The United States Agency for International Development completed its forest fire assistance to Israel. USAID wrapped up operations in Israel on Dec. 10, a statement released Monday said.
The death of 16-year-old Elad Rivan in the Carmel Forest fire last week has put the Fire Scouts on the map, piquing the interest of teenagers around the country in what had previously been a relatively unknown organization of volunteer firefighters. In the wake of Rivan\’s tragic death, which occurred as he participated in the effort to rescue those trapped in the prison service bus that went up in flames, the Fire Scouts forum on the Israel Fire and Rescue Services website (www.102.co.il ) was inundated with requests from teenagers to join, prompting forum manager Shlomi Sa\’adon, to post the following statement on Shabbat: \”I see that the whole nation would like to volunteer, and I want to tell you that it\’s very heartwarming. But you have to understand. It\’s not that the fire services don\’t want you, but a volunteer has to take a basic course. If you think we will send you into an inferno like this without prior training, you are wrong. This is not some Lag Ba\’omer bonfire. This is real fire, which kills, burns, scorches and consumes everything in its path, so we\’re sorry.\”\n
One of the reactions of Israelis to the fact that their government called on the international community for assistance to combat the Carmel Forest fire is a sense of shame. After all, Israel is a leader in the high-tech world and an innovator in dealing with crisis situations. Now Israel had to admit that it wasn’t capable of dealing with the blaze alone. More than that, for some in Israel there is a reluctance to admit that Israel is not isolated, that not everyone is against Israel. The willingness of nations and peoples to rush to Israel’s side, including the Turks and the Palestinians, challenged this assumption. I remember when Yitzhak Rabin took over as prime minister in 1993, his inaugural address to the Knesset took a different tack than the norm. He spoke to the idea that Israelis need to get beyond the way of thinking that assumed that everyone was against them. He argued that this was neither accurate nor productive, as it led to distorted policies.
It is hard to explain just how devastated Israelis are by the Carmel fire. But it is easier to explain how that devastation can become a positive force for positive change, right now, in Israel. The fire consumed at least 42 lives, thousands of forested acres and millions of shekels in property. With the assistance of a dozen foreign nations, the beleaguered firefighters finally got the resources they needed to battle a blaze that consumed more than its obvious victims. What may have perished in the fire is Israel’s sense of self-reliance, and the confidence of ordinary people that they can rely on their government and society to meet their needs.
The U.S. House of Representatives mourned the loss of life in Israel\’s worst-ever forest fire and pledged to support assistance. The nonbinding resolution passed unanimously Tuesday \”mourns the loss of life and extends condolences to the families affected by the fire in northern Israel\” and \”supports the Obama Administration’s offer of, and rapid efforts to provide, United States fire fighting assistance to Israel in response to this disaster.\”\n
In the aftermath of the deadliest fire in Israel’s history, Israelis this week set to the task of burying the dead, cleaning up and figuring out what exactly went wrong — and who is to blame.
First, of course, are the dead and the injured. Almost all of them young, in a training program for prison guards, trapped in a bus, incinerated. Who by fire? That, says the prayer, God decides: “On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed: How many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die, who in the fullness of time and who before his time, who shall perish by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague, who by strangulation and who by stoning, who shall have rest and who shall wander, who shall be at peace and who shall be pursued, who shall be at rest and who shall be tormented, who shall be exalted and who shall be brought low, who shall become rich and who shall be impoverished. But repentance, prayer and righteousness transform the severity of the decree.”
A standout among the many tragedies of the Carmel fires is the severe damage to the Yemin Orde Youth Village in Northern Israel, which has displaced all of its residents — nearly 500 children originally from Ethiopia, the former Soviet Union and other countries, as well as Israeli-born children who moved to the school from dysfunctional homes. The fire destroyed nearly 20 buildings, including the library, children’s homes, some classrooms, staff housing and a special unit for the youngest children, and many other buildings were damaged on the 77-acre campus atop Mount Carmel.
The Fire and Rescue Services organization is the weak link in Israel\’s emergency readiness, a report said.
It is hard to explain just how devastated Israelis are by the Carmel fire. But it is easier to explain how that devastation can become a positive force for positive change, right now, in Israel.
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