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Kibbutz Be'eri's Young Adults Return Home to Rebuild

(Tablet) Hillel Kuttler - On Kibbutz Be'eri, 100 homes were so burnt and ravaged that they'll be razed and cleared. But Be'eri is also showing signs of life and a future, much of it thanks to its young-adult cohort who have returned to lend a hand in its hour of greatest need. Some 30 Be'eri natives in their 20s and 30s are back and have committed to remaining, at least for the short term. "We're not doing it for money, but for love," said Ella Dvori, 22, who cancelled a visit to India. "Now is the time to give back to the place we grew up in." The terrorists didn't target the neighborhood where the teens and young adults live, so their quarters are intact - while the rest of the kibbutz's population remains at hotels to which they were evacuated. The young adults took control over who entered the grounds, reopened the kibbutz's offices, and reopened the dining room. They're gardening, raking lawns, and removing light debris. Next will be reopening the laundry and restoring the lighting along walkways. "They're running the kibbutz," said Jelan, a Be'eri resident since 1976. "They're laying the groundwork for when the [older] adults decide to return. I'm very impressed by them. This is the next generation. When you give them responsibility, they run with it." On Oct. 7, 93 residents were murdered and 30 were kidnapped - totaling about 10% of the kibbutz's prewar population of 1,250. Residents said everything depends on whether the IDF succeeds to destroy Hamas and return security to the Israeli region known as the Gaza Envelope.
2023-12-19 00:00:00
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