By Nechama Bar
Gush Katif was a beautiful area near the Mediterranean Sea. It was comprised of small yishuvim whose residents felt like one big family. They lived happily in spacious homes, except for constant attacks that Arab terrorists perpetrated against them. Despite some tragedies, there were big miracles too. Hashem’s constant supervision was felt daily.
One of the larger yishuvim in Gush Katif was Neve Dekalim. This yishuv was on the coast and the people had magnificent views from their homes. The Rebbe’s shluchim, the Kirshnzaft family, lived there.
There was hardly anyone in Gush Katif who did not know the shluchim. Their home was open to all and guests felt like members of the family. Many came to learn Chassidus, to write to the Rebbe, to ask questions and get advice.
Yoel Friedman lived in Neve Dekalim. He is a religious person and wears a knitted kippa. Yoel works at “Machon HaTorah V’HaAretz” which developed a special method to grow leafy vegetables like lettuce and cabbage without bug infestation. Thanks to them, we have bug-free produce.
Yoel is a friend of the shluchim and always had questions about Chabad like, why do Lubavitchers daven late and why don’t Lubavitchers sleep in the sukka, and so on. He was friendly with the Kirshnzaft family but did not become a Lubavitcher Chassid.
In the summer of 5765, the Israeli government perpetrated a terrible thing. They expelled thousands of Jews who lived in Gush Katif and gave their land to terrorists! Chassidim of the Rebbe publicized the Rebbe’s view about the great danger involved in giving land away to the Arabs. Many people worked hard to avert the terrible decree but failed.
The terrible day arrived and in the sad month of Av, Israeli soldiers forcibly removed all the Jews from their homes, put them on buses and sent them away from their beautiful neighborhoods, spacious homes, shuls, schools and playgrounds, from the land they had worked on to produce fine vegetables. They were taken away from life as they knew it, some of them having lived in Gush Katif for decades.
The houses and shuls were destroyed and all that remained were memories and much sorrow and pain over this voluntary churban.
The Friedmans also had to leave their home. They boarded the bus and were sent to a hotel in Yerushalayim. They spent months there with all their belongings packed up and in storage. Throughout this time, the government promised they would be given a home but nothing ever happened.
A few months later, the residents of Neve Dekalim moved from the hotel to a site with caravans in the south of the country, near the yishuv called Nitzan. Caravans are not at all like the houses they were forced to leave. In the winter, the rain bangs forcefully and leaks in. In the summer they are very hot. When there was a war in the south of the country, they did not even have a decent bomb shelter to protect them.
The Friedmans lived in this caravan park. “Don’t worry, this is only temporary,” said government representatives repeatedly. But the temporary phase dragged on and five years passed and many families were still living there.
The Friedmans, like many other families, did not even unpack all their boxes. After all, the caravan was temporary, so why should they unpack and repack?
Finally, the Friedmans were able to build a real house in Nitzan after working hard to get the necessary money and permits from the government.
The Friedmans moved, with the movers loading all their boxes including the ones that had been in storage. Some of their property in storage had become damaged. There was moisture in the storage area as well as insects and mice, but the family was happy to finally move into their new home.
After settling into their home, they began opening boxes, unloading them, and organizing their things. Yoel took the first box that was near him, opened it with a knife and an envelope fell out to the floor. On the envelope were blue and red stripes and it looked old and not at all familiar. Yoel opened it up curiously.
“Wow!” he exclaimed. “I can’t believe it. It’s a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.”
“From the Lubavitcher Rebbe?” wondered his wife. She was sure he was mistaken. “What letter did we receive from the Lubavitcher Rebbe?”
Yoel quickly opened the letter with trembling hands. He felt that this wasn’t a coincidence. When he saw what was written there, he nearly fainted.
On top of the letter it said, “To the Friedman family of Neve Dekalim, Yoel and his wife.” The Rebbe went on to write, “I was happy to hear that you entered your new home.” And the Rebbe said to check the mezuzos.
Amazing! Yoel and his wife were speechless at first. They felt the Rebbe had sent them the letter just then and had blessed them upon their move to their new home.
It took some time for Yoel to recover and to remember where he had gotten this letter.
“Ah yes, twenty-five years ago, when we moved to Neve Dekalim, we asked the Rebbe for a bracha and received this letter. For years I did not know where I had put it and then I didn’t even remember that I had it. And now, of all times, we found it!”
Yoel told friends and acquaintances about the unexpected appearance of the letter. One day, when he met his friend, R’ Zoldan, he enthusiastically said, “I got a letter from the Rebbe!”
“What do you mean, in the Igros?”
“No, an original letter from the Rebbe, with the Rebbe’s signature! After a story like this, you cannot help but believe!”