TRUST WIN visit to Fire Destruction and Tree Planting Activity

On Thursday, Dec 9 2010, some of our TRUST WIN leaders – Druze, Jewish and Muslim — toured the site of the destruction of the recent devasting fires in the North of our country in a jeep – traveling on recently created mountain paths where the fire-fighters had uprooted trees on either side and poured sand to stop the advance of the fire.

The smell of charred wood was in the air and all around was ashes, exposed ground, treeless hills, and destroyed homes. We drove and drove through destroyed forests reaching up on either side of the road. We were shocked, upset, humbled, angry, sickened to see the anguish all around us. When one of us burst out saying that God must be very angry with us, our Druze friend answered that God is not angry, only merciful, and we must seek to learn and rebuild. The most sobering experience was to stand at the site where there was an impromptu memorial to the forty members of the Prisons Services whose bus caught fire as they attempted to reach the nearby prison and evacuate the prisoners. They all perished instantly together – Christians, Druze, Jews, and Muslims. Among the charred and burned trees were memorial candles, the flag of the Prisons Services, and a memorial wreath.

We offered prayers from the different religions for their souls. Afterwards we gathered with other women in the Druze village of Daliat HaCarmel to discuss the suffering of the people and of the land, to offer thanks to the many nations who came to our aid, and to pray for the comfort of the bereaved, the recovery of the wounded, and the regeneration of the land. We pledged our energy and money to have a Women’s Interfaith Tree Planting in the area mid-January before Tu B’shvat, the Jewish New Year of the Trees when traditionally trees are planted. We offer you the opportunity to assist us by donating money to build trees.