From Gush Katif to the Rebuilt Ganei Tal
The “Moringa Forests” in the rebuilt community of Ganei Tal. And Moti and Hana Sender with their moringa products, https://moringaforestshop.com/. Photos courtesy of Moti and Hana Sender
Moti, who was an employee of the Mizrachi Bank, and Hana, who was studying educational counseling at Bar-Ilan University, lived in Gush Katif. After the expulsion, with perseverance and resolve, they rebuilt their lives—more than once. Today, they live in the newly reestablished moshav of Ganei Tal, in central Israel, where they run a thriving agricultural business.
In 1978, we were looking to leave the city [Petach Tikva] and find a new life. After getting some training in agriculture, we moved to Moshav Katif, where we stayed for a year. There, we set up greenhouses and began growing flowers. A year later, in the summer of 1979, Moshav Ganei Tal was established; we took apart the greenhouses and moved them to Ganei Tal. We continued growing flowers, but eventually we experimented with vegetables—peppers, for example—and over time, we began to specialize in houseplants. [In addition to working in agriculture and in the local community administration, Hana later directed a nonprofit institute in Neve Dekalim: The Katif Center for Research and Development of the Deserts of the Seashore.]
After the expulsion, we were sent to live in Kibbutz Hafetz Haim in central Israel. We brought some of our agricultural equipment along. I [Moti] thought: maybe we’ll return to farming. Meanwhile, I was certain that someone would eventually approach me and say, “Moti, we have work for you.” But no one ever did.
So how did we survive after the expulsion? With G-d’s help.
At the time, I [Moti] continued to run a website that I created, www.katif.net. Later, it provided evacuees with updates and information about events and the status of the various communities from Gush Katif. The site operated for years without any outside funding. [Moti was and is still a prolific photographer and has an archive of 40–50,000 photos of Gush Katif.]
Eventually, we decided to return to farming. Choosing to return to farming was a risky decision, but it was the path we decided to take. We built greenhouses, starting once again with houseplants. We opened our savings accounts. We had no pensions. We had to make do entirely on our own. Only much later, after a long and painful process, did we receive compensation from the government.
People said we were crazy to build new greenhouses, but we told them, “We’d rather put money into building than give it to a psychiatrist.” Yes, farming is tough. We rise at 5:00 am and work until 6:00 pm.
We worked in one of the farms of Moshav Arugot for a year, and then Hafetz Haim gave us some land because we still hadn’t received our own land from the government. We thought we would be in Hafetz Haim for a year or two, but we ended up being there for seven years. Finally, in 2014, nine years after the expulsion, we received our own land in the rebuilt moshav of Ganei Tal. And then, for the third time, we set about building a new agricultural farm.
Now, in the current war, we’ve had eight family members deployed to fight—sons, sons-in-law and grandsons. Three of our grandchildren were born in Neve Dekalim, in Gush Katif. They were very young at the time of the expulsion—too young to remember—and yet they returned to fight in the very place from which they had once been uprooted.
One day, an IDF soldier sent us a photo of a partial sign he had found in the sands of Gaza. It read, “Sender Plant Nursery.” It felt like a sword had been plunged into our hearts. It was deeply emotional for us.
We never anticipated that moringa would grow this big. . . . It’s not just a business for us; it’s a calling.
In Ganei Tal, we worked in agriculture for many years, always looking for ways to add value to what we were doing. At one point, someone suggested we invest in moringa seeds, so we did some research. What we discovered was remarkable: the moringa tree, often called the “miracle tree,” is an incredibly nutritious and medicinal plant native to parts of Africa and Asia. It’s gaining popularity worldwide for its health benefits and its potential as a sustainable food source.
About seven years ago, we decided to begin planting and growing moringa. Our moringa is cultivated on a five-acre plot we call the “Moringa Forests” on the lands of Ganei Tal.
Sustainability is at the heart of what we do. We plant trees that are meant to produce oil at wider intervals, while we plant other trees more densely. After harvesting, we grind the dried leaves into powder. We cold-press the seeds to extract moringa oil. The two of us work hard in the growing, harvesting and drying process and we take on one or two extra workers as needed. The powder we sell contains 100 percent pure moringa, with no additives.
We began by distributing seedlings to IDF camps, schools and yishuvim (small communities). People came and took the seedlings, and our business began to grow.
After we planted the dense area, we thought, why not make this a tourist attraction as well? So, we created something unique—the Great Moringa Maze! During the Covid-19 pandemic, when gatherings were impossible but being outdoors was safe, our forest maze attracted even more visitors.
Three years ago, we launched the Moringa Forest line of cosmetics. Today, we offer a variety of products including tea leaves, capsules, powders and cosmetics and an array of healing creams and serums.
We never anticipated that moringa would grow this big. We see a major part of our mission today as giving—that’s our shlichut. It’s not just a business for us; it’s a calling. People come from far and wide to get the benefits of moringa.
In 2005, our homes were destroyed during the expulsion. There was nothing left to do—only to look ahead and pray to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, “Hashivenu—bring us back.” From the lowest point we had reached, we made the decision to lift ourselves up, move forward and push ahead. Through faith and trust in the Borei Olam, we were able to succeed. He is the guiding force that drives us.
Toby Klein Greenwald is an award-winning journalist and theater director. She is recipient of the ATARA Life Achievement Award.
More in this section:
Twenty Years Later—Remembering the Uprooting of Gush Katif by Carol Ungar
Debbie’s Story by Debbie Rosen, as told to Toby Klein Greenwald
From Gush Katif to the Rebuilt Ganei Tal by Moti and Hana Sender, as told to Toby Klein Greenwald