THE HEAVENS WERE WEEPING

 

Two days ago, I stood with my family, and former residents of Gush Katif in the pouring of rain, at the graveside of my son-in-law, Gideon Rivlin ז"ל. 19 years ago, he was murdered by terrorists in Gush Katif.

Gideon’s youngest son, Gilead was one of the speakers: “I began to write, but had no idea in which direction the text would lead me. What should I speak about? On the grief, the war and death? Or on the new life and about our Alma?  At Alma”s birth I was confronted by a whirlpool of feelings because of this dissonance.

A moment ago, I was at my army base preparing my  soldiers and equipment for going into Gaza. Suddenly Noa phones. I leave everything and travel straight  to the hospital.   I am sitting in the hospital and Alma is sleeping peacefully on my chest when, at the same time, I read on my cellphone of one soldier killed and others wounded.

This dissonance has accompanied me for 19 years. Since you were killed I live and function but still feel your loss at every milestone of my life  I gaze at Alma and am so happy to be her father. The word “father” doesn’t come naturally. It  has been missing from my life for so long.” 

Gilead’s only sister, Ya’ara, has spoken at her father”s memorial every year: “This year, I am here  next to your grave in unfamiliar soil. Your first grave in Gush Katif had to be “relocated”. I am happy that you are not with us…. I am happy that you are in the sands of the Gush, opposite the sea, next to the house you built….As far as you know, the eviction programme will surely never be carried out…Happy that when you were taken from us, you still had a father and mother.

You are with a woman you love, father of children you can be proud of. Live in a house you built yourself; worked in what you  liked doing; did things you love, especially getting to know every corner of our beautiful country. To make sure that no soldier who guarded the moshav would be alone for Shabbat meals. In the eyes of a 24 year-old girl you had everything. You looked happy - and that’s the way you left us. We remain with the pain.  I am happy you are not going through what we are experiencing - at the sorrow, anger, helplessness. All the negative feelings that everyone of us are living with…...

That 24 year-old naive girl doesn’t exist anymore. She left, together with you.”

Yaara’s oldest brother, Nir: “For 19 years I have not spoken at your memorial. What was there to say? That I married, raised a family and that the children grow from year to year. But dad, over three months ago something happened which shocked us all and made me think about you a lot. In all of life’s events your absence makes itself felt. But there are events I am glad you didn’t have to suffer. One of them is, of course, the eviction from the Gush, and the other is what happened on October 7^th.

For you, our mother still lives in the old Gannei Tal, between the sand dunes, near the sea. Where we visit on Saturday’s and where all the grandchildren  can see where we were born and grew up: The dunes from which we rolled down into the sand pits; the trees which we climbed when we were their ages;  picking gypsophila and peppers in the greenhouses; at the playground in the centre of the moshav; the nesting box for the kestrel you hung on the lamp-post at the fence…..

On August 2005 we were thrown out of the Garden of Eden. On October 2023 we discovered that our Garden of Eden had turned into Hell. And that Hell erupted in another part of the country which you loved so much, and to which you took us so many times: Hevel Eshkol, Nahal Besor, Tel Gamma, Nahal Gra and others…..

I am sure you will be proud to hear, dad, that the moment war broke out all of us boys were either called up or enlisted - Omer, Assaf, Gilead and myself. To defend our home - exactly as you would have done.

I have many vivid memories in which I was with you in the trips you organized to Gaza city; building of the municipality; Gaza port; the fish restaurant; and, of course, a visit to the ancient synagogue with the old Arab guard, etc.

A month ago, I found myself travelling in an armoured vehicle via the Netzarim corridor, in which we had entered so many  times before 2005. Perhaps some time in the future, I will be able to show my children where you brought us up - the place which we once called home.”

The last to speak was Gideon’s youngest brother, Yoram. He spoke about another Gideon – one of his sons who was named after his beloved brother, and who shared the same positive characteristics. Both Gideon and his brother, Aviad, were brutally murdered at the outbreak of the war  at the music Festival.

The current war is against Hamas, but the message from the war’s outcome will have widespread repercussions. If Israel does not end up destroying Hamas’s power, it will appear weak. Firstly, it’s enemies will feel empowered to attack it again. Secondly, Israel’s current and potential partners in the region are unlikely to continue their alliance with the Jewish state, unless it remains strong and stable. 

The past head of the Mossad, Yossi Cohen recently declared: “ The expulsion of the Jews from Gush Katif was a historical mistake. ….I don’t know of one good thing which came out of it. An unilateral withdrawal of 22 thriving settlements  was not the way to negotiate. It was one of the biggest gifts that the PLO received at any one time from Israel.”