FROM DARK TO LIGHT

Over the border in Gaza, a Hamas supported invasion attempt has been raging for over a month, with rioters throwing firebombs, blazing kites,  and shooting at IDF soldiers.

Almost every day at least 20 fields are burned, up to a distance of 40 kilometres from the Gaza border. Death and destruction has become the way of life for young Gazans who have been taught to hate and destroy – as they did when Gush Katif was given to them with all the greenhouses intact.

In the last few months the green landscapes in the fields worked by the Israeli settlements and villages on the  Gaza borders have been turned to black and scorched earth.

A few girls from the Kfar Maimon moshav decided to change this grim scenario and to introduce some colour into the burnt territories. They felt that, by organizing a fashion show they would increase public awareness to the terrible damage being caused by the many fires which were burning up the crops, nature reserves, trees, etc. in the Gaza periphery.

To show  that, in spite of the hate and destruction which emanates from Gaza, life in Israel goes on. To show that the people of Gaza cannot break our spirit - to instil some light and colour into the black landscape. They recruited a few friends who were willing to be photographed and procured the services of a stylist. The venue they chose was in the fields of kibbutz Be’eri which had been burned a few hours previously. They said that when they arrived the fields were still burning.

The initiator of the fashion show writes:

"We decided to create a fashion show, in the shadow of the fires

To show the world that we are extinguishing the fire

In spite of the fact that they are trying to extinguish us."

Moshav Kfar Maimon, my first home in Israel for almost 40 years and now the home of my son and family, has been in the line of fire from Gaza ever since the PLO was created in 1964."Tseva Adom", (Red Alert), the eerie sirens announcing incoming missiles has broken many a nights sleep on all the border settlements.

Ophir Arava who was born and lives in the moshav writes:

"Red Alert!

To wake up

To run to the shelter

To try to fall back to sleep

To be woken again and hope it will be the last time for this night

And again, Red Alert

To try to get used to this reality

And now another anxiety

Black Alert!

Terrorism of the kites

They are trying to burn years of work

Toil and investment  

Years of hope, and growth

But we, people of the periphery

Choose to get up for work after a sleepless night

Choose to stay loyal to our home

To the army and our country

Choose to believe that things will again begin to bloom.

Choose every day “to life”.

A little-known fact is that the "Salad Belt" a particularly fertile and productive stretch of land along the Gazan border, was offered to Yasser Arafat to provide more land for the Palestinians in Gaza. His "people" went to investigate and told him the land was unworkable and he became very angry that Israel was cheating him. He clearly refused the offer. Today the best salad vegetables of Israel are grown there!