Moving to Israel

As the fast of the 9th of Av dawns upon the Jewish people, many will focus on the many terrible events that took place on this date throughout time. The First and Second Temples were destroyed, Spain ordered the expulsion of all Jews by the 9th of Av in 1492, World War 1 began and many other horrible events occurred on this date.

However, here in Israel, one of the horrors that are still being felt from this date is from just 3 short years ago when the 9th of Av was the last legal day for Jews in Gush Katif before they were expelled a few days later in what is referred to as the “disengagement.” As this article and many others like it correctly put it, the expulsion seems to have taken Israel to where many people predicted it would: disaster and despair.

In addition to the messages sent that terror pays and that with some intimidation Jews will give in, the results have included rockets being fired from these very communities where Jews once thrived with regular training for more terror happening daily. This does not even begin to touch on the staggering statistics reported in the article mentioned above of the psychological and physical devastation suffered by the expellees.

As we focus on another passing of the 9th of Av and ponder some of the catastrophes that have befallen the Jewish people over the centuries, let us think about the disaster of the expulsion of 2005 and let us make sure that, while the Almighty has designated this date as a day of calamities to be faced by our people, we will at the very least take it upon ourselves to avoid such horrors that are brought on by us on our own people. Such terrors as the expulsion should never happen again and let us hope that we will shortly all be reunited in the land of Israel without fear of more 9th of Av happenings.

Ari