by “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.” So says Dr. Seuss. The story of Had Nes is the story of there (the sands of the Sinai Peninsula) and here (the green of the Golan Heights) and what happened in between – all while taking us on a journey to some interesting Israel history.
After the Six Day War, Israel controlled the Sinai Peninsula. As part of efforts to provide a buffer between Israel and Egypt, and a buffer between Egypt and the Gaza strip, the Israeli government decided to build Jewish communities in the Sinai. Throughout history, building communities has been a way to secure land and security.
One of these first communities, Neot Sinai, was established between Rafiah in the Gaza Strip and el-Arish in the Sinai peninsula in 1967. This community was founded by the youth group Herut Beitar and was engaged in agriculture, like most communities in the Sinai. It had extensive fields and greenhouses that were a little distance from the town. The agricultural fields were so far away that they were given their own name – Gan Yerek (Vegetable Garden).
Two years later, the community of Dekla (palm tree) was founded by members of the Bnei Akiva youth group. When it was discovered that actually, palm trees did not grow in this area, the name of the community was changed to Dikla. They were also mostly an agricultural community.
Several years later in 1977, when the governmental decision was passed to make a large settlement block around the planned city of Yamit, another community was founded by the Scouts named Holit – sand (appropriately for the Sinai).
After the peace deal with Egypt was signed, the Sinai peninsula was slated to be returned to Egyptian sovereignty in phases. The Israeli Jewish settlements would have to be uprooted and the Israeli population resettled elsewhere. The first Israeli settled land to be returned to Egypt was in 1979 when Gan Yerek, being some distance from Neot Sinai, and to the west of it, was returned to Egypt as part of an interim agreement. Of course, there were protests and it wasn’t pleasant for the farmers who had invested so much. As a result, the government gave monetary compensation to the displaced farmers of Neot Sinai. In 1982, Holit, Dikla, and Neot Sinai were all depopulated, along with all of the Israeli communities in the Sinai peninsula. A question arose surrounding if these communities should be preserved or simply absorbed into Israeli society.
In the northern part of Israel, a different governmental decision around the same time seemed to provide an answer. In 1981, the Golan Heights, also taken in the Six Day War, was officially annexed by Israel. The Herut Beitar organization thought, “Here is land that needs to be settled, and there are people who need land to live on.” They purchased land in the Golan Heights as a planned community for the residents of Holit, Dikla and Neot Sinai. How did they ever think that these 3 diverse communities would all live together? Their vision of coexistence is signaled in the name they chose for the new community. They used the first letters (in Hebrew) of the 3 communities and created the name Had Nes, meaning “One flag” symbolizing unity.
Problem is, they didn’t consult with the 3 communities very much. The people from Holit left Sinai to form the kibbutz Holit in the Gaza envelope. The people from Dikla went to found the Gazan community of Neve Dekalim (until they, too, were evacuated in 2005, and ultimately founded Bnei Dekalim near Lachish). The people from Neot Sinai took their monetary settlement and scattered, joining existing communities. Not a single resident of Holit, Dikla, or Neot Sinai came to live in Had Nes.
So who did settle in Had Nes? People who simply enjoyed the Golan landscape and the view of the Sea of Galilee, and came to the community for a quiet life. Many of the residents of Had Nes have tzimmer guest houses on their property, giving the entire place a resort feel. Despite the fact that Had Nes did not serve as a sanctuary for the displaced residents of Holit, Dikla, and Neot Sinai, the name honors these people. Far from the sands of the Sinai Peninsula, they live on in the green Golan Heights.
Israel by Leiah 
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