I hope you are safe in these stormy days. We are in the midst of fateful times for the people of Israel, for the Jewish people and for all of humanity.
I was born, grew up and still live in Kibbutz Urim in the Western Negev, not even 10 miles from Gaza. I remember very well how, in my childhood, we used to travel freely to the market in Gaza. We had different and warm relations with the people of Gaza. Over the years, the situation deteriorated and became very acute. Every few years (and sometimes every few months), there were “rounds” of severe escalation. During all that time, many of the communities and members of the kibbutzim in our regional councils (Eshkol and Shaar HaNegev) were peace activists. The members of our kibbutzim transported Gazan patients to hospitals in Israel, tried to rehabilitate and support various businesses in Gaza, and above all we felt concern for the children, women and innocent citizens of Gaza. We often felt longing for the distant reality in which we once had warm relations with them.
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At 6:30 in the morning of the “Black Shabbat”/Simchat Torah/October 7, 2023, everything changed. I could write at length about the experience of the terrible upheaval, the crisis, the pain, the anger, the astonishment, the confusion, the shock and the darkness of this time, as well as about the abundance of light that shone within Israeli society. Due to the need to keep things short, I will try to say only a few things from the heart.
This image from more peaceful days depicts the beauty of Kibbutz Urim.
Dear and beloved partners, we worry about you, too, due to the anti-Semitic atmosphere that is emerging in the world. We send you our love and appreciation. We need you. Here at Sia’h Shalom we are going through a deep and thorough process of rethinking and examining our work. We are trying to clarify our mission for this time. We have been putting more emphasis on the idea that we must share “a covenant of destiny” and a “covenant of purpose” for the sake of unity. We are trying to find out what is the spirit that Israel needs in these dark days. What are the necessary limits and boundaries around us? At this time, what is the correct balance between justice (tzedek) and kindness (chesed)? What is the degree of heroism and restraint (gevurah) required? I believe that this clarification (as part of a process that requires great solidarity) will achieve new insights that will help us, and I believe that we still have good and meaningful days ahead of us.
This photograph was taken on the third night of Hanukkah at Kibbutz Urim on the Gaza border, where Sharon grew up, raised her family and currently lives. Luis Har, a member of Kibbutz Urim, remains a hostage in Gaza.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. In prayer for the return of all our beloved and brave hostages, in prayer for the return of our beloved and heroic soldiers, and also in prayer for the return of the national and personal Jewish soul to its place and destiny…
Am Yisrael Chai,
Sharon