 years ago is that the earlier ones knew that they were adored by the Jewish masses, for whom they were willing to sacrifice. The pioneers of today, however, are all too aware that they are considered public enemy number one by most of the opinion-making class in Israel. The treatment they receive from the authorities attests to that regularly.
To add to their stark living conditions, the danger of Arab violence and theft, there is also the uncertainty of their future in the face of the Israeli establishment that can swoop down any night and flatten it all. Anything can be expected. Police have dressed as Arabs and provoked Jews. When Jews respond, they identify as police and arrest them.
Alongside the road, as we continue to our destination, I see dozens of Bedouin dwellings on public government land. These will probably become thousand-year-old “Palestinian villages” in a few years. The government has a poor record when it comes to enforcing the law with these trespassers.
Just before we drove into the grounds of “Malchei ha-shalom” (named after two young Jews killed by terrorists not far from the site), we passed piles of wrecked homes. These were former army barracks in which the first families lived when I visited the first time two years ago. To my horror, I saw the results of how Israel treats public enemy number one today.
We drive on and come to a remarkable site. The two families and at times single yeshiva men who live here are creating an oasis. Green lawns, trees, and flowers planted give this bare hilltop a beauty and sense of blessing. What green can do! In addition, there is a flock of sheep and horses.
A top British official said a long time ago, “They say that the Arabs are the sons of the desert. I beg to differ. I have observed that they are the parents of the desert. Wherever they settle, they create a desert.”
Things have not changed except for the palpable other side of the coin: “wherever the Jews settle, they banish the desert.”
When we arrived, there were only two souls to greet us—a young mother and her infant. She is one of two families with a combined 11 children.
The men work at jobs away from their home and the children are carpooled to an established Jewish village almost an hour away. Our hostess comes from a family of “settlers.” She was ordered to leave a hilltop last year when leftists and Arabs demonstrated and made threats. The Israeli authorities wanted quiet, so they ordered the Jews to pack up. So she moved here.
She feels that it is the organizations well funded by Europe and the American left that have the greatest impact on the authorities and that the Arabs are often tools in their hands. “The authorities only want quiet,” she says with disappointing resignation.
“Why are you here?” I ask her.
I knew the answer. I just wanted to bask in the warmth of her energy and love for the land.
“I do it for Am Yisrael, of course.” But, she said upon further reflection, “I could not do otherwise. I do it for me and for my children. I could not have it any other way. This is who I am.”
I knew it. I love it. That is why they are my heroes.
No doubt they will lead this country soon.
What of the future? “G‑d willing, it will be good. So far we have no indication of any expulsions. We are optimistic.”
As we parted, I looked forward to a normal, comfortable Shabbat in my secure bourgeois community, while the two families will have to divide the night shifts for guarding against Arab sheep thieves.
They will have an amazing story to tell their grandchildren.
Shalom Pollack is a licensed tour guide in Israel. For further information about upcoming tours, including a Sukkot tour on October 8, please visit ShalomPollackTours.com.
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