It is my observation and belief that Tikun Olam is most effectively achieved when the intervention starts
at the grass roots and engages the whole community.

There is no doubt that the events of 7/10 have had a profound impact on the entire Jewish Nation. The
epicenter of that trauma is in the Otef, the Gaza Envelope, but its ripples have been substantial even on
the other side of the globe in Aotearoa.

I would like to propose a modest construction project that aims both to fill a material need and to begin
the journey towards Tikun Olam.

Sde Nitzan is a small agricultural moshav 7km from the Gaza border, the moshav was founded in the early 1970’s by a group of Anglo Saxon olim, some from New Zealand. At the heart of the moshav is a small park with a beautiful swimming pool at the center. This facility is the glue that binds the community. Families gather here and spend the Shabbat in and out of the water.

Following 7/10 many of the families are now divided, men back working in the fields, women and children evacuated to safer locations. It is critical for the survival of the moshav, and, I believe, the survival of Israel, that this community and all the others that have been evacuated, are resettled. The swimming pool and all it represents, is, I have been told, one of the key enticements that will encourage the residents to return.

Here in New Zealand we, the Jewish community, have not been spared the specter of global antisemitism that has been the counter intuitive response to 7/10. Some feel personally threatened, many feel abandoned by their former political allies. My feeling is that the best therapy for us as a community is to come together around a shared focus, and that that focus should be a physical project that strengthens our bonds with Eretz Yisrael.

I have engaged with the resident’s committee on Sde Nitzan, they have a need for a facility at their
community pool which would provide toilet, shower and changing rooms for the swimmers. We envisage
two buildings, each approximately 24m2.

In order to avoid Israel’s notorious bureaucracy, the buildings will be relocatable (this will avoid the lengthy consent process). A separate open structure would provide shade and shelter for an outdoor kitchen area.

I intend traveling to Israel in the near future in order to carry out the construction work, this will be done
on a voluntary basis.

My personal skill set is in construction and project management, so the immediate needs are:

  • Legal assistance in providing an accountable and transparent financial framework.
  • Assistance beyond my technological illiteracy in order to create a prospectus and PR campaign for
    the project.

The Moshav have allocated a small fund towards this project, by my estimation there is a funding shortfall of approximately NZD$100,000.

My hope is that the New Zealand Jewish community will take ownership of this project, both in terms of
fundraising and encouraging volunteer input during the building stage in Israel.

Further, I see this project as being the catalyst for an ongoing relationship between the communities of Sde Nitzan and New Zealand. I believe that both groups of individuals will benefit from the opportunity to experience the lived reality of the other.

Ultimately, I wish that through this initiative a process of healing can take place, both in the Otef and in
Aotearoa.

Am Yisrael Chai