Kassams over Tkuma

Getting back to Israeli Independence Day...We were invited to a BBQ at a cousin's cattle farm in Tkuma, a small religious moshav about 5 files from the northern Gaza Strip. The town's only road is laid out in the form of a rectangle with the homes fronting the road and the farm land behind. It's about a 90 minute drive north east from Mitzpe Ramon. Yom Haatzmaut is a holiday where most Israelis stay home to celebrate with their families, so there was little traffic the entire day as we drove to and from the farm.

Tkuma, road and farm land

Not everyone who lives in Tkuma farms now, so some of the farm land has been sold off by residents to the farmers who remain.

Tkuma, located at "A" just right of center, about 5 miles from the Gaza Strip

 There is an old guard tower located near the town center, but its use was abandoned, except for a Chanukah Menorah, after the behemas in Gaza were put behind fences, like on Skull Island. Nevertheless, the town has been hit numerous times by random rocket fire from Gaza, and the main road into town has a memorial plaque for a young boy who was killed there by the rocket fire.

The old guard tower in Tkuma

 The home of our host was hit by rocket fire and a corner of it destroyed by a Grad rocket, one of the larger rockets with a range of about 10 miles.

 The facing corner of this house was hit and destroyed by a Grad rocket. It has since been rebuilt.

Opposite this house, a distance of about 50 feet, is a shed where the rocket sprayed its shrapnel, the holes still remain.

Shrapnel peppers the side of a shed at the farm of our host.

B"H, our host and family were in their bomb shelter at the time the rocket hit, but there is less than a minute to take cover once the alarm sounds.

Residents collect other rockets that have fallen on the area. Over 4000 have been shot into Israel since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2005.

A smaller Kassam rocket, but still big enough to kill

 Shrapnel from the Grad rocket that struck and destroyed a corner of our hosts' home

I was looking forward to getting closer to Gaza to moon the Gazans as an expression of my peace platform: "Kish mir in tuchas", but my wife never lets me have any fun.

Being at the farm with reminders of war so close by during Yom Haatzmaut was a memento mori that Israel still has to fight every day to secure its existence, surrounded by enemies whose idea of peace is the end of Israel and the Jewish people, aided and abetted by a cowardly, feckless and hostile world who would as easily acquiesce to the end of the State of the Jews as it did to the end of European Jewry.

But enough of this heavy political philosophizing, none of which we engaged in at our Tkuma BBQ. Our host had built his own rotisserie, as is the wont of those who live on the land, and delicious meats were roasting nearby.

Our host and his home made BBQ rotisserie

 Not the end of the BBQ, just the end of the first round. Our cousin on the right.

After we finished eating we walked across the street to get a tour of the cattle farm. Ironically, none of the BBQ meat came from the farm, which ships its meat to markets in Argentina. I knew this was going to be a great farm when we walked in and were greeted by this magnificent collection of old farm junk just hanging around.

The junk collection at the entrance to the farm

 The bulls are kept separate from the cows, and this one is known as "meshuga" (crazy) because he paws the ground and lowers his head to challenge anyone who comes near.

"Meshuga" the crazy bull at the farm. I wish Israel's prime minister had a pair like this.

 Cows eating on the farm.

Black Angus were just added to the herd this year.

One heck of alot of carrots used for feeding the cows.

A tractor that predates the birth of our cousin by many years. Still in good working order.

 ...and so we bid farewell to the farm with its bounty and head back to the barren desert...

...until next year...or perhaps sooner to moon the Gazans.

        

Celebrating Yom Haatzmaut in Mitzpe Ramon

Yom Haatzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) is a combination of small town and big town festivities in Mitzpe Ramon. We are the largest town by far south of Be'er-Sheva, but still only about 4700 people, so this is where most people in the area come to celebrate Independence Day. The celebration here reminded me of the small New England town patriotic celebrations of Memorial Day and July 4th, but with a smidgen of big name performers thrown in.

The evening of Yom Haatzmaut a big celebration is held in the town's large Greek-style amphitheater. I had never seen this before, although it is located right next to the town's main shopping district. I would love to hold a summer theater festival here. The amphitheater has a large number of stone seats in a semi-circle around a large stage, sloping steeply up to a grassy hill above the seats.

Mitzpe Ramon's Greek-style amphitheater, capacity ~1,000 on the stone seats alone

The night's performance was mostly local children in Madame Veronica's dance school. They streamed into the dressing rooms below stage nervously awaiting their performance to begin. 

Dancers await their entrance below stage in Mitzpe Ramon

The celebration began around 8:15 when a short volley of fireworks announced the beginning of Yom Haatzmaut. Then each dance class appeared to do their choreographed number. It was really quite sweet.

Mayor Flora Shushan handed out the annual town service awards, after which the headliner for the evening appeared: Dana International. Dana won the 1998 Eurovision song contest representing Israel with her song Diva. The Eurovision contest is huge everywhere except in America, where it is hardly known at all. Dana was born Yaron Cohen in 1972 to a Yemenite Jewish family. She is one of the most famous pop singer transexuals in the world. And here she was in Mitzpe Ramon.

Dana International performs in Mitzpe Ramon

I didn't find out that Dana International was a transexual until a few days later, but it did help explain the rather androgynous backup group that danced with her. Pam had seen them about town with hulking arms and warm-up suits. One of the very precocious young dancers got up on stage and outdid Dana with some amazing moves. Dana was gracious enough to share the stage with her for a number of songs.

One of Mitzpe Ramon's own cuties gets on stage with Dana

The show was clearly going to go on for a long time, so we left after the fireworks show that began when Dana International finished her set.

The show continued on well into the night. There was another big display of fireworks again around 11:30, which I think marked the end. There was a festive and carnival-like atmosphere throughout. There were many food and tshatchke vendors set up around the amphitheater selling various eats and led-light toys, and children had foam fights throughout the night.