By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent
As mayor of the Gush Etzion region of Israel, Shaul Goldstein is not only a leader, he’s also a businessman, a visionary and by necessity, even a part-time soldier.
Goldstein, who has been the mayor of Gush Etzion since 1999, visited Seattle for four days last month to meet with community leaders and gain support for the region’s growing needs.
On that same land, located only 10 minutes south of Jerusalem, the Torah says the patriarch Abraham traveled through on his way to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Later, King David battled and defeated the Philistine giant Goliath.
Today, Gush Etzion is a Jewish stronghold at the so-called “Southern Gate to Jerusalem,” and the scene of ongoing violence from Palestinian terrorists.
“I think that we are the soldiers for the Jews on the frontier line,” said Goldstein. “I think our battle is not only for the Jews. I think people understand now that it is the battle for values of freedom, democracy and liberty — against those who hate life and those who want to have a second life in Paradise rather than live life here. We confront the same danger and we feel a part of it.”
But living life close to the constant and imminent threat of attacks is not the image the Gush Etzion Regional Council wants to export. In response, they were formed to promote the tourism, technology and educational assets of the region.
“We are not the cowboys on the Wild West Bank,” said Goldstein. “We are trying to live a normal life. We are doing this with the support of the Jewish federations and congregations around the [United] States and secondly, with the support of Evangelical Christians. Today we are growing and we are flourishing. We have agriculture, a high-tech park and the best large Jewish educational system.”
As the region moves ahead into the 21st century, it is expected that the population will grow to 90,000 by the year 2020. But it is Gush Etzion’s historical legacy that gives the Jews who choose to live there the confidence they need to persevere.
“We have a lot of Jewish historical connections to the land,” said Goldstein. “The first time Abraham saw Mt. Moriah was from [the view from] my house. The first time, we assume, Abraham saw Jerusalem, was when he was coming from the South, from Hebron. King David was born in Gush Etzion. From my house you can see the place of the battle [of David] with Goliath. The members of Bar Kochba dug their caves inside Gush Etzion. We feel very, very connected to the land.”
This connection is at the root of the violence perpetrated by many Palestinians who claim that 50 percent of the land inside Gush Etzion belongs to them. However, Goldstein says that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to live there.
“We don’t have any problem with Arabs that own their own land and make their living on the land,” said Goldstein. “We don’t oppose it. We are supplying water and roads and everything they need. But, if the P.A. [Palestinian Authority] wants to put staff inside Gush Etzion, we oppose it.”
Goldstein was one of the first to sign a petition during the Barak administration calling on him to establish a unity government. He is ready to co-exist but not to capitulate.
“If it is a democracy, then anyone can buy the land,” Goldstein said. “Living side by side is right. They will be our neighbors and we are going to be their neighbors. But it is going to be under Israeli domain. They have to learn that they are going to live in a Jewish state not an Arabic state.”
While he foresees Arab immersion into the Gush Etzion region, Goldstein is not naïve about the internal issues that face Israeli society. Religious tolerance and the ever-widening influence of secular values in Israeli society present the most immediate challenges for this observant — and tolerant — mayor.
“I do not characterize myself,” said Goldstein, “but I am religious. I participate in many bridge groups that try to form unity and coordination with groups inside of Israeli society. We are interested in partnering with the ultra-religious, the secular, the right and the left political views together to form the current basis of our state and our society. This is the only way that Israel can survive.”
Goldstein advocates helping the state of Israel by not only traveling there but by just identifying with Israel, first for the economy, second for public relations, and third for the budget, which goes mainly for security.
“This is the time for Jews to unify,” added Goldstein. “Being united is being united all over the Jewish Diaspora, not only inside Israel.”
For more information contact the Gush Etzion Foundation at P.O. Box 1030, Manchester, NH 03105 or telephone 603-623-1212.