December 19, 2007
A voice from Gush Katif
Many of us watched with mixed emotions as Israeli soldiers expelled the settlers living in Gush Katif in 2005.
One of the expellees, Shifra Shomron, has written a novel called “Grains Of Sand: The Fall Of Neve Dekalim
Whether or not you agree with the sentiments expressed in Shomron’s book, it’s a noteworthy novel in that it is apparently the first to come out of the Gush Katif experience.
Here is how the Post’s Orit Arfa summarized the book:
Grains of Sand reads like a young adult novel with a religious orientation, but it is intended for a diverse readership that seeks to deepen its understanding of Gush Katif life. The straightforward, third-person narrative, interspersed with diary entries by the heroine, takes the reader through the ups and downs of the community: the idyllic, happy, tight-knit religious home and community life of the residents; the terrifying intifada that claimed many Jewish lives there; the struggle to enjoy life amid the constant threat of mortar attacks; and the fears and doubts of the community in the year leading up to disengagement.
On her Web site, Shomron says she began writing the novel in April of 2005 and finished a year later. The American-born Israeli began living in the Gush Katif town of Neve Dekalim in 1992. According to the site, she’s currently pursuing her undergrad degree and plans on becoming a high school English and Bible Studies teacher.
With this much success at such a young age, I’m sure we’ll be reading more about Shifra Shomron in the future. After all, the drama of the Gush Katif movement has not ended — even though the towns have been destroyed.
It’s difficult enough as a child to move, but to have your own government basically disavow your right to live where you choose is something that, as an American, I cannot comprehend. This book gives an amazing insight into how it “feels.” And this review does a wonderful job asking you to take that experience.
thanks, bonnie. i appreciate the comment.
I reviewed books for children and teens for many years for AMIT Woman magazine. After reading Shifra Shomron’s novice novel, I have no doubt I would recommend it highly in that column. Somehow, Shifra manages to write without the bitterness that none of us would begrudge her. There is a sweet innocence, a pure faith, that shines through amid the pain. I believe every Jewish teen should add this book to the list of literature about modern Israel that must be read in order to grasp what really goes on here. It is firmly in the young-adult category of literature — of which there is so little for Jewish adolescents — but it’s also worthwhile for adults to read along with their kids. And because the author is a real, live person, readers will surely want to access her website and get to know her a little better.
A good many Religious Zionist Rabbis pointed out in retrospect that the reason for the explusion, even if in an indirect way, was the lack of communication between settlers and the rest of the nation, the former being concerned with their affairs and enclosed, subconsciously mimicking the path of Charedim Orthodoxy. The latter, as a consequence, were indifferent to them.
This book is an attempt to bridge that wide gap, and at least from my standpoint it exceeds expectations. For, even if one does not agree, he at least understands, raising the dialogue from cheap slogans to intellectual discussion.
The pure faith expressed in the book brings to mind heroics and self-sacrifice that are to be found in the birth-pangs of the State, and indeed there is an attempt in the book to draw a parallel between the two. Whether you agree or not to the ideology, the question appears; will I go to such lengths for MY ideals?
As one who is acquainted with both book and author, I would definitely recommend this book to all. This review, though short, is admirable and it is to be hoped that in the future works as “Grains of Sand” would promote greater understanding between the different sections of the nation.
abigail, i agree that it would be a book that teens and young adults would learn from. shifra has certainly lived through a lot in life already and her experiences would inform the lives of other young people.
yosef, you bring up lots of interesting points, especially regarding the reasons for the expulsion.
thank you both for your thoughtful comments.
Excellent job in capturing the many emotions connected to the expulsion of the Jews from Gush Katif – Shifra has already shown that she is a gifted writer at a young age. Kol Hakavod!