We are indebted to Shifra Shomron for her exquisitely texted "Grains of Sand"
in which she retells the personalized story of the human wealth that was dealt
a mortal blow when the Gush Katif communities were evacuated and their Jewish inhabitants expelled. What had been left behind is in this book: lively family life,
community spirit, moral values, material and religious success as well as the heroic
fortitude in the face of terror, the anguish in the realization that Israel's then
political leadership was insensitive to its policy errors as well as devoid of vision.
This is a riveting people-book: from the everyday details of life to the national panoply
of events, from the private thoughts, confidences and doubts to the public confrontations over issues of Jewish national endeavors and the still necessary pioneering character
that highlighted Israel's previous victories and successes. The reading of her book,
I believe, will ensure an eventual return to the dunes and hothouses of Katif.
Yisrael Medad,
Information Resource Director,
Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Jerusalem
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