Most of the survivors of the Be’eri massacre have stated in interviews that have been published and broadcast that they intend to return to the kibbutz.
One of the most close-knit kibbutzim in the country, its residents were and are like each other’s extended families. More than 120 of its residents were murdered by Hamas terrorists and many of their homes were left in ruins.
Ironically, the murders coincided with the kibbutz’s 77th anniversary. It was founded on October 6, 1946, and named for Berl Katznelson, the Zionist intellectual and writer, who was one of the founders of Labor Zionism. He was also the editor of the now-defunct daily newspaper Davar, which was the first daily newspaper of the workers’ movement.
He often signed his articles Be’eri, and thus the kibbutz founded in the Negev two years after his death perpetuated his name. Be’eri had its own publishing house, with its own printing press, which President Isaac Herzog rededicated on Sunday during a visit to the kibbutz.
“This was a paradise, a garden of Eden which was transformed into hell,” said Herzog. “But nothing will break us. We have a national moral obligation to restore Be’eri as the paradise that it was.”
Herzog and his wife, Michal, toured the devastated area, which has become a symbol of heroism and the resilience of the Israeli spirit that will triumph in this war as it has in previous wars.
Herzog stopped to speak to soldiers and kibbutz members who opted not to evacuate, offering words of encouragement, appreciation, and comfort.
In an interview with CNN on Sunday, President Herzog revealed the Hamas torture manual that includes electric shock treatment and other barbaric, inhuman actions.
The manual also contains a guideline to Israeli military ranks and the significance of each.
Honoring the memories of the victims
In addition to declaring it a moral obligation to rehabilitate Be’eri, Herzog emphasized the importance of honoring the memories of the victims. It is an obligation to their families, he said, adding that it is even more of an obligation to bring home as many as possible of the hostages who were abducted by Hamas and taken to Gaza.
Herzog was shocked by what he saw at Be’eri “We see here the magnitude of the bestial cruelty of the enemy,” he said. “We must understand that this enemy must pay in full for this vicious crime. We have to destroy this enemy with all that we have at our disposal.”
In rededicating the Be’eri Printing House, and reopening the gates of the kibbutz, Herzog likened what was happening to the rising from the destruction and once again proving the strength of will of the residents of the region and of Israeli society as a whole. As of this week, the Be’eri printing press will again be operational.