This is a story about a beautiful place called Ein Fit in Israel that was set to be destroyed and my experience with living in it.
It’s a habitat for many wild animals and plants.
That life is possible due to a spring which feeds a little river. A village was built at the place. A structure to hold the water. We were told that the name of the place “Ein Fit” means “clear spring”. Indeed it was so clean and clear.
The whole region had been conquered and the village was destroyed so the citizens won’t return back to their homes. Then destroyed further by the military using it as a training ground.
There was an attempt to build a new training ground with new buildings at this place. Destroying it and preventing the nourishment for the beings that reside there.
A girl found out and went to live there as a protest and for protection.
In a magical way, I found out too. While making Hebrew subtitles for a documentary, an unrelated separate matching of the words in a search engine brought up the case of this place.
I joined the girl.
At first she taught me the basics. Pooping in nature with a bottle of water and soap. Making fire and cooking on it. Washing the dishes with wood ash.
We drank from the spring. Later on we were told of a better hidden place where more water comes out and people are not bathing in it. The water was so clean, tasty and alive.
People that came to bath in the spring were told by us about the situation of this place. We were receiving money and food donations. Sometimes people would come and stay with us for some days.
We primarily ate the food donated. But when the fruits on the trees ripened, especially the figs, we would spend the mornings with visiting all the fig trees, eating their fruits until satiation. So tasty. The same for the almonds.
For dinner we usually made a fire and cooked on it. The whole process would normally take at least 3 hours.
At some point we built a stove from clay. It was pretty but didn’t end up as practical. We were amateurs.
Almost every dinner would end with music around the fire.
Watching the sunset on the valley and the mountains on the other side has been astonishing.
All of our food and kitchen was between two trees. Food in boxes on the soil and “kitchen” on shelves put between those trees using ropes.
It was summer. We liked to eat many mangoes that were brought to us. Many wasps had been at the spring. They would come to your lips to enjoy the mangoes as well. So much wasp stings…
At some point we had another participant. He ate a box full of mangoes and fruits in one go. It was a horse.
You would hear him coming. Day and night. We had to be alert in the night for his arrival. We couldn’t afford him eating all of our food.
We were breaking the law by being there also on weekdays as this land is designated for training of the military.
So much trash had been thrown on the place. It didn’t matter how many trash bags we filled up, it seemed like nothing had been done. Endless trash. However, people were still coming to clean there. Sometimes there were concentrated days where volunteers would come to clean.
We wanted to live there. To start growing food and make a community. Wondered what we would do in the coming freezing cold winter.
We got our answer.
A war started.
Shootings in the nearby mountain. Unbearable and incredibly strong sound of explosions that I worried would make us deaf. Probably from ignition of rockets from nearby, not rockets falling on us. Dozens of tanks moving on the spring day and night. Sometimes stopping at the spring for a coffee break.
Only after our families got extremely worried we started considering leaving. So we left.
The military now had other priorities. A year of war had passed and the plans for the place had been on halt.
Then the military resumed its plans. The girl went back.
I wanted to visit the place. But felt a feeling that it’s not right.
Well… I drove to the place regardless.
I parked my car and felt a very strong energetic barrier. I got out of the car and sat beside it on the ground. Communicated with the land. I felt that I don’t belong there and the land doesn’t need me anymore. I felt rage coming from the place. Like human intervention is unwanted.
I couldn’t walk outside of the vicinity of my car. Couldn’t explore the beautiful place nor drink from its waters. I drove 3 hours just to return back. I had a good laugh. And a clear answer.
Fortunately many people were part of taking action to stop the destruction of this place. Many nature conservation organizations knew how rare this place is and took action to stop it. To stop the military, a military in a country that praises every decision of it as crucial for safety.
Eventually they succeeded! While physical presence in the place was crucial to halt the works, it has only been possible due to so many people and organizations taking action.
So the place gets to remain heaven and home for many beings.
Author from Being Land
“Being Land” is a platform Roee Hershberg and Isabelle Blum host that contains sharings from different people what being land means to them. Promoting our interconnectedness with land, nature and people. Shared as mainly audios with peoples’ diverse, unique expressions as they dive into their explorations.
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