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Lake Kinneret stretches to the
horizon as seen from Kibbutz
Charuv in the Golan Heights.

J

Kibbutzniks
express
caution over
giving up
their home.

RUTH LITTMANN
STAFF WRITER

erusalem, Israel — Chuck Beerman of
Bloomfield Hills bounced up and down
on a jeep ride through one of the most
fought-over regions in the world.
Along with other travelers on Miracle
Mission II, Mr. Beerman plans to track
news on Israel's Golan Heights even more
closely than he has in the past.
"Being here makes real what you read
in the paper," he said. "This whole trip
has done that for me."
Mr. Beerman joins citizens of Israel
and Jews around the world in a quandary
over what to do about the Golan. The
nearly 44-mile stretch of land forms the
border between Israel and three Arab na-
tions: Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
Military strategists have said the area is
vital to Israel because enemies who have
occupied the Golan built bunkers on the
cliffs and shelled Jewish settlements below.
Israel annexed the Golan Heights at
the end of 1981, following its capture from
Syria during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Now, Syria demands the land for peace.
In the Golan, atop a mountain over-
looking Lake Kinneret, Joel Sheinfeld, a
kibbutznik from Kfar Charuv, explains
why he opposes giving away his home.
A native of New York City, Mr. She-
infeld developed Kfar Charuv 22 years
ago with young, single American olim
and Israelis. Like many of them, Mr. She-
infeld worries Israel might be on the
precipice of a grave mistake. To give up
the Golan, he said, would be to give up
an Israeli stronghold which would en-
danger the whole country's future.
"Israel wants peace, but peace with se-
curity," he said. "If Israel, from 1948 to
the present, had lost just one of its wars,
there would be no Israel."

Some people argue that the Golan is protection, but also to water. Lake Kin-
not as vital to Israel's security as it once neret provides 30 percent of Israel's fresh
was. With high-tech military equipment, water. Part of the reason for the outbreak
adversaries could take Israel with or of the 1967 Six-Day War is attributed
without the Golan.
to the debate over water usage.
Take a risk for peace, they say.
Mr. Vardy admits, however, that he
But Mr. Sheinfeld told Missionaires also has a personal interest in keeping
that sophisticated missiles and the like the Golan.
do not render the Golan obsolete. Syria
"I'm attached to it after 21 years of
might have the technology to target Is- building up the place. For the first 10
raeli settlements, but they cannot con- years, I was the gardener here. I grew at-
quer the region that way, he said.
tached to every tree, every flower, every
He referred to the Persian Gulf War bush," he said.
in 1991. Airborne attacks weakened
Mr. Vardy would like to see Israel and
Iraqis, but the war was not won until neighboring countries embark on joint
America deployed troops in an all-out economic ventures using the land. He
land strike.
says this would give everyone a stake in
its welfare and increase chances for peace.
Mr. Vardy might even consent to hand-
ing over the Golan in exchange for true
peace; but he, like Shosy Yosef, another
kibbutznik, second-guesses Syria's com-
mitment.
Ms. Yosef, 36, points to Jordan as a
prototype for peace negotiations. If Syr-
ia, like Jordan, ends its support of ter-
Pini Vardy rorism and demonstrates, over a long
period of time, that it also wants peace,
she would give up her home.
But, she said, it would be a painful
"It is true that Syria doesn't need the
Golan Heights to attack Israel; but to take task.
"I've lived here for 17 years. My
Israel, they need to move in with ground
troops," he said.
four children were born here. I was mar-
In the cafeteria at Kfar Charuv, kib- ried here. I can't think of living anywhere
butzniks doubt Syria's dedication to long- else. El
term peace with Israel. Pini Vardy, 42,
has lived on Kibbutz Kfar Charuv for 21
THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF
years.
ONGOING COVERAGE OF MIRACLE
"I think the Golan must stay a part
MISSION II, A 10-DAY TRIP THAT TOOK
of Israel. It's in the whole country's in-
866 METRO DETROIT JEWS TO IS-
terest," he said.
RAEL MAY 7-17.
Mr. Vardy referred not only to land

"I've grown attached
to every tree,
every flower,
every bush."

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