In Hebrew Nechama means comfort, thus a facility bearing her name in an area that is wrought with tension has a very special meaning for President Rivlin.
By GREER FAY CASHMANPRESIDENT REUVEN Rivlin and his wife, Nechama, enjoy the beauty of Jerusalem in the snow in February 2015. (photo credit: HAIM ZACH/GPO)
President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday toured the southern area which, in recent weeks has been subjected to attacks from Gaza. For the president, this was more than an obligation as the head of state. He also had a personal reason for being in the region, the dedication of Beit Nechama – a young leadership development project for children and youth – in memory of his wife Nechama, who died just over a year ago.In Hebrew, Nechama means comfort, thus a facility bearing her name in an area that is wrought with tension has a very special meaning for Rivlin.Beit Nechama is located in Netivot, which is a small development town situated approximately 12 km. from the Gaza border. Beit Nechama has been planned as a focal point for the development of the talents and identity of young people by encouraging them to give of themselves to the community while preparing for service in the IDF and for civilian national service.Nechama Rivlin had a soft spot for young people, and during the time that she spent at the President’s Residence, she encouraged groups of elementary and high school students from all over the country to come to learn about nature’s bounty, and to plant flowers in the garden of the presidential compound. She also encouraged them to take an interest in animals and to be kind to them.Accompanied by Netivot Mayor Yehiel Zohar, Rivlin met with several young people who are involved with Netivot’s youth movements. His wife, he said, did not like large-scale events in her honor, but she loved young people and greenery. “I hope that Beit Nechama will be a place in the spirit of the things she loved for the boys and girls who make use of it,” he said, stressing that the young people who come to Beit Nechama should be conscious of the fact that it is a place where they can flourish.The president continued on to the Erez border crossing, where he met with the Coordination and Liaison Administration as well as with firefighters from the southern district headed by the district commander of the Fire and Rescue Service Lt.-Col. Shmulik Friedman.Commenting on the tensions caused by fires resulting from the barrage of incendiary kites and balloons from Gaza, Rivlin characterized the kites and balloons as terrorist attacks, just like any other.Lauding the firefighters and other volunteers for the essential, round-the-clock work that they do, Rivlin was nonetheless pained as he surveyed the damage done by fire to agricultural crops and pondered over what this cost the farmers not only in income, but in time spent in planting and growing fruit and vegetables which were eradicated before they could be harvested.He also emphasized that Israel has nothing against the people of Gaza, and would like to see them raising their children in peace and quiet. But they are under the control of Hamas, which Rivlin said thinks that it also has control over Israel. “Hamas should know that this is not a game,” he said. “The time will come when they have to decide if they want war. If they want war, they will get war.”
