Be'eri
בְּאֵרִי‎
Be'eri is located in Northwest Negev region of Israel
Be'eri
Be'eri
Be'eri is located in Israel
Be'eri
Be'eri
Coordinates: 31°25′26″N 34°29′23″E / 31.42389°N 34.48972°E / 31.42389; 34.48972
Country Israel
DistrictSouthern
CouncilEshkol
AffiliationKibbutz Movement
Founded6 October 1946
Founded byHaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed members
Population
 (2021)[1]
1,047
Websitebeeri.kibbutz.org.il

Be'eri (Hebrew: בְּאֵרִי) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev desert near the eastern border with the Gaza Strip, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 1,047.[1]

During a massacre in Be'eri during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, 100 people were killed.

History

Hamas gunmen infiltrating the kibbutz on October 7, 2023

Kibbutz Be'eri was established on 6 October 1946 as one of the 11 points in the Negev. It was located near Wadi Nahabir, a few kilometres south of Be'erot Yitzhak. Its founders were members of the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed movement, who had been preparing in Maoz Haim, as well as some Hebrew scouts. It was named after Berl Katznelson, as Be'eri (Beeri) (a biblical name) was his pen name.[2]

In 1947 Be'eri had a population of over 150. The early settlers engaged in land reclamation and tree planting.[3] The group was enlarged by young Jews from Iraq who arrived by desert trek. The Jewish National Fund reported that for months the kibbutz was completely isolated, "but the settlers held their ground until the liberation of the Negev in October 1948."[3]

After Israeli independence, the kibbutz moved three kilometres southeast to its present location. It is considered one of Israel's wealthiest kibbutzim.[2] From the Second Intifada, the kibbutz suffered from Qassam rocket attacks and combat near the Israel–Gaza barrier eight kilometres away.[4]

A sulfur deposit from Upper Pleistocene sandstone was discovered in the vicinity of Kibbutz Be'eri.[5]

Be'eri massacre

Relations between Be'eri residents and Gazans were reportedly good. Bret Stephens writes:

Be’eri was well known for its pro-peace sympathies: It had a special fund to give financial help to Gazans who came to the kibbutz on work permits, and kibbutzniks would often volunteer to drive sick Palestinians to an oncology center in southern Israel.[6]

Seinfeld with members of Kibbutz Be'eri in the kibbutz dining room, December 19, 2023

On 7 October 2023, Hamas militants infiltrated the kibbutz, took an unknown number of Israelis hostage and killed more than 100 people in their coordinated attacks across Israel that initiated the Israel-Hamas war.[7]

Jerry Seinfeld arrived on a support visit to Israel on December 18, 2023. As part of the visit, on December 19 he visited Be'eri where the Be'eri massacre by Hamas took place on October 7, 2023. Seinfeld also visited the headquarters of Abducted and Missing Families Forum, wearing a support DogTag for the abductees around his neck. He met with representatives of the families and with abductees who returned from Hamas captivity, and listened to their stories.[8]

Economy

Unlike many kibbutzim that have undergone privatization, Kibbutz Be'eri has retained the old cooperative model. The main source of income is the Be'eri print company, which has an annual turnover of hundreds of millions of shekels. The company has expanded into package printing, online photo albums and professional marketing material for small businesses. It also owns a food tech company, Hinoman, which cultivates Mankai (Wolffia globosa), a nutrient-rich super-vegetable grown using sustainable hydroponics.[9]

The kibbutz grows jojoba and markets oil from the fruit to the cosmetics industry. Other sources of income are a boutique dairy that produces premium handmade cheese.[10]

Landmarks

ANZAC memorial

About four kilometers to the north lies the ANZAC Monument, commemorating the ANZAC soldiers who died in the Third Battle of Gaza in World War I.[2]

Sports

The kibbutz's basketball team, Hapoel Be'eri, plays in Liga Artzit.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Mapa's concise gazetteer of Israel (in Hebrew). Yuval Elʻazari (ed.). Tel-Aviv: Mapa Publishing. 2005. pp. 53–54. ISBN 965-7184-34-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. 1 2 Jewish National Fund (1949). Jewish Villages in Israel. Jerusalem: Hamadpis Liphshitz Press. p. 14.
  4. ↑ Eyadat, Fadi (2008-04-17). "Kibbutz Be'eri residents ask: War, what war? It's 8 kilometers away". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  5. ↑ Nissenbaum, A.; Kaplan, I.R. (1966). "Origin of the beeri (Israel) sulfur deposit". ScienceDirect. 1: 295–316. Bibcode:1966ChGeo...1..295N. doi:10.1016/0009-2541(66)90026-X.
  6. ↑ Bret Stephens,"In Israel, There Is Grief and There Is Fury. Beneath the Fury, Fear". New York Times. 10 November 2023.
  7. ↑ Austin, Henry; Schapiro, Rich (7 October 2023). "Hamas says it has taken 'dozens' of Israelis hostage". NBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  8. ↑ The Times of Israel. "Visiting Israel, Jerry Seinfeld meets with freed hostages, families". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "The secret to Kibbutz Be'eri's successful socialism: Being rich". Haaretz.
  10. ↑ "Kibbutz Beeri pays members NIS 150m in dividends". Globes.

Media related to Be'eri at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.