Jewish Gaza ‘capital’
a ghost town

August 19, 2005

NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza – Last week it was the sprawling “capital” of Jewish Gaza, crowded with residents dining, shopping and going to work. But today, just 48 hours after the start of Israel’s Gaza evacuation, Neve Dekalim is a ghost town.

Rows of houses that once contained 467 Jewish families are now deserted, debris strewn across lawns and along the sidewalks. Many front doors are wide open, windows smashed through.

Inside, evacuated homes, kitchen counters, closets and bathrooms lie in ruins, broken to pieces by Jewish residents who don’t want to leave their homes to the Palestinians. Some, tears streaming down their faces, lit their homes on fire.

Several houses are still fully furnished, containing the belongings of residents who refused to move from their homes and instead were forced this week onto buses that brought them out of Gaza for the last time. Israel has said soldiers next week will empty out the remains of the homes and will return any property left behind to owners, although former area residents are skeptical.

Dekalim resident’s kitchen smashed (photo: WND).

A tour through Dekalim’s town center will find restaurants and stores abandoned. Counters inside the main food shop are empty. The city’s recreation and community center is abandoned. The municipal building, which housed city offices and some area businesses, has been locked.

Neve Dekalim, until this week, was the focal point of life in Gaza’s Gush Katif slate of Jewish communities. Housing was tight, with units in the neighborhood filled by Jewish families who moved to the area from throughout Israel and across the world.

Kids could be found laughing in neighborhood playgrounds. Synagogues and yeshivas were usually bustling with students and residents of all ages.

The area’s greenhouses were tended to by local Jewish farmers, and Palestinian and foreign workers were brought in to help supply Israel with nearly 70 percent of its produce. The Dekalim greenhouses were some of the most technologically advanced in the world, featuring temperature regulation and insect-free produce.

Main Neve Dekalim food store emptied (photo: WND).

In a recent WND interview, Sylvia Mandelbaum, one of the first Dekalim residents, recalled the town’s origins.

“When I arrived [in the early ’80s], the whole thing was nothing but sand. Sand up to my doorsteps. No civilization. Then everything turned green.

“Back then, you came and built your own house. I came because of the beauty of the place and because I could build my own personal paradise. … Look now. We made the desert bloom. We built the most beautiful, peaceful communities in the world.”

Now, the only people in Neve Dekalim are a few journalists still lingering around and Israeli security forces, who will remain in the town at least through September.

The army announced it will likely start demolishing Gush Katif homes as early as next week. A deal has been made for Egypt to accept the rubble. Troops are expected to stay in the general Gaza region another few months, after which Israel will officially hand over the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians.

Former Neve Dekalim residents are worried the town many of them spent their lives in will next be controlled by terrorists who will use the area to launch attacks against Israel.

Displaced Dekalim resident Rachel Sapperstein told WND: “Words cannot describe the feeling I get when I think about what will become of Neve Dekalim. Hamas will be using my backyard to fire missiles and attack us. It’s a sin this is allowed to happen.”

Dekalim resident Rachel Bakshi, now evacuated, said, “Our beautiful town is gone. My kids grew up there. It was the only home they knew. Next week, it will be no longer there.”

Mandelbaum, now living in an apartment in Jerusalem, asked for a report on the many fruit trees that grow outside her former house. “Are the clementine ripe?” she inquired. “They should be ripe about this time of year. I want to know, who will water them now?”

Previous stories:

Settlers concede: ‘We lost the battle’

‘We don’t know where we will live’

Israeli forces breach strongholds

Gaza ‘capital’ falls
amid screams, tears

Anonymous soldiers making violent arrests

In Gaza, tears, fears … and ‘Hava Nagila’

Mixed reactions as evac deadline approaches

Soldiers in tears amid Jew-vs.-Jew violence

Singing Jews greet evac cops

PA claims ‘smooth transition’ despite violence

Gaza residents ignore moving trucks