Ever since the Hamas attack on the kibbutzim of the western Negev on 7 October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 women, men, and children, the Kibbutz movement has been mobilising to support affected members.
“On 7 October at 10:34 AM, the management group of the Kibbutz Movement received the following tragic message: ‘Ofir Libstein has been killed,’” recalls Neri Shotan, director of the Kibbutz Rehabilitation Fund.
“Ofer, a kibbutz member and head of the Sha’ar HaNegev regional council, lost his life while defending his kibbutz, Kfar Aza, against infiltrations by Hamas militants. On that day, 300 members from 22 kibbutzim in the western Negev were murdered, and 150 members were abducted to Gaza,” he adds.
Shotan explains that thirty thousand kibbutz members were evacuated from their homes that day and in the following days, from 56 kibbutzim in the western Negev and northern border areas. Additionally, the kibbutzim in central Israel hosted over 50,000 people who were evacuated from the kibbutzim and nearby cities.
Key actions undertaken by the Kibbutz Movement included activating an emergency network that initially managed the arriving evacuees at evacuation sites, ensuring basic needs for clothing and food were met.
“We also established mental health support networks comprising hundreds of therapists who arrived at the evacuation sites and provided initial mental health assistance. At each evacuation site, a representative from the movement was present, available for any needs that arose,” he says.
“Beyond mental health care and immediate assistance, we understood that to keep the kibbutz communities united, we needed to strengthen the officials in the kibbutzim and maintain a sense of normalcy for children and youth.”
Temporary schools and informal education programmes were set up in the evacuation locations. Agricultural work in the kibbutzim themselves was also sustained.
Until 7 October the Kibbutz Movement, which is a second-degree co-operative, was not involved in fundraising. However, the attack meant that the member co-ops, which had until then paid contributions to it, could not raise the resources needed to rebuild the kibbutzim.
“We established the Rehabilitation Fund of the Kibbutz Movement in November 2023,” Shotan says, “to assist the rehabilitation of the 41 kibbutzim that were evacuated.
“In addition to continued assistance and meeting basic needs, the fund operates in five central areas: education, community resilience, agriculture and innovation, settlement, and memory and commemoration.”
He explains that some kibbutzim have begun returning to their homes, but one kibbutz in the north and ten in the south will not be returning in the coming months.
“Each kibbutz is a co-operative, and the Kibbutz Movement is a co-operative of co-operatives,” he explains.
Despite the challenges faced and the trauma endured, the Kibbutz Movement is committed to rebuilding its kibbutzim and supporting members. “We will rehabilitate our kibbutzim and make them stronger, but we cannot do this alone,” says Shotan.
“As we reflect on our commitment to rebuilding, we must also address the urgent issue of the hostages still held in Hamas tunnels in Gaza. Fifty-nine hostages remain in horrific conditions, suffering from extreme hunger and constant life-threatening dangers. The nations of the world must demand that Hamas release them promptly and without any delay. Only when this happens can we truly begin to rebuild our lives and restore our kibbutzim.”
The Kibbutz Movement, which is a member of the International Cooperative Alliance, says it will continue to support members as they navigate the crisis, and focus on rebuilding.
