by Boaz Haetzni
The wholesale theft that 70 residents of the village Beit Awwa committed in the fields of Moshav Shekef in the Lachish region illustrates the extent of the problem.
The
first time I met Yoel Zilberman was in 2008 in Mitzpe Sando in the
Galilee. My wife and I had come to the farm, a little place on a
hilltop, and we saw the silo that was black as coal, two days after it
was deliberately set on fire, along with the hay bales and tractor. It
was a sight typical of the 1930s, the lawless days that predated the
founding of the state.
Zilberman, an officer in the Shayetet 13
naval commando unit, had taken unpaid leave from the army to save his
father's Galilee farm, which was vulnerable to theft and destruction
perpetrated by the local Arabs. Zionism's fight for its life in the
Galilee and the Negev doesn't play out in murders, but rather in
"minor," daily acts of economic and agricultural terrorism. Fences are
destroyed, herds and crops are subject to constant theft, irrigation
systems are wrecked, and protection money is demanded – a combination of
crimes that ultimately serve nationalist goals of keeping Israeli
farmers down, making the profession unprofitable, and in the end ousting
them from the land so it can be taken over.
Zilberman's success in saving his family's
farm through presence and guard duty led him to found the group Hashomer
Hachadash, out of the understanding that agricultural crime is a
widespread national problem rather than a localized spat between
neighbors. The group attracted civilians from all sectors and of all
political orientations who were ready to donate their time and spend
days and nights guarding fields and herds. My wife and I volunteer for
guard duty and are pleased with the thanks from the farmers and the
smile of relief on their faces at the knowledge that they'll be able to
get a night's sleep, for a change.
"We're finally able to sleep at night";
"the farm has finally stopped losing money"; "I was about to get rid of
the herd and then Hashomer Hachadash showed up" – these are some of the
reactions I heard from the farmers whose livelihood was saved by the
volunteers whose shirts read, "My brother's keeper," a kind of reference
to Cain, who killed his brother Abel and played innocent, asking, "Am I
my brother's keeper?"
We volunteers came to give and wound up the
recipients. We don't get a dime, not even gas money, but a smile of
thanks from those who felt abandoned and then a brother appeared and
helped save his livelihood so he could continue to hold onto the
nation's land and our future in this country. We volunteers are thankful
for the opportunity to contribute, both to the farmers and to the
wonderful grassroots organization that came from the people, not the
government, and now coordinates fully with the Israel Police and the
Border Police.
The wholesale theft that 70 residents of the village Beit Awwa committed in the fields of Moshav Shekef
in the Lachish region illustrates the extent of the problem. A gang of
thieves that will stop at nothing, vs. a weak police and indifferent
courts, have made agricultural theft and sabotage into an easy,
risk-free sport. Indeed, after some of the thieves were caught, the
police released the minors. Why?
The incident at Moshav Shekef reflects what
happens when there is no security, not to mention that an incursion for
the purpose of theft could wind up leading to murder. On the other
hand, dozens of farms that have been assigned security by the Hashomer
Hachadash volunteers are already breathing more easily. Anyone who
thinks that mutual aid, volunteerism and contributing to society without
expecting anything in return are old-fashioned values that have
vanished, is wrong. The old, good Israel is alive and kicking, right
now.
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/stand-up-to-agricultural-terrorism/
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Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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