Shmulik and I arrived tired to the meeting at the sulfur factory this week: he did a night activity with the kibbutz children and did not give up morning swimming and walking around the kibbutz, then we both drove a friend from Gaza who got a work permit and today he returned home for the first time, after the operation.
I receive a question from some of the readers: Shmulik is tired, but why are you tired? Oh… because I just woke up.
Anyway – tired but disciplined – we arrived, got organized and Shamulik made the first coffee. The silence in the physical and virtual space hinted to us that we would sit alone today.
We agreed that if no guests arrived we would fold at three o’clock.
And in the meantime, made a few calls:
Rami doesn’t answer.
Our friend Faisal from Hizma says that the authorities have again banned him from entering Israel, and he must pay a condolence visit to the family of a friend, a peace fighter woman, who died yesterday after a serious illness.
Ofek writes that everything is fine (after he enlisted in the army this week), he woke up late today and therefore will not come. He has a future.
Radir misses us and promises that she will spend the coming weekend in the south. On this occasion, she explains to me that you can only talk to Rami on Facebook. Now I understand why I haven’t been able to reach him in the last few weeks.
Now Rami answers: he says that the bombings and the destruction went through the members of his family living in Gaza, in peace. It is getting close to obtaining the official status of an association for the youth committee – which will make it much easier to receive donations and transfer funds to the activity. Fundraising to distribute shoes to students at the beginning of the school year is still on the agenda. We also talked about projects and ideas that continue to unfold and agreed that we would try to schedule a joint Zoom call outside of our regular meeting hours.
More coffee, and three o’clock is approaching. We informed Malki that she was debating whether to go in our direction that she’ll better not.
And while we are folding – Uri arrives.
Then also Vivian with Ose – the filmmaker who made the Documentary “ASWAT ACHERIM -Other Voices” (here is a promo) about the people who hold the human connection between Israelis and Gazans.
And even Hanan came.
And then finally the cycle began as usual.
We talked about the usefulness (yes or no) of another military operation, about left and right, democracy and politics, about friendship and the ability to listen to different opinions, about the dominance of Hamas on Gaza streets, and even heretical reflections regarding the appropriate location for the lighthouse meetings.
And only then, a little after 4:00 p.m., we folded up the equipment again and returned home: tired (each in his own way) and satisfied, definitely satisfied.
This time we were: Shmulik, Vivian, Uri, Ose, Hanan and Nahshi.
Wrote: Nahshi.