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Be'eri
Kibbutz in southern Israel From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 2023 it had a population of 1,077.[1]
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During the massacre in Be'eri by Hamas in the October 7 attacks, over 130 people were killed.
The superfood Mankai was developed by the kibbutz.[2]
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History
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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 and a group of Iraqi Jews who had survived the Farhud and trekked across the desert to Mandatory Palestine in 1947.[3] It was named after Berl Katznelson, as Be'eri (Beeri) (a biblical name) was his pen name.[4]
In 1947 Be'eri had a population of over 150. The early settlers engaged in land reclamation and tree planting.[5] 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."[5]
When a reporter from Haaretz visited the kibbutz in 1955, he says that the residents were constantly being shelled upon by the Egyptians, with dozens of shells falling in the cotton fields where groups of children and workers were picking cotton.[6]
After Israeli independence, the kibbutz moved three kilometres southeast to its present location. It is considered one of Israel's wealthiest kibbutzim.[4] During the Second Intifada, the kibbutz suffered from Qassam rocket attacks and combat near the Israel–Gaza barrier eight kilometres away.[7]
A sulfur deposit from Upper Pleistocene sandstone was discovered in the vicinity of Kibbutz Be'eri.[8]
In 2020, the superfood Mankai was developed by the kibbutz.[2]
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.[9]
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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 Gaza war.[10] Relatives of some of those killed have demanded a probe into the potential deaths of some of these hostages from friendly fire, including one incident in which an Israeli tank fired at a house full of hostages.[11][12][13] One of the hostages abducted from Be'eri was killed by Hamas, along with 5 other Israeli hostages, after 330 days in captivity.[14]
In the aftermath of the massacre, the kibbutz's population was evacuated. As of December 2024, some 200 residents had returned to Be'eri while hundreds more lived elsewhere in Israel, including many at kibbutz Hatzerim. It is hoped that the kibbutz will be fully rebuilt by August 2026.[15]
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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) using hydroponics.[16]
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.[17]
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Landmarks
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.[4]
Sports
The kibbutz's basketball team, Hapoel Be'eri, plays in Liga Artzit.
Notable people
- Sofie Berzon MacKie, visual artist, curator and director of Be'eri Contemporary Art Gallery
Gallery
Kibbutz Be'eri in 1948
Yiftach Brigade position close to Be'eri in 1948
Members of Yiftach Brigade "D" company assembled at Be'eri in 1948
Kibbutz Be'eri after the fighting in 1948
Old water tower and security fort
Byzantine water cisterns
Sulfur mines
See also
References
External links
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