(Times of Israel) Amir Tibon - The Israeli border with Gaza is dotted with 21 agricultural communities located less than 3 km. from the actual border fence. Nahal Oz is the closest to Gaza (800 meters), and for the last 15 years, has also been one of the most bombarded places in Israel. During the 2014 Gaza war it was under nonstop fire. After a visit there as a diplomatic correspondent for the Walla News website, I said we will know who won the war only in half a year when we see how many people will leave the border communities, and how many new ones will arrive there. "If places like Nahal Oz will be half-empty a few months from today, Hamas will be able to declare victory," I said. On August 22, as residents of the kibbutzim along the border began returning to their homes, a mortar killed four-year-old Daniel Tragerman. In Nahal Oz, at least 17 families (out of 80) decided to leave the kibbutz. Two weeks after the end of the war, I received a call from Nir Meir, the national chairman of the kibbutz movement. "I want to talk to you about Nahal Oz," he said. "I heard you speak about it during the war. Talking and writing is good, but if you really want to do something, why don't you move there? They need young people right now. If you move there from Tel Aviv, it will be more significant than any article you publish about it." While my first reaction was that it's a crazy idea, over the next weeks my thoughts began to move from a firm "no" towards a curious "maybe." After a number of visits together with my fiance, who had lived in Tel Aviv most of her life, we finally settled on coming to Nahal Oz. Before we came, a number of new families had already moved to the kibbutz and since our arrival last fall, 10 other families have joined.
2015-10-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive