Last Thursday, 11.3.04, approximately 40 PSI members and guests spent seven hours touring "outposts" in the Shomron and Binyamin region, guided by the indefatigueable Daniella Weiss, mayor of Kedumim. We met with the founders and residents of many of these outposts and marveled at their determination and at the matter-of-fact way they carry out their seemingly impossible existence in a hostile security and political environment.
We met with Itai Zar, brother of security officer Gil'ad Zar who was murdered on the road near Kedumim, and founder of Chavat Gil'ad, the bane of the Sharon government. Chavat Gil'ad is alive and well, houses a well-used Bet Knesset, is a true farm and is already home to four Jewish families, who talk about opening a kindergarten in the near future.
We met with the founders of the numerous outposts near Itzhar, stood in the brisk wind and viewed the breath-taking vistas as we listened to their accounts of repeated crises with the authorities. We learned of the critical security needs that the outposts fulfill (and clearly recognized as such by the Army), overlooking the road as they do along which Jewish travelers make their way each day; we watched a resident as he built his permanent, wood-frame house with his own two hands, and we even passed a young Jewish shepherd tending his flock.
In Achiya, near Shvut Rachel, we heard the story of Ronit Shuker who, after her husband's tragic work accident with their oil press that services all the Jewish olive growers in the Shomron, took upon herself to fulfill their mission of returning the olive oil industry in the Land of Israel to its original owners, the Jews. They set an example, with thousands of dunam planted in olive trees, to all potential olive growers all over Yesha.
The list goes on and on. These people are bigger than life, and one stands in awe at the inner strength and belief in their cause, that accompanies them in their daily lives. We were only sorry that the day ended so quickly and that there were not more PSI members to share in the moving and uplifting experiences of the day.