20 Friday, May 27, 1977
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Greater Christian-Jewish Understanding: A Goal
of Dutch Farmers on Their Settlement in Israel
MOSHAV NES AMIM, awaiting the kidush over Bunny Alexandroni in the
Israel — The Friday the wine, a mother's voice current "Jewish National
night tables are set with is heard chiding her son Fund Yearbook."
candles and song pam- in Hebrew: "Sheket, Na- a The cooperative set-
phlets. As everyone tan, Sheket (quiet, Natan, tlement established in
1961, was the idea of the
stands by their chairs quiet)".
A young man leans late Dr. Johann Pilon who
against the door with his believed that the way to
rifle slung over his shoul- greater Christian-Jewish
der, ready to go out on understanding and a con-
guard duty around the tinuing dialogue was by
settlement. The bulletin Eying and working to-
board sports an article gether with the Israelis.
from a foreign newspaper At first the surrounding
telling about a local girl settlements were afraid
who has gone to be a vol- the village would engage
unteer in Israel; a list of in missionary. activities
the week's activities but, as Mrs. Christine Pi-
A
hangs next to it and a list lon, widow of the founder
of the movies being and administrative direc-
shown at nearby -tor of the . settlement,
Certified by the National
Automotive Institute of Excellence
Nahariya – as typical a says:
"The people of Israel
Friday night scene as can
comes. to your home or office with
are
tolerant. Once we
be
at
a
collective
settle-
the "garage-on- wheels."
made clear that we did
ment in Israel.
Valet service that doesn't
Yet, who is that "Jolly not come here to convert
cost one penny extra!
■ Expert diagnostic tune-up
•
old soul" in red who has Jews but to live side -13y
■ Electronic analyzer — all
come "Ho, Ho Ho" ing into side with them, they gave
engine systems
the hall to give out pre- us every assistance pos-
■ Professionally trained
sents to parents and chil- sible and today we are the
mechanics
■ Perfect results assured
dren? Why it's none other best of friends."
Nes Amim has a mother
Expanded Services
than Saint Nicholas
wearing a Magen David company abroad with
Call Sanford Rosenberg
shares held in equal parts
on his forehead.
for your car problems
Strange? Not for the by four offices: in Hol-
398-3605
settlers of Nes Amim — a land, Switzerland, Ger-
6•cyl. cars $31.50 includes
Christian moshav between many and the United
EVERYTHING: Labor AND Parts.
it and 8 cyl. comparatively low.
Acco and Nahariyd, in the States. Each country can
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north of IsrLel, writes send settlers and _volun-
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from a wide spectrum of
inted with
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-UP
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For this reason the loose
moshav (collective small-
holders' village) frame-
work was. preferred to the
kibbutz, so that the new-
comers would find it rela-
tively easy to adapt. Each
office also sends money
which is used in the village
to further the ecumenical
aims which the settlement
has set up for itself.
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This money paid for the
large community cen-
ter-dining room-lecture
hall which would nor-
mally be too big for the
mere 120 residents of the
village but which is actu-
ally aimed at accom-
modating non-Jewish
groups and seminars
from abroad who cotne to
learn a chapter in
Jewish-Christian - coexis-
tence and understanding.
Already today, volun-
teers make up a great
part of the population at
Nes Amim. The Dutch
government recognizes a
stint at the village as an
official alternative to
Dutch army service.
Here, the boys are ex-
pected to take gun in
hand, like all the other
settlers, for civil defense
and no one has ever re-
fused.
Economically, the vil-
lage has done very well.
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Volunteers are shown taking a break from work in
the hothouses of the Dutch moshav, Nes Amim.
Aside from avocados
which are exported to
Holland and small crops
of fruits and vegetables
for their own consump-
tion, the village has de-
veloped a highly success-
ful branch of flower-
growing.
During the busiest sea-
son, Christmas time, about
30,000 roses a day are cut
and shipped to Holland,
where they are literally
grabbed off the stands.
But this is not enough. The
settlers of Nes Amim are
in constant contact with
other settlements growing
flowers to study the dif-
ferent crops.
Research has resulted
in improved varieties and
new types of flowers for
export abroad. Such is the
case with the beds of
tulips being grown at Nes
Amim, from local bulbs
which the villagers in-
sist are as good as the
Dutch ones.
