n r ut I KUIlltWIJIFIIM , trivayseptemner-sins—lui 100 Years of Settlements Have Reclaimed the Land of Israel By JANET MOSHE World Zionist Press Service And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God. Amos 9:15 * * * Perhaps rural settlement activity was started in bi- blical times in the land of Israel, but the past years have paved the way for the Best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year RUTH SCHARG May the coming year be filled with health and happiness for rebirth of Jewish national independence. Even though the usage of the very term "settlement" is enough to raise eyebrows of some world leaders in the direc- tion of the Middle East, it is this very concept that has helped to populate, feed and form the boundaries of the Jewish state for the past 100 years. As Israel has passed the centennial mark of settle- ment (1882-1982), the length and breadth of the land of our forebearers re- flects the drastic change which has taken place. No less than 1,000 settlements today dot Israel's landscape. New immigrants from all corners of the world have joined in a united effort, their toil and sweat coaxing better and better crops from the land, considered by the British authorities, for example, to be uncultivable. Swamps have been drained making way for fer- 1111311 111111 Mt13`? to all all our family our friends and friends and relatives JEFFREY & KAREN KRAFT, AIMEE & ELISSA OTTO & ERIKA HERCZEG We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year MR. & MRS. LOUIS BORDOLEY We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year ALBERT, EDITH & JAY CIMMER tile fields, stones cleared and even in Israel's deserts broad patches of green break the sandy monotone. In short, the Jews have be- come a people of the land. the Camp David agree- ments, requiring that Sinai sites be evacuated and turned over to the Egyp- tians by April 1982, were scrupulously carried out. For many years, set- tlement has taken high national priority, and in the past five years alone over 200 settlements have been established. The vast majority of these are rural settlements and have been built under the auspices of the Settle- ment Department of the Jewish Agency and the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organ- ization. "We felt as if the carpet has been pulled out from under our feet when we realized our land would be turned over to Egypt," explaines Danny Pasik of Kibutz Sufa, presently re- located in the western Negev. "The move from the Sinai to our new loca- tion has not been an easy one for us to make." The Six-Day war of 1967 brought changes in-the ob- jectives of settlement policy, and new areas of larid opened up to be farmed and settled. Revolutionary ways to exploit arid land were found, and new markets for Israel's agricultural exports opened new horizons. The thrust of Israeli set- tlement policy seems to be in constant change. Since 1967, however, the majority of new settlements have been established on the other side of the "Green Line" which once separated Israel and Jordan. Apart from Judea and Samaria, settlement of areas of sparse Jewish population such as the Galilee have been given priority, and in accordance with the peace agreement concluded with Egypt, the Besor Region of the Negev (Pithat Shalom) has also been developing in- tensively. Nine settlements — seven moshavim and two kibutzim — were estab- lished along the new inter- national border with Egypt in the Besor Region of the Negev. Fields, saplings and many young settlers were uprooted and relocated as Only a few years ago set- tlement policy encouraged the development of the buf- fer zone between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Desert. And then, the chance of a peace agreement with Egypt led to a change in the desert's sandscape. Seven yearg after Danny and other members of the first Nahal unit (pioneering youth corps of the Israel De- fense Forces) set foot in the area, stakes had to be pulled up, and the kibutz began to rebuild itself once more in the shifting sands of the desert. As national policy changed, the people of Sufa were responsive, and the young members rebuilt their kibutz home, moving it to the new international border with Egypt. The abandoning of Yamit and neighboring settlements was only carried out after a bitter dispute with the settlers. Today, the average age of Kibutz Sufa's residents is under 30, but most of the members have struggled with the desert's hardships for several years. Their re- wards include a fine crop of fruit, flowers and vegeta- bles for European markets. In addition, however, they knew that they are helping to forge a tight link around * * Israel's borders and sparsely poptilated regions. In a five-year settle- ment forecast, plans envision a large distribu- tion of settlements in the Galilee, Judea, Samaria, Golan Heights, Negev, Jordan Valley, and the Gaza Strip area. An addi- tional population of 10,000 families is planned for rural settlement by 1988. Making its impression upon the social and eco- nomic life in the state of Is- rael, rural settlement con- tinues today to enjoy prior- ity in national planning, whether the emphasis be agricultural or industrial. A small leak will - sink a great ship. WE WISH OUR FRIENDS AND THE and relatives JABOTINSKY SOCIETY OF HERUT A VERY HEALTHY, HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR THE BURDOWSKI'S REGINA, DAVE & MICHELE HELEN & SIMON CIECK May the coming May the coming year be filled year be filled with health and with health and happiness for happiness for all our family all our family and friends and friends LIZ & LOU FREEMAN RUTH & FRED KATZ of Southfield 1111311 i-\iw ill t13"2 to all our friends We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year SANDER & DIANE EISENBERG, CHERI, STEVE & LORI We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year THE A. GARDIN FAMILY HARRY & MARY EHRLICH We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year HENRY & FRANKA IGLEWICZ & DAUGHTER MARILYN & JACK FLACK & FAMILY We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year We wish our family and friends a very.healthy, happy and prosperous New Year THE SCHEINKER FAMILY MR. & MRS. SIMON LEFKOWITZ PAUL, MARSHA, JEFFREY, AARON & BRADLEY We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year TOBY & ABE SATOVSKY REUBEN & MARGARET SNIDER We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year We wish our family and friends a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year DOROTHY & REUBEN SHERMAN Shown in these photographs are new settlements under construction at Koranit in the Galilee, top photograph, and Neveh Daniel near Gush Etzion in Judea. THE STERN FAMILY ROZ, BUTCH, RON, TODD & DAVID - Marietta, Georgia .