Remembering Simsim
The village of Simsim was hundreds of years old, with maybe 1,000 residents at its peak–a bustling agricultural community not far from the urban center of Gaza city. The Palestinians lived in tranquil obscurity until the 1940s, when a group of Zionists came and bought land bordering Simsim for a kibbutz. Kibbutz Simsim was in relation with the village from 1942-1948, always seeking but being denied the ability to buy more of Simsim’s property; then, during the war, an armed force of Zionist staged a military operation, chasing out the villagers and destroying the town. Most of the people from Simsim fled to Gaza.
Since 1948, the rubble of buildings in Simsim have been covered up, its lands confiscated by the kibbutz. Some of them became Gevar’am nature preserve and are used as cattle grazing ground, including the cemetery and holy sites. The entrance to the Preserve states that the village of Simsim was ”abandoned” in 1948 and they have made no effort to mark off or signify the places in the village, such as the mosque and the cemetery.
On our way to the tour, we became lost and were circling through what seemed to be the kibbutz and nature preserve, beautiful in the spring time, lush and green. Though we feared we would be stuck in the middle of nowhere, eventually we happened upon others going for the tour who were carrying signs to place at various locales of significance. The school, the mosque, the well, the cemetery and a few houses were reverently marked by the descendants of villagers who hold Israeli citizenship (thus able to attend the gathering) but most live in Gaza, the West Bank, or Jordan. There were a few who actually remembered being in the village, including one elderly man who could not make the hike up into the central area but who prayed from the roadside.
Ironically, there is this palm tree out of nowhere in the nature preserve, which should make people wonder, why is there one palm tree in the middle of grassy hillsides. Of course, it was in the courtyard of a Simsim resident–a sort of flag of remembrance. Even when the Israeli park people come and take down our signs, the tree is still standing to show the spot. Also, some cactus lines the perimeter of the cemetery, but that does not stop the cows from defecating atop graves. It was so powerful and sad to stand in this place, through our act remembering a place that Israel attempted to blot out completely. The stones beneath our feet used to be the houses of the people, and with the young folks standing there I could imagine that this would maybe have been their village now if things were different.
You can read more about Simsim and other destroyed villages at this website
I was so appreciative of the mix of people, the diverse group that came out to pay respect to this former community and to remember what had taken place there. It was fitting that they chose to honor Simsim, a place between Sderot and Gaza, where Hamas rockets landed in open fields and past which the Israeli tanks rolled during their incursion into Gaza this past January. Such a pleasant, peaceful place that Saturday seemed so far removed from the violence but yet, just under the surface, there was another story.
Pictures HERE: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2059319&id=55301228&l=96932eb6a4
