"I experienced Churban"

Rav Ari Katz remembers the destruction of shuls, schools and entire Jewish communities in Gush Katif

“I remember it like it was yesterday.
The bulldozers that destroyed my school.
The Sifrei Torah being removed from our shul.
The soldiers walking up to my house, telling me and my family that we had to leave.”

— Rav Ari Katz

Rav Ari Katz, now the PR director of the Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot, lived through a modern-day Churban.

The Disengagement from Gush Katif wasn’t just a political crisis—it was personal, traumatic, and life-altering for thousands of families. For Rav Ari, it was the most painful day of his life.

But what happened next is what makes this story unforgettable.

After the final Mincha minyan in Gush Katif, a man named David Chatuel stood up to address the community. A year earlier, his pregnant wife and all four of his daughters had been murdered by terrorists. And now, as the community faced yet another tragedy, he said:

"When tragedy strikes, you can crawl under your blanket—or you can get up and live."

And that’s exactly what so many of the Gush Katif residents did.

They got up.
They lived.
They rebuilt.

Today, Rav Ari helps lead a city—Sderot—that has itself become a symbol of resilience. A city pummeled by rockets for years, yet still growing, still learning, still believing.

And in the background of Sderot—visible, haunting—is Gaza.
The place where Rav Ari once lived.
The place he still dreams of returning to.

This week’s episode of the Shtark Tank podcast marks 20 years since the Disengagement. As we enter the Nine Days and prepare to mourn the destruction of our Beit Mikdash, I invite you to listen to this story of a modern churban—and unshakable emunah.