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Gaza family to leave Israel
'Nothing left for us in Israel,' says family evicted from secular Elei Sinai settlement in northern Gaza. Before pullout, Tzuri Ganish made headlines by wearing Auschwitz-style pajamas with yellow star to protest move. Family will spend 'at least' a year in Florida, could return 'if government regains brain'
Ronny Sofer
As a resident of the community of Elei Sinai, in northern Gaza, 47-year-old Tzuri Ganish made headlines by wearing Auschwitz-style pajamas and a yellow "Jude" star to protest the coming disengagement.
Now that he's been pulled out of his home, Tzuri and wife Mali, 42, have decided to keep the ball rolling – all the way to Florida.
Ganish family at Hotel Shirat Hayam, Ashkelon (Photo: Amir Cohen)
"I'm taking my kids to America. A friend of mine's given us a house to stay in Florida, so we'll stay there and see what happens.
"If Israel finds itself a government that acts with leadership and wisdom – we'll be back. If not, we'll stay there.
15 years - gone
Since leaving their home for the last time, the Ganish family have relocated to a tent city with other community members to a tent city at nearby Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, and subsequently moved to the Shirat Hayam Hotel in Ashkelon.
"We lived at Elei Sinai for 15 years. We built our family and a terrific home. Then, one day, out of the blue, the prime minister decides to deport us. No consideration for our needs, our desires, what we gave to this country.
"We are a good family. We served, and continue to serve, in the IDF. We are good, tax-paying citizens.
"But the Israeli government had no regard for what we wanted, and threw us out like refugees.
"We are doing terribly, feeling terribly frustrated. We've got nothing more keeping us here," he said.
Taking a break
Last Thursday, the Ganishes applied for visas to the United States. Tzuri said he originally thought about starting a new settlement in the Negev, but said he didn't count on the trauma he and his family would undergo as a result of losing their home.
"We need to digest what we've been through," he said. "We need to digest the disgusting treatment we've received – up until the last minute, we had no idea where we would go, and we still haven’t seen a single cent from the government.
"I've got to take care of my family," he said. "We need some time in America."
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