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"Living in this region has always been 95% heaven and 5% hell.” As we walked through the beautiful streets of Kibbutz Be’eri, our host, Nieve Higgins, shared this often-repeated sentence since October 7th. The gates of the kibbutz are still guarded by the army, and outside visitors are not allowed inside. They made an exception for us because of the special partnership that Temple Sinai has created with this storied kibbutz. 

Many folks might remember Nieve from a Zoom session this past February in which we kicked off the partnership with the synagogue and the kibbutz. Congregants Steve and Roseann Gerson initially made the connection months before and helped organize this captivating session in which Nieve presented along with Israel’s Consul General to the Southeast. Anyone who meets Nieve is immediately captivated by him. Young, vibrant, idealistic, and passionately Zionist, a combat soldier who served hundreds of days in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, a newly-minted father, and a lover of his kibbutz, Nieve speaks perfect English with a light British accent. 

Yes, we walked through some of the sites of destruction from that day, one of 3 kibbutzim most shattered in the region. Yes, he shared some of the stories from that awful Shabbat of early October in 2023. But, no, we did not leave feeling dejected or devastated. Speaking with Nieve, his resilience is contagious, his passion is inspiring. According to him, they will rebuild the kibbutz, but it will not be the same way from October 6th, 2023. Build. Back. Better. That is the mantra, and that is what is already happening. Though the sacred covenant between Israel and her residents was damaged severely that day--the covenant that said they would settle this border territory in exchange for complete defense from the IDF--the damage can still find healing. Thank God, and may it be so. 

We came with gifts, courtesy of soon-to-be Bat Mitzvah, Adi Schilling, who came up with the incredible idea of creating and donating dozens of gorgeous mezuzot to the kibbutz. And though this kibbutz is largely secular, Nieve was so touched by the gesture that we even affixed the first one to the educational youth offices. May these mezuzot protect and guide this community for so many years to come. Please click on the embedded video for the brief ceremony, including some words from Nieve himself. If you have any questions on how you can best support this project and this inspirational kibbutz, please do let me know. 

In the meantime, I will be sharing more remarks from this past week’s Israel trip tomorrow evening during Services. Suffice it to say, it was a road trip like no other, as four of us educators from Sinai, representing all ages and stages, crisscrossed the country with one principal mission: How do we re-envision the teaching of Israel and Zionism in light of the new world post-October 7th? It is a question that begs a response and we are working hard to address it. Join us in this sacred and critical conversation!