PliM 2110:

8 Friday, September 16, 1977

1 1? 4 r

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Harassed When-Built, Moshav Mei-Ami Enjoys Prosperity

JERUSALEM—New
times have come to Mei-
Ami, as well as new
achievements and new prob-
lems. Originally established
as a border community be-
tween Israel and Jordan's
West Bank, it faced gun-
fire and death in its early
years, until the 1967 Six-
Day War moved the border
from Mei-Ami's doorstep.
Today, Mei-Ami can be con-
sidered a success story,
both socially and economic-
ally. as reported recently
by the Israel Digest.
Established as a Nahal
border outpost in 1963. Mei-
Ami is on the heights of
Mount Irron, some 500
yards above sea level. It
was then on the Israeli-Jor-
dan border surrounded by
the Israeli Arab villages of
the Irron region, inland
from the coastal plain. The
houses of its nearest neigh-
bor, Umm el Fahm, one of
the largest Arab villages in
the region, have already
reached Mei-Ami's grounds.
(The name "Mei-Ami,"
Hebrew for "Waters of My
People," also reflects the
fact that the original Nahal
outpost) was established
with help from the Jewish
community of Miami. The
ties continue. Recently a
group of 30 donors from
East Point in Miami visited
the JNF headquarters in Je-
rusalem to make an addi-
tional contriPution to devel-
opment work in the Mei-
Ami region. )
Describing Mei-Ami of
today in the Israeli news-
paper Maariv, Yosef Walter
tells of meeting Mickey
Hartel, the. 26-year-old
moshav treasurer who
showed him the views from
the mountain-top moshav
sitting in the clear moun-
tain air. To the west a thin
blue line marks the Mediter-
ranean while, to the north,
the snow-covered peak of
Mt. Hermon is visible.
Whereas before 1967, the
border community lived

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face to face. with Jordanian
forces and had frequent ex-
changes of fire with them.
since the 1967 war the
mount has meant many ro-
mantic nights. for young
couples as quiet settled
upon the region. The com-
munity, which had known
crises and failures in its
first years, has become the
success story of young pio-
neers who have created an
exemplary moshav shitufi.
(A moshav shitufi—the
name means "collective
moshav" combines the com-
munal ownership of the
land and means of produc-
tion, as in a kibutz, with in-
dividual homes and family
living as in a moshay. In-
come is divided among the
families according to their
size and the ages of their
children, each family han-
dling its consumption indi-
vidually. These commu-
nities have also been de-.
scribed as "family kibut-
zim." Unlike a moshav
where each house is usually
near its land, the homes in
a moshav shitufi are gener-
ally at the core of the corn-
munity. Unlike a kibutz,
there is no communal din-
ing hall, each family taking
its meals at home.)
Touring the moshav with
Mickey and Doron Merom,
the 24-year-old moshav sec-
retary, the Maariv reporter
learned that after the 1967
war, youth from the Ha-
noar Hatzioni ("Zionist
Youth") movement came
to establish a- permanent
community on the site.
Today, Mei-Ami has 24
fatuities and two bachelors.
Its economic base is agricul-
ture; coops where turkeys
are raised for their meat,
fields of cotton and citrus
groves. "One of our prob-
lems, as a mountain com-
munity, is that our land is
spread out iu several dis-
tant places. But it isn't so
bad. We recently celebrated
the preparation of 25 acres
of land cur planting on the
mountain," they explained
with satisfaction.,
In addition to being suc-
cessful economically, the
people of Mei-Ami also are
pleased with the social at-
mosphere in their commu-
nity. They explain that the
main reason for this is the
youthful age of the moshav
members. The "elder" of
the . community is 29. This
creates a special and warm
atmosphere and a feeling of
well being.- - It increases
work efficiency and helps
explain the financial suc-
cess.
Mickey, Doron and their
comrades were not the orig-
inal . founders of Mei-Ami.
The history of the commu-
nity is written in the diary
left behind by those who
were here first. Mickey is
collecting the historical
data "for the future gener-
ations."
Mei- Ami's diary starts
with the hand-written Foun-
dation Scroll, which, among
other things, says, "In the
presence of leaders of the
people and officers of the
Defense Forces of Israel,
we comrades of the core
groups Alon Eyal, Dror-
Evron, El Yad and individ-
ual soldiers settle together
on the border of the land, to

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REMEMBER

the kibutz over the question
of the children's sleeping ar-
rangements. "We wanted
the children to sleep in our
home and not in the chil-
dren's house," she explain-
ed.
The nursery and kinder-
garten, with Mei-Ami's 28
children, is near the. coops.
The children go to nursery
and kindergarten until noon
every day. Three nursery
teachers look after them.

An Israeli border patrol is shown outside Moshav Mei-
Ami in 1963.

create the 30th Nahal settle-
ment at Mei-Ami on Mount
Irron. Today, we take upon
ourselves to establish a
community of soldiers who
defend and build opposite
the border. Our hearts look
forward to the day when na-
tion shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall
they learn war any
more..."
The dreams of the young
pioneers were not realized.
A year after Mei-Ami was
established it had its bap-
tism of battle, coming
under heavy Jordanian fire
for hours. And, the ex-
changes never let up after
that. They reached a cli-
max on April 19, 1966 when
the late 2nd Lt. Yitzhak
Neufeld was . fatally
wounded. He had been the
deputy commander of the
settlement.
There are many stories
from those days to be heard
in the community. Today,
the border has fallen. It is
possible to hike freely
through the area which is
one of the most beautiful
spots in the country.
Problems ? "Yes, there
are problems as well,"
Doron noted; "One of them
is the uncontrolled building
by the neighboring village."
They find this building with-
out permission by • their
neighbors especially hard
to bear because of their
own experience. Having ap-
plied for building permits
to provide homes for nine
families waiting to join the
community, they find them-
selves entangled in a bu-
reaucratic maze where they
are sent from office to of-
fice, each claiming the
other should act.
"Family heads have quit
their jobs in the city on the
basis of our agreement to
absorb them into Mei-Ami.
And we, who obey the law,
cannot 'get housing to ac-
commodate them."
Eli Katz, economic co-or-
dinator of Mei-Ami, stated
that for two years he has
gone back and forth be-
tween offices of the Jewish
Agency and the Ministry of
Housing, and only now can
he see the possibility of a
solution on the horizon.
Mickey, who was born in
Beersheva, is married and
the father of a six-month
old girl. He was a member
of the core group which
came to Mei-Ami in 1970.
,After his discharge from
the Defense Forces, he de-
cided to remain at the site.
He met his wife here, hav-
ing been the instructor of
her Nahal group. They mar-
ried determined to link
their future to the place.

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Doron, originally from
Ramat Gan, came to Mei-
Ami after a search. He
wanted to work in agricul-
ture and to live in a mosh-
ay. At Mei-Ami he found
that the place "grabbed"
him and he has now lived
there for two years.
In talking with Mickey
and Doron, Yosef Walter
got the impression that
they might have been living
at Mei-Ami all their lives.
They are obviously linked
to it with every fiber of
their being. They know
every corner and every
rock and speak proudly of
their home. This may be
the reason why they feel
their problems so keenly.
• In the turkey coops,
among a sea of turkeys, the
reporter met Shushi, 27
years old and the mother of
two children. She was born
in Kibutz Gvulot, but left

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