Return to the forgotten model of autonomy - Haaretz - Israel News

Return to the forgotten model of autonomy - Haaretz - Israel News: "Contrary to many of Sderot's residents, who have been spending as many weekends as possible outside their city under fire, approximately 1,000 members of the religious Zionist community made their way in the opposite direction Friday: They came from all over the country to spend Shabbat in Sderot, in support of the residents. Most were young people, who are by nature braver and more mobile. This included members of the Bnei Akiva youth movement, students from pre-army mekhinot (courses that combine Jewish studies with military preparation) and hesder yeshivas (which combine yeshiva studies with military service). Several dozen families heeded the call as well.

The initiative was brought to life by Tzalash (the Hebrew acronym for 'Zionism in the Service of Sderot'), a project of the Orot Hesed nongovernmental organization, headed by former MK Hanan Porat. Porat founded the NGO eight years ago, in the wake of criticism that religious Zionism focuses exclusively on issues related to Greater Israel and neglects social issues. Consequently, Orot Hesed deals mainly with distributing food packages to the needy." Read complete post here.