Casestudy: The Bookkeeper

Eppie Lilintal and her husband Moshe have nine children aged seven to 19. She works as a bookkeeper for the agricultural business of the community. He programmes the computer software used to run the export side of the business. Moshe was evacuated from the original Atzmona settlement in the Sinai and helped found the community in Gush Katif in 1982.

“Looking back at what we went through during the intifada it seems impossible,” she says. “The son of one of my close neighbours was badly hurt. He was just a baby. He was hit by shrapnel from a mortar that landed in the back yard.”

“Now we are continuing our mission here in a piece of Israel that has never been settled. It’s like the land is waiting for us to discover its treasures and make it green. For us agriculture is very important because there are mitzvot which you can perform only in Israel and at the same time we are being productive and creating something. It’s not just agriculture. We are planning a project to harness solar energy, and expanding into areas of high tech. We also want to produce seeds, not just fruit,” she says.

“My younger children love it here because they have so many friends to play with. The young families who joined us have brought many more young children into the community. It’s been more tough for the older children. They miss their friends.”

“We feel what is happening here is important for the people of Israel and the land of Israel. People are still calling us and asking to join. They are still coming. This is a community of good people – honest and young in spirit. Despite the fact that we have faced obstacles and continue to do so, we are moving ahead. We are always optimistic.”

“Ours is a quiet message – that we are building a success here, a good life.”

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