Kfar Etzion- Don’t Give Up - כפר עציון- לא לוותר

the settlers tried to occupy the place again and again and didn’t give up. This is a great characteristic- the chanichim should understand that even when things are bad in their own life, we must try again and again and not despair. It could be in school, with our friends, family, etc’.

Instructions:

  1) #. X or O

First step is to learn about the place. Divide the Chanichim into 2 groups (each one can be a name of a settlement fron the Gush: Efrat, Kfar Etzion, Alon Shvut, Bat Ayin, etc’) when their aim is to make a line – like in the game. Avery square they choose they get a question. If they pick the true answer, they get their mark. If not – the other team gets the spot automatically.

Madrich – you have to sound convincing… you can make up your own false answers.

Questions for the # game (I don’t know how to spell it)

/ True or false:

@How many attempts were made in the last century to settle in Gush Etzion before it was “for good”?

True: 3 attempts and the settlers didn’t give up.

False: 1. The British forbidden, and the Jews gave up until they were called back up.

@Why is it called Gush Etzion?

True: one of the first settlers is named “Holtzman” which means a tree, (which means in Hebrew-Etz)

False: Because it close to Yerushalayim that is called “Zion”

@What forced the settlers to abandon the settlement on the first time?

True: the bad physical conditions.

False: all the settlers were young and single and their parents didn’t approve their being there.

@What was the first settlement in the gush?

True: Migdal Eder.

False: Efrat…

@What year the settlers abandoned the villages because of the independence war in Israel?

True: 1948 – when the country was founded.

False: 1950 – right after the Holocaust.

@Whom did the settlers fight in the independence war?

True: the Jordanian army.

False: Iraqi troops.

@What were the results of the heroic battle in 1948?

True: 240 people killed, 260 captured.

False: until today the settler’s houses contain family of invaders from then.

@When did the people return to Gush Etzion for good?

True: 1967 – after the area was reoccupied in the six-day war.

False: fifteen years ago – when a new government was elected.

@What symbolized the desire of the people to return to kfar Etzion and the whole Gush Etzion?

True: a dig old oak tree.

False: the empty houses.

@What drove the pioneers away the second time?

True: Repeated Arab attacks

False: the American president and his new policy.

@How many people live today in Gush Etzion – thanks to the first settlers?

True: over 20,000

False: in the city of Efrat itself there are 20,000. The whole Gush is 35,000.

@What kind of a settlement Kfar Etzion is nowadays?

True: a kibbutz

False: an old village.

You can make up more questions according to the history page.

2) After they’re done with the game, you can tell them a brief summery about the history of the place with your own words – make it sound interesting…

3) Have your Chanichim build a high building from paper cups, blocks, cards, or anything you have. Every time they succeed nock it over accidentally and tell them to try again, until they despair.

Ask- How does it feel when something you worked on is destroyed?

#That is how the settlers felt, but yet, they returned again and again to build their houses and fought the Jordanians, that were so mach more than them just in order to try again.

Conclusion: are struggles are a bit simpler. Don’t give up…

The History of Gush Etzion

Known as the southern gateway to Jerusalem, this strategic area comprises the block of communities that defended the southern approach to Jerusalem against the invading armies in the 1948 Israel War of Independence.

Historically, the area is replete with Biblical scenes and stories of heroism and bravery starting with the time of our forefathers. It was here that Abraham and Isaac passed through on their sojourn from Hebron to Mount Moriah, in its pastoral landscape Ruth gathered the sheaves from the fields of Bethlehem, upon its hilltops David shepherded his father's sheep and then went on to proclaim his kingdom, and in its deep caves the Maccabees and the Jewish fighters of Bar Kochba sought shelter.

Four brave attempts were made in the last century to populate the area, until finally on the fourth, after the 1967 Six Day War, the Jewish people were successful in settling the area permanently. The first attempt was in 1927, but harsh physical conditions forced the settlers to abandon the settlement they had established, Migdal Eder. The second attempt was made by Shmuel Holtzman in 1935, who established the village of Kfar Etzion and after whom Gush Etzion is named (Holtz=tree=etz). Repeated Arab attacks drove the pioneers away. The third attempt was in 1943, when different affiliated groups established four settlements, the rebirth of Kfar Etzion, Masuot Yitzchak, Ein Tzurim, and Revadim, for a total population of 450 adults. In 1948, all four settlements were totally destroyed. The Arabs murdered 240 men and women, with another 260 being taken into captivity. Prime Minister Ben Gurion in 1948 eulogized the defenders of Gush Etzion and their heroic stand against the Jordanian Legion as such. "I can think of no battle in the annals of the Israel Defense Forces which was more magnificent, more tragic or more heroic than the struggle for Gush Etzion … If there exists a Jewish Jerusalem, our foremost thanks go to the defenders of Gush Etzion". (An excellent audio-visual show in Kfar Etzion documents these events.)

For 19 years, until the stunning victory of the 1967 Six Day War, the children of those parents who tragically fell and those who survived could only catch a glimpse from afar of the ancient oak tree located in the heart of Gush Etzion that symbolized for them their yearning to return and reclaim their heritage.

Today, the area, a crucial security buffer for the capital, is just a short 10 minute drive from Jerusalem through the new tunnels road, and is comprised of 15 dynamic and thriving communities with a population of over 20,000.

Before you start – read the history and make sure you have paper cups or something else for building.