YOUNG ISRAEL GUSH KATIF SHALOSH REGALIM CAMPAIGN

Aaron Troodler, New York - As time marches on, the story of Gush Katif inexplicably continues to fade into the background. We no longer read about the expulsion on a regular basis, and media coverage of the episode has all but disappeared. The problem, however, is that the story of Gush Katif does in fact persist, albeit in a different vein.

When the 8,000 residents of Gush Katif were forced to leave behind their homes and evacuate their communities in August 2005, the world watched in horror as these proud men, women, and children were driven from their houses and sent away. In an effort to achieve “peace” and appease our enemies, the Israeli government made the unthinkable decision to expel the Jews of Gush Katif and Northern Shomron and send them into oblivion. The government’s unimaginable actions reverberated throughout the Jewish world and sent shockwaves through a nation that had to witness the expulsion of Jews by their own government.

Three years later, the problems for the families from Gush Katif have multiplied and forced the evacuees to confront a whole new set of trials and tribulations. Monetary aid for the families that was promised from the Israeli government never fully arrived. Men and women who were gainfully employed while in Gush Katif have been unable to find work and are having difficulty supporting their families. Hundreds of families are living in caravans, rather than standard homes. Poverty has permeated the community and has forced the families to sacrifice even the most basic needs of daily living.

Recognizing the dire situation that many of the families from Gush Katif sadly find themselves in, the National Council of Young Israel (“NCYI”) got involved and embarked on a campaign to offer much-needed assistance to the families.

The effort began when the NCYI organized an emergency food distribution campaign before Sukkot 2007. Two days before Yom Tov, the NCYI, together with the Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel (“CYIR”), and in conjunction with the Yad Ezra organization in Israel, provided more than $50,000 worth of food to families who had been evacuated from Gush Katif. With the help of Eugen and Jean Gluck of Forest Hills, Queens, and many others who made additional financial contributions, the National Council of Young Israel purchased truckloads of food for Sukkot. The food was delivered to over 500 families in Nitzan, as well as to many other Gush Katif families in the Golan, Ashkelon, and various other cities.

“While there are many worthy tzedakahs that are certainly deserving of our benevolence, this campaign focuses on the most elemental aspect of daily living – putting food on the table,” said NCYI Executive Vice President Rabbi Pesach Lerner. “Although many people are fortunate to live in relative comfort, we cannot forget that some of our Jewish brothers and sisters have virtually nothing. The families of Gush Katif find themselves in a terrible predicament that materialized as a result of circumstances beyond their control, and it is up to us – the people who have the ability to help – to do so.”

After witnessing the outpouring of gratitude and expressions of genuine appreciation from the families of Gush Katif, the impact that the food distribution had on them was a revelation for all those involved in the campaign, and the Simchat Yom Tov that it engendered made it very clear that there was a tremendous void that had to be filled.

As preparations for Pesach 2008 began to take shape, the National Council of Young Israel again undertook to provide the families of Gush Katif with the food that they would need to be able to enjoy Pesach, and experience true cheirus. With Eugen and Jean Gluck of Forest Hills leading the way once again, the NCYI collected over $150,000 which was used to buy much-needed provisions for the families. As was the case with the Sukkot campaign, the money that was collected went to purchasing the food and none of the funds were used to cover other overhead costs.

Several days prior to Pesach, 4 truckloads carrying more than 25 tons of food came to Nitzan, where they delivered the food to the families of Gush Katif. Families who used to live in Gush Katif and now live in temporary housing in communities and cities throughout Israel, all came to Nitzan, which was the central distribution point, to get food for Yom Tov. In addition, the NCYI and Yad Ezra arranged to have another truckload of food delivered to families in Sderot, whose ability to prepare for the chag was hampered by the Kassam rockets that rained down on their community.

The Pesach food distribution included 7 tons of fruits, vegetables, and potatoes, 2 tons of Matzah, 50,000 eggs, 3 tons of dairy products, 2 tons of fish, 1 ton of meat products, 5,000 chickens, 10,000 bottles of wine and grape juice, 3,000 bottles of cooking oil, 4 tons of canned and dry foods (tuna, sugar, spices, cake meal, coffee, etc.), soda and other drinks, as well as candy and nosh for the children.

The food that was distributed to the more than 700 families in need impacted the former residents of Gush Katif in ways that no one could have possibly anticipated.

“Imagine opening the refrigerator and seeing it full,” said one woman, “We were able to enjoy the true spirit of the chag. It was the first time that we had to worry about having ample room in the freezer since the expulsion.”

