Be'eri

This article is about the kibbutz in Israel. For the biblical figure, see Beeri.

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 byNo'al members
Population
 (2022)[1]
1,071
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 2022 it had a population of 1,071.[1]

During a massacre in Be'eri during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, over 130 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 and a group of Iraqi Jews who had survived the Farhud and trekked across the desert to Mandatory Palestine in 1947.[2] It was named after Berl Katznelson, as Be'eri (Beeri) (a biblical name) was his pen name.[3]

In 1947 Be'eri had a population of over 150. The early settlers engaged in land reclamation and tree planting.[4] 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."[4]

After Israeli independence, the kibbutz moved three kilometres southeast to its present location. It is considered one of Israel's wealthiest kibbutzim.[3] During the Second Intifada, the kibbutz suffered from Qassam rocket attacks and combat near the Israel–Gaza barrier eight kilometres away.[5]

A sulfur deposit from Upper Pleistocene sandstone was discovered in the vicinity of Kibbutz Be'eri.[6]

Be'eri massacre

Main article: 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.[7]

Jerry Seinfeld with members of Kibbutz Be'eri in the kibbutz dining room, 19 December 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.[8] 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.[9][10][11] One of the hostages abducted from Be'eri was killed by Hamas, along with 5 other Israeli hostages, after 330 days in captivity.[12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

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.[3]

Sports

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

Notable people

Sofie Berzon MacKie (born January 1984) visual artist, curator and director of the Be'eri Contemporary Art Gallery

  • Kibbutz Be'eri in 1948
    Kibbutz Be'eri in 1948
  • Yiftach Brigade position close to 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
    Members of Yiftach Brigade "D" company assembled at Be'eri in 1948
  • Kibbutz Be'eri after the fighting in 1948
    Kibbutz Be'eri after the fighting in 1948
  • Old water tower and security fort
    Old water tower and security fort
  • Byzantine water cisterns
    Byzantine water cisterns
  • Sulfur mines
    Sulfur mines

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ Julius, Lyn (29 May 2024). "October 7 was the second massacre of Jews for Hamas' oldest hostage". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Yuval Elʻazari, ed. (2005). Mapa's concise gazetteer of Israel (in Hebrew). Tel-Aviv: Mapa Publishing. pp. 53–54. ISBN 965-7184-34-7.
  4. ^ a b Jewish National Fund (1949). Jewish Villages in Israel. Jerusalem: Hamadpis Liphshitz Press. p. 14.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Nissenbaum, A.; Kaplan, I.R. (1966). "Origin of the beeri (Israel) sulfur deposit". Chemical Geology. 1: 295–316. Bibcode:1966ChGeo...1..295N. doi:10.1016/0009-2541(66)90026-X.
  7. ^ Bret Stephens,"In Israel, There Is Grief and There Is Fury. Beneath the Fury, Fear". New York Times. 10 November 2023.
  8. ^ Austin, Henry; Schapiro, Rich (7 October 2023). "Hamas says it has taken 'dozens' of Israelis hostage". NBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  9. ^ Liza Rozovsky (2024-01-06), "Families of Israelis Killed in Be'eri Home Hit by IDF Tank on October 7 Demand Probe", Haaretz, retrieved 2024-01-06, [...] Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram said he had ordered a tank commander to fire on the home of Kibbutz Be'eri resident Pesi Cohen, in which Israeli civilians and many terrorists were holed up, 'even at the cost of civilian casualties.' [...] families of the killed Israelis demanded 'a comprehensive and transparent probe into the decisions and actions that led to this tragic outcome. [...]'
  10. ^ Staff (2024-01-06). "Families of 13 people killed in October 7 Kibbutz Be'eri firefight demand probe". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  11. ^ Frankel, Julia; