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Maaleh Adumin: On the Wave of the Future

by Gad Nahshon

Gal Eisenman Zè was only five years old when she was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist at the French Hill section of Jerusalem. Gal Eisenman was on her way with her family, back to her beloved home at Maaleh Adumin. By the way, Gal in English translates to 'wave.'

The murderers who always have targeted Israeli children are looking to cut our future and the bright future of the great city of Maaleh Adumin, with 300,000 residents in this city upon the hill, a winner of the prize for environmental quality. One can understand why Dr. and Mrs. Yitzhak Eisenman made aliyah from Columbia to Maaleh Adumin, their promised land. Recently, Mayor Benny Kashriel, the popular charismatic leader of this city, defender of Jerusalem, came to the U.S. in order to bring the message of his town to the American Jewish community. He accomplished many missions in this visit. He lectured in many places especially to the members of Bnai-Zion who put this town inside their heart. Benny Kashriel teaches us that Palestinian terrorists, the murderers who are trying to genocide Israel, the murderers of Gal, cannot steal away the future of Israel, the future of Maaleh Adumin. "No one can scare us. We are the true Zionists," he told me when in Manhattan.

First, he asks everyone to help his city by donations to the Maaleh Adumin Foundation (212-725-1211). We must secure the future of this beautiful city! This is also indirectly the answer to the Palestinian murderers. As to Gal, as to the wave of the future, the Mayor together with Dr. Herzl R. Spiro established the Gal Eisenman Scholarship Fund (212-725-1211) in order to secure the future education of the city's children. Do not let them win!

Mayor Kashriel told me that the city is looking for the opening of the city's new modern library in April of 2003. But more important, to challenge the new socio-economic problems. He came to raise funds and donations in order to support poor families in his city. Recently, he sent a letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in which he urged him to focus on Israel's recent socio-economic problems. He pointed out that all cities are suffering from these problems and he suggested the establishment of a new forum of mayors in order to challenge this problem: "We must, using this forum, show to the Israeli citizens that the social agenda, social issues have a national first priority in the activities of this government," wrote Kashriel, who is also a famous respected leader of 'YESHA', the powerful federation of the 250,000 settlers in the West Bank and Gaza.

Also as a chairman of the Greater Jerusalem Forum, Kashriel explained: "I am fighting that the new defensive fence which will circle Maaleh Adumin will also be applied to other settlements in Greater Jerusalem such as Givat Zeev." But Kashriel, who supports Ariel Sharon, went on to say: "The defensive fence is only a kind of damage control effect. There is no alternative to our method of counter-terrorism: you must kill them in their places, one minute before they move out to commit their crimes of terrorism. These are also acts of deterrence. These are pre-emptive strikes. Therefore, I do defend the last act of our Air Force killing the leader of terrorism in the Gaza Strip, Salah Shehada. The terrorists do not hesitate to hide among children. They do not care about their children, they want children to defend their lives. The new methods are effective: there are less terrorist actions than in the past."

Mr. Kashriel also expressed his qualm: a situation in which Israelis will accept the notion that it is okay to terrorize Israelis beyond the 'green line.' "I am afraid that we will be isolated as settlers. It will be a new Lebanonization," said Kashriel, who tries hard to increase the size of his population. "I recently absorbed new olim from the U.S. I am building a new neighborhood for young couples. Olim are coming to us from New York, Texas, Oklahoma and other countries. We increased our population to 31,000. This aliyah movement gives me hope. This is the wave of the future. As you know, we are catering to new investment in industry: we can provide investors with land and special benefits as well. Let them come to Maaleh Adumin. This city was established on the desert. The land was empty. No Arab has been evacuated. We did not steal this land. It was not a private land at all. That's the truth. We came, we worked hard. We challenged many problems. We performed a Zionist miracle, a city upon the hill," remarked Benny Kashriel.

To support Maaleh Adumin (Israel: 02-535-4336 or U.S. 212-725-1211.