My son, then 22 years old, was already at Nitzan in his father’s caravilla. They had arrived a few days before me. My youngest daughter, then 16 years old, stayed in Gadid until the soldiers expelled her. She joined me at the caravilla.
I watched on television how the soldiers took the people out of their houses. It was horrible for see and I’m glad that I decided to leave before the soldiers came to expel us.
What we left behind: All the memories of a wonderful life. It was like another country.
Feelings toward the State: I think the government built the caravillas very quickly, but is working too slowly to give us what we need. Even though the government gave us some compensation, they took our lives away from us.
The biggest difficulty: I don’t have a home. Living in the caravilla is like living in a storage facility. I don’t feel it’s mine. And suddenly I found myself without work. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have a purpose. A year and a half after the expulsion I decided to do something with my life. I have been volunteering in a hospital cafeteria as well as working with senior citizens. It fills my week.
Have you built a house? I have been building my house in a new area called Be’er Ganim (just north of Ashkelon). It’s 140 square meters on a half dunam of land. The other half dunam will go to my son. The house has been under construction for a year.
What happened to your community? It separated into 3 other places: Yad Binyamin, Ein Tzurim, and Ashkelon. Here in Nitzan we’re just a small group of 28 families.
Something good that’s happened since: I have a pension from the government. My eldest daughter is married and expecting her first child.
What do you wish yourselves? First thing is to have good health, that all my children marry and I have grandchildren and then to move into my new house, but to never forget Gush Katif.