“It is good to see that people remember and give,” said one mother from Nitzan, “You cannot imagine how much joy a simple piece of chocolate can bring to our children.”

“My kids were as happy as they could have been if we had just left Mitzrayim,” said another mother.

“All of a sudden we had food in the house,” said one woman, “My children thought that my husband had finally been able to find a job.”

The effect that the food distribution campaign had on the families of Gush Katif extended far beyond the simple appreciation of the food. The mere fact that people were once again focusing on their plight gave the families a tremendous amount of chizuk.

“Someone from America cared,” said a man from Nitzan, “It was almost as if people had forgotten about us.”

“In the beginning everyone remembered – now only you,” said one of the mothers whose family received food.

“We were always givers, not takers,” said another man, “We didn’t want to be in this situation – it wasn’t by choice.”

“My husband died in 2004 in a terrorist attack,” remarked one woman, “On behalf of myself and my seven children, thank you. May you always be able to be on the giving side and not on the receiving side.”

“It is impossible to describe our appreciation,” said another woman, “This was a dream come true. We experienced a true Chag Sameach.”

Rabbi Michael Strick, the Director of the Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel, assisted in the food distribution in Nitzan.

“Nitzan residents feel that the consideration and benevolence of the Young Israel movement provided them with a respite from the burdensome worry of day to day survival,” said Rabbi Strick. “Caught up in an adjustment process which means calibrating coping skills to apply to close quarters and minimal privacy after having lived in open air, space rich communities is tedious and draining. Knowing that there are organizations such as the National Council of Young Israel that care, gives them an injection of hope and belief that in the end they, the evacuees, will find the strength, creativity, and ingenuity that are characteristic to Jews under duress. They believe it is a long haul and they are hopeful that young and old will find the necessary support systems to endure without losing their basic belief in the centrality of the State of Israel to the Jewish people today and for the future.”

The driver of one of the trucks who is associated with Yad Ezra and who helped deliver the food before Pesach recounted a story that essentially summarized the dire situation that the families of Gush Katif face, and the obstacles that they are struggling to overcome.

He spoke of a woman who approached him as he was unloading the food from the truck and told him that her husband passed away four months before the expulsion. She recalled how he used to tell her that if anything were to ever happen to him, Hashem would always help her and their children. Now, several years later, every single day is a struggle. Shabbat and Yom Tov are especially difficult, as she is unable to provide the food needed to make a proper Shabbat or chag. Despite her situation, she is embarrassed and does not want to ask for help. The driver said that as he gave this woman a small wagon to fill with food for Pesach, he noticed that she could not stop taking provisions that she so desperately needed. In fact, recalled the driver, she needed so much food just to make Yom Tov for her family, that she finally accepted help from one of her friends who had a car, and who was able to help her transport the food to her caravan.

“This whole project was done b’kavod, with respect, and with a great deal of help from individuals and shuls from throughout the United States,” said NCYI President Shlomo Mostofsky, “We are extremely fortunate that we were able to help our fellow Jews when they needed it most. Just as we remember the pain and anguish that the families of Gush Katif suffered when they were forced out of their homes, we must also remember that their current situation is still dire, and that they desperately need our help in order to survive.”

With the campaigns for Sukkot and Pesach behind us, Rabbi Lerner noted that it is now time to turn our attention to Shavuot.

“Despite the enormous success of our latest food distribution campaign, Pesach is over and unfortunately the refrigerators are once again empty,” said Rabbi Lerner, “As we count the days of the Omer and realize that Shavuot is right around the corner, we must remember that the families of Gush Katif desperately need our help to supply them with food for Yom Tov. For us, items such as wine, challah, fish, blintzes, and cheesecake may be staples of our Shavuot meals, but for these families, they are luxuries that they cannot afford to buy on their own.”

Rabbi Lerner encourages everyone to contribute to the National Council of Young Israel’s Shalosh Regalim Campaign in order to help the families of Gush Katif enjoy the Yom Tov of Shavuot, and to enable them to have the same sense of Simchat Yom Tov that other Jews are able to experience.

People are urged to join the NCYI in sponsoring a family for Shabbat Parashat Naso and Shavuot, the long holiday weekend. Over 1,000 families need our help, at a cost of between $180 and $250 per family. The more we can give them for the “weekend,” observed Rabbi Lerner, the more they will have as “leftovers” and other meals for the rest of the week.