We are grateful to all the volunteers who made this fabulous day possible.  All of us were rewarded.
We thank each of you for joining us on this wonderful day.  We all won! 

The sea, the waves, the inflated swimming rings, the lifeguards, the dune! Such joy had not been seen in quite a while.
It is impossible to miss the romping children.  Ricki says that the little ones understand the body.   Just take them to the sand and they will run as fast as possible straight and in circles.  They do not walk, they just run and then into the water like natural fish.  They dive, ride the waves, never give up and in the resurrection of Allah this has never been seen at the sea, not even in photos, so says Aziza.

"This is the happiest day of my life," one of the women declares, "happier than my wedding day". Our only choice is to stand still and stunned in the face of this erupting happiness for a day. Oddly enough, a pink daffodil pops up today adorns the images, and creates an Almodóvarian scene. So let us see: you were amazing volunteers.  Let's thank you by name: Luna, Safra, Yehu, Shiloh, the new and excited Iris, Nava, Noa, Zohar, Yoram, and his daughter, Etty, Gavri, and Ruthi, and whoever has not been mentioned, please add yourself to this list. It was truly a day that required a lot of eyes and a lot of Godliness to go out in peace.

Special mention must be made of   Aziza and Agnes, the angelic nuns in white and black in and yang, without whom all this would not have happened. For many, many years now, they have been bringing together groups from the Jahalin tribe, scattered around Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim. The diaspora that interferes with the state to complete the occupation, and drives it insane. The best minds are looking for ways to disrupt them. After they have cut down the sources of grazing and put them near the garbage or near the quarry thus creating permanent dust, or for a stinking info-icon water source

Aziza and Agnes (and formerly the lovely Alicia) set up Kindergartens, and teach women empowerment, they offer medical and mental health treatments. Too bad for those who have not made a film about them to date. Aziza also volunteers at RLA every week and also translates for the Eritrean refugees who came from Sinai.

Aziza's good energy instills in her surroundings a lot of peace, joy and honesty. These women are a great inspiration for us. Every year Aziza scares me on the phone:  "this year I'm bringing a tough group the likes of which you have never seen before". And I'm scared when I'm scared. Then comes a happy, giggling group, with wonderful facial features in beauty, including women, who just want to dance and rejoice. They are a true story that needs to be told. When you hear in the media "the state is once again trying to destroy Khan al-Ahmar" it is about these people or their relatives whose turn to suffer in the hands of the Occupation will come..
A special thank you to Mickey Fisher for preparing delicious sandwiches; to  Lati for the photos, and to the universe itself for a fabulous day.

Rachel and the Women of the sea