Remembering Gush Katif, 2005

“Before I went to bed at night I cocked my M16. I was now the only family living in Kerem Atzmona, a hilltop settlement in Gush Katif. For a neighbor I had a Merkva Tank and from my window I could see a 10 story building where terrorists would shoot and throw grenades. There were ‘fireworks’ every night…”

The above was my dear Rabbi Aharon HaLevi’s experience living in Gush Katif before and after the expulsion in 2005. I asked him to reminisce with me, looking at everything through emuna eyes:

Was it frightening living there?

“We felt like it was the safest place in the world. We felt that Hashem wanted us there, many miracles happened and continued to happen. In the four years there were never any problems. We sensed Hashem protecting us always.”

What was daily life like before the deportation?

We lived a four minute walk to the Arab city of Khan Yunis which has 250,000 inhabitants. I was learning in the famous Yeshiva Torat HaChaim under Rav Shmuel Tal shlit”a. Life continued as normal for the residents of Gush Katif. There were rumors about giving back the land to the Arab’s, but no one was really taking it seriously. Only occasionally was it mentioned in the news. Life was going on as usual, secular and religious people lived side by side.”

When did things begin to feel hectic?

As time went on the reports did begin to grow. Some families bargained with the government to receive money if they would willingly leave before the expulsion date. This created a rift within the unity normally found amongst the settlers since most of those who left were of secular, non-religious background. Suddenly the simple task of making a doctor’s appointment was problematic since we didn’t know if we’d be living in Gush Katif or not. But we still didn’t believe it was going to happen. I wasn’t in denial, but it just didn’t seem that it would actually take place. At the same time I wasn’t denying the possibility and I knew that I had Emuna if it did…”

What was your spiritual state like during those days, what was giving you strength to cope?

“As we got closer to the date, our Emuna was really getting stronger, I just kept reminding myself of the teaching about Ein Od Milvado (Hebrew for There is None but G-d). Soon I my state of mind was one of ‘who cares?’ This is Hashem deciding! It’s not the Government; what will be will be… And with Emuna we knew it would be for the best…”

What do you think people learned as a result of the removal of the nearly 9,000 people?

People learned that you can’t depend on a secular government. The entire incident shows how far man can stray from even their own brothers. This happens when collectively the state is not following Torah. If it isn’t following the Torah we are in constant danger.

What happened after the kicking out of the Jews?

Many families had children who found it very difficult to understand, especially families whose fundamental beliefs were based on settling the land. Some of the kids left the path of Torah observance. All of the homes went to terrorists.

What do most people not know about what happened ?

Jewish graves were dug up before the eviction and transported to a different cemetery outside of Gush Katif. My Yeshiva became a Palestinian Hamas building to teach how to kill. This is very symbolic. Yeshivat Torat HaChaim was a beautiful building, it had a large courtyard and it stood for living a holy and pure life. It became the exact opposite.

How did you try to see this according to the Emuna principle that it’s all for the best?

“Part of me was excited about what will be in store for us as a family. My emuna was telling me that it would be better… In the end after the expulsion we lived for a bit in Yad Binyamin and then eventually moved to Yavniel, a Breslev village in the North of Israel. Had I never moved I may have never made it to Uman, my family never would have gotten so strong In Emuna and in Rebbe Nachman!!”

What is the proper way to educate our children about what happened to the Jews of Gush Katif?

A person needs to teach his children the simple and complete uncomplicated basic faith that Hashem does everything for the best. Whatever He does, even if we find it uncomfortable. There are no mistakes; everything good or seemingly otherwise is brought to us to bring us closer to Him. We need to teach our children that Hashem knows what’s best for every Jew, even if we don’t understand it at the moment.

At the right time, without a doubt, Hashem will restore our holy homeland in its entirety, soon, amen!