Grandma's army

Yoel Zilberman grew up on a cattle ranch in Moshav Tzippori in the Galilee, the third generation of a family rooted deeply in the soil of northern Israel. From an early age, he witnessed the quiet devastation by Bedouin (nomadic Arabs) terrorists of agricultural crime up close. It was obvious that these weren't random acts, but crimes strategically designed to drive Jews off their land. Yoel (like Nir Amitai) saw his future in the military, in long-term command. He and his brother were in the army, and their father was left alone to face repeated land invasions. The terrorists cut fences, poisoned animals, threatened him, and eventually attacked him with severe violence and stole his car Every complaint was closed for ‘lack of public interest.’ Hundreds of complaints, sometimes two in a single day. Farmers across the region were suffering. When things escalated, a police commander advised his father to give up part of the land. He told him frankly: ‘We’re dealing with murdere...