Sergey Kadinsky

Photography

These photos were created in the Summer of 2006, as a Media Fellow at the Jerusalem office of The Israel Project

Gush Etzion (גוש עציון, literally bloc of the tree) is a group of Jewish communities in the northern Judea region of Israel. Jews have been living here before 1948. After a massacre by Jordanian forces in which all but four were murdered, the land was barren. A Lone Tree stood as its symbol. In 1967, the community was rebuilt. So powerful is the connection of Gush Etzion to Israel that even Shimon Peres opposes dismantling these settlements.

Efrat (אפרת‎)

With Bob Lang of the Yesha Council, who served as a guide on my first visit to Gush Etzion. Behind us is the symbol of Gush Etzion. Raised in New York, Lang immigrated to the community of Efrat in 1975, where he later served as a spokesman for the Yesha Council and as an assistant to the mayor of Efrat.

The pit was a bunker in 1947 where the wounded defenders hid. Overrun by Jordanian forces, a grenade tossed into this pit killed the defenseless residents. May their memory be a blessing. Memorial candle for the four original communities of Gush Etzion.

When Bob Lang moved to Gush Etzion, he had to live in these "igloo" houses. Facing south, they provide views of Hebron. Not all homes in Yesha have their symbolic orange rooftops.

What? new homes under construction? Farming operations? These must be the so-called obstacles to peace that we often read about. In contrast to common assumptions, most Jewish settlements are built on uninhabited and uncultivated areas, such as hilltops, in order to avoid confrontation and property disputes with the Palestinian Arab communities.

Alon Shvut (אלון שבות‎)

Two weeks after being given a tour of Gush Etzion, Bob Lang kept his promise. Not only was he able to find me a couple from New York, but they also came from Queens!

According to Lang, the settlement bloc contains residents from almost every state in the Union, and a host of countries as well. Like Mr. Lang, Ezra Rosenfeld also once worked as a spokesman for the Yesha Council, which represents the settlements of post-1967 Israel before the government. It was his job to defend the settlement enterprise, but at the same time keeping the far-right zealots in line. According to Rosenfeld, the settlements serve the country, acting as a security buffer, and caretaker of the historical lands mentioned in the Torah. Rosenfeld and his family live on the edge of Alon Shvut, overlooking Arab olive groves and a hilltop military base.

See the hanging tallis? that's where that hole-in-the sheet myth comes from.

. Alon Shvut has residences of various sizes, including apartments.

The community is equipped with bomb shelters.

The original Ashkenazi synagogue of Alon Shvut. The shul faces northeast towards Yerushalayim. This is the breathtaking view north.

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I've taken a few notes-

In  regards to relations with local Arabs, Rosenfeld claims that there are few problems. Across the fence near his home are olive groves, where Arab women and children pick them. Likewise, the nearest Arab village, a series of homes belonging to the Zacariah family also hold a quiet peace with Gush Etzion. 

In spite of the 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, many homes and cars in Alon Shvut continue to display the orange flags and stickers associated with opposition to the withdrawal. "Our community continues to grow," notes Rosenfeld. On the outskirts of the community, a number of trailers stand, awaiting a decision by the government to declare them a permanent community. Only then can the trailers be replaced with real homes. "Unfortunately the government is dragging its feet," Rosenfeld says. "This hilltop contains some fifty different properties, some Arab, some Jewish, some disputed. Where the trailers stand, the land is indisputably Jewish-owned."  

Cases of fatwas and death threats issued by terrorists against Arabs who sell land to Jews are well-known, however according to Rosenthal, this does not prevent the sale of land from taking place. How is this process done? According to Rosenfeld, "It happens in a lawyer's office or a hotel lobby, and the Arab must prove that he is the legal owner of the land that he is claiming to sell." Later describing property laws in the West Bank as the "wild west," he is adamant that the trailers of Alon Shvut are legal.

When asked how he would respond if ordered by the government to evacuate his home, Rosenfeld promises to resist nonviolently. "My oldest son was in Gaza last year to resist the evacuation. The police carried him out by his hands and feet." Describing himself as a pro-government Zionist, Rosenfeld is hopeful that there would not be any further withdrawals.

In the new southern neighborhood of Alon Shvut, Rabbi Yosef Rimon leads the new synagogue. Deeply connected to his work, he returned to Israel two months after birth. His wife was one of the first people born in the community, and together they have five children. Rimon's response to the Gaza withdrawal is the creation of Job Katif, an employment agency which helps the former residents of the Gush Katif settlement bloc find new jobs, start new business, and train for different careers. This effort includes training the former residents to write attractive resumes, and conduct successful interviews. As a grassroots effort, the group has a limited budget, with its advertisements published for free through the kindness of the newspapers. Rimon stresses that "We are not a welfare agency. We want these people to be independent, and get their lives in order."

Prior to the withdrawal, most of the expelled settlers worked in agriculture, exporting their products to a number of countries. In contrast, "I know one man who farmed cherry tomatoes his whole life. Now he sits in a trailer all day, and he is very depressed," Rimon points out. "By giving these people jobs and independence, we are saving their lives from depression, divorces, and suicides. We are doing what the government is refusing to do." Ultimately, once the unemployed former settlers find jobs, Job Katif should cease to exist. "Indeed, this is our goal- to no longer be needed," Rimon claims.

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A few More Photos

Floor plan of the once and future Holy Temple.

Behind the towers of a children's playground, a military installation keeps the peace.

I have no problem with patriotism, but once every few months, you must clean your flags, otherwise Orange will become dusty gray.

L'Chaim! Empty bottles of wine await recycling. Plenty of celebrations in this town. Every week, you're guaranteed to meet a new bride, parent, or grandparent! Arab olive groves alongside the town's fence. This is how close my host lives to the town's edge.

The Gush Etzion bloc has roughly 30,000 Jews in seven communities; and 18,000 Arabs in six villages. Zacariah has about 90 residents, mostly of the same extended family. This statistic excludes communities outside the Security Fence, such as Tekoa and Nokdim.

Leaving Alon Shvut

Honestly, this is my kind of community. Observant, but inclusive and diverse. Until we meet again...

The military base is glowing with activity after Shabbat as soldiers prepare to take on Hamas and Hezbollah. The traffic circle at the entrance to the town has a smaller replica of the Lone Tree of Gush Etzion.

Initially, the bus ride was smooth, but gradually traffic ground to a halt as a result of a machsom set up outside of Khadr. The village is relatively peaceful, but sometimes enemy snipers and leftist activists use it to score political points. This is why a security wall was built, to reduce hostilities. We crawled for half an hour. Now I know how the Palestinians feel. After the checkpoint, it was a quick dash through the Judean tunnels, and we were back in Yerushalayim.

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