Modern hot houses in-
sure the best results for
flowers and optimum
harvests. The sophisti-
cated infrastructure for
these buildings was pre-
pared by the Jewish Na-
tional Fund as was the
drainage in the village
and reclamation of lands
for housing and for the
orchards and fields. Mrs.
Pilon cannot find the
words to express her en-
thusiasm:
"We couldn't have done
it without the help of the
JNF", she says. "People
in Israel don't seem to
know enough about the
wonderful work the JNF
does in settlements all
over the country: land re-
clamation, drainage, tree
planting, infrastructure
— the JNF is always
there even before the
first settlers which
perhaps explains why the
newcomers themselves
often aren't aware of
their debt to the JNF.
"They started us off on
the right foot by giving us
a solid basis and even
planted trees around the
residential area to provide
shade and a pleasant at-
mosphere for everyday
life."
"We want to be an in-
tegral part of the land
and our surroundings,"
say the settlers of Nes
Amim. But in addition to
being _a part of the sur-
roundings, the settlers of
Nes Amim are looking for
their own sources.
One of the results of
this search was the deci-
sion to celebrate the Sab-
bath on Saturday instead
of Sunday. At first this
was done for practical
reasons since Saturday
was the day off for all. the
children who study in the
Israeli school system and
-in consideration of the
surrounding villages but
eventually, the settlers
began to look for the sig-
nificance of the Sabbath
and they reached the con-
clusion that Sunday was
adopted by Christianity,
in a later period in order
to keep Christianity
separate from Judaism.
Similarly, at Nes
Amim, both the Torah
and Christian Scripture
are used for prayer and
meditation and some of
the Jewish holidays have
been accepted as well.
Reverend Simon Schoon,
the young spiritual
leader of the village ex-
plained that Yom Kippur,
for example, is com-
memorated in the
moshav because they feel
the importance of taking
stock of one's deeds at the
end of the year and ask-
ing forgiveness from both
God and man.
Language is no problem
with a problem early in
life — to conform or to be
different — a difficult de-
cision for a six, 10 or 16
year old. Parents often
try to avoid this con-
formation by taking the
families back to the home
country for the child's
education but this in it-
self creates another prob-
lem: how to insure the
permanent nucleus
necessary for the success-
ful continued growth
the settlement.
This, indeed was one oi-----
the problems foreseen
with the establishment of
the village. One of the
basic. principles agreed
upon with the late Levi
Eshkol (then, Prime
Minister), was that the
aims and methods of the
settlement would not
change in spite of chang-
ing settlers. The late
Johann Pilon promised
Eshkol that .he would
never leave the settle-
ment and thus provide
the permanent nucleus.
Though he died several
months ago, Pilon fulfil-
led his promise and his
wife Christine and two of
their daughters, Christ-
ine (like her mother) and
Bina continue their
father's way of life. Both
girls, born in Israel, have
lived and studied in
Jewish surroundings the
greater part of their lives.
Bina studies psychology
at Haifa University and
Christine who has
changed her name to
Michal, studies in high
school at Nahariya. They
see themselves as part of
Israeli society.
Reverend Schoon rec-
ognizes the problem but
does not believe that it is
imperative for Nes Amim
to be a static settlement
but rather a hothouse for
new ideas, a place which
teaches understanding be-
tween peoples, a place for
returning to the sources,
and a place for giving and
receiving at the same time.
"Nes Amim must al-
ways be ready to receive
new families who, in turn,
will go back to their na-
tive countries and pass on
the things they have
learn-ed in Israel", he
says.
. Mrs. Pilon delights in
describing the settle-
ment. "We are a good
moshav", she jokes, "We
have a committee for ev-
erything!" "We have lots
of cultural activities./ -
there are folkdancink
classes, batik for the ar-
tistic, Hebrew lessons for
volunteers and lectures
on ecumenical subjects
with guest speakers who
are well known in dif-
since all the children of ferent fields."
Nes Amim speak fluent
Nes Amim means
Hebrew learned at school "banner to the nations"
in the settlements around (Isaiah 11:10) and this is
the village and in the aim of the settlement.
Nahariya. It is the parents
Mrs. Pilon says, in a re-
who need the ulpan which cent month the village
the settlement provides or played host to over 1,000
even revert to Dutch in a visitors, and with every
pinch.
visit the settlers of Nes
But the fact that the Amim try to bring two
children study in Israeli worlds just that much
schools presents them closer to understanding.