About 3,500 students from Bnei Akiva and the Noam Zvia educational system took part in a “march of longing” in memory of Gush Katif yesterday (Monday). “Longing” in Hebrew is Kissufim, also the name of a kibbutz on the Gaza border.

During the march, which began in the afternoon, the students paused at vantage points and received explanations of what had occurred by those points. The entire march was four kilometers and concluded in the community of Shlomit, where the participants were welcomed by Rabbi Haim Drukman, along with a performance by Yishai Rivo and Yishai Lapidot.

Katif Center CEO Mochi Beter said, “We are happy to see that, over the years, the march of longing continues to draw thousands of youths from a wide range of schools across Israel. During the march, the youths have a many-faceted experience on the educational, experiential, ethical, and even experiential levels, which tells the history of the Gush Katif communities and the strength that is growing again.”

The head of Noam Zvia, Rabbi Simcha Weissman, said that “We are talking about an educational march that is designed to help feel the Land of Israel, to internalize the idea of a life in service, to miss the healthy Jewish Zionist communities that aimed to live a life of Torah.”

Credit: Katif Center