As new immigrants, they even- their whereabouts. Bicycle locks
tually decided that they needed are nonexistent, and car alarms
to live in a larger, more diverse are not activated. One settler said
community. They chose the set- she only locks her door at night
tlement of Dolev, which is com- because "it seems like the pru-
muting distance to Tel Aviv. dent thing to do."
Just as the social support
While the Karns enjoy a close
relationship with the 100 obser- changes at the gate, so does se-
vant families in a place where curity. All settlements are re-
everyone knows everyone by quired to have round-the-clock
name, this kind of support ends protection, a combination of Is-
at the gate. Many settlers point raeli army and civil defense. Pri-
out the social isolation they must vate security firms often are
endure for choosing to live their entrusted with the responsibili-
ideology. ty of assisting in this area.
Marc Kam is an engineer with A well-known Israeli broad-
the Israel Electrical Company. caster was drawn by the quali-
He says some of his coworkers ty of life on the outskirts of
have expressed resentment at the Jerusalem. He says people
fact that they have to do their laughed at the idea when he
Army reserve duty in the tern- moved three years ago to the
tories. Several colleagues did re- 25,000-plus community of
luctantly come for his son's bris, Maaleh Adumim. Jerusalem
he says. "You could see how sur- Mayor Ehud Elmert has called
prised they were to see how close for this town of religious, tradi-
this area is to Tel Aviv in one di- tional and secular Israelis to be
rection, Ashdod in another, and annexed as part of Greater
that one can clearly see aircraft Jerusalem.
"For 200,000, I bought a five-
landing and taking off from Ben-
bedroom place with a front and
Gurion Airport."
Situated in the Judean Hills, backyard," the broadcaster says.
Dolev commands a panoramic "Compare that to the three-bed-
view of the Tel-Aviv area right room apartment I had in the city
down to the Mediterranean coast- which I sold for twice that price.
line. Mr. Kam urges policy mak- Now it takes only 13 minutes to
ers and Diaspora Jews to come get to work." Traveling from his
see the area for themselves, Jerusalem neighborhood on the
rather than rely on what the TV other side of town used to take
news has to say about "land for him at least half an hour, because
peace." of traffic. "So who is laughing
Dolev residents seem to be now?"
Despite the security concerns
more ideologically inspired than
mortgage-minded. Once inside and the political uncertainty, few
the securely fenced perimeters, have left the settlements.
"People who are not neces-
children as young as 5 run freely,
their parents unconcerned about THE PIONEERS page 58
The Buck Stops Here
NEAL DOWN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
any settlers are troubled by the fact that humanitari-
an efforts in Judea and Samaria do not receive the same
financial support from Jewish organizations abroad as
_those within pre-1967 Israel. One of the critics of this
policy is Neve Daniel resident Rabbi Kenny Hirshorn.
"I find it morally offensive that Jewish communities will sup-
port projects in any part of the world except helping those who want
to live in parts of Eretz Yisrael," he said.
YEfflik's Yehudit Tayar agrees. "Jewish organizations will sup-
port Jewish communities from all over," she said. "They will sub-
sidize Jewish education in the former Soviet Union, refurbish
cemeteries and synagogues in Poland. This is the only place where
they refuse to help fellow Jews."
Each year, both Jewish federations and the U.S. government
give millions of dollars of humanitarian aid to Israel.
Most federations funnel their funds through United Israel Ap-
peal, though exactly where that money may be dispensed remains
a murky issue.
A leading diplomat, Richard Roth is U.S. deputy chief of mission
in Israel. He said Washington is adamant about seeing where tax-
payer dollars go—and they don't belong in the territories, he said.
Mr. Roth, a Southfield High School graduate, said that U.S. gov-
ernment policy holds that the 190 million it gives each year to Is-
rael should stay within the pre-1967 borders. The money may not
be used even for such seemingly tame projects as helping resettle
immigrants or providing emergency medical aid to residents in the
territories.
Private donations are a different matter, Mr. Roth said and Jew-
ish groups may make donations throughout Israel without having
their tax-exempt status threatened.
Yet few of them do.
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit is among those
agencies that gives no money to residents in the West Bank Fed-
eration Executive Vice President Robert Aronson explains: "We
don't make political statements."
To understand the long, complicated journey of the money Amer-
ican Jews send to Israel, start with a local federation.
THE BUCK page 58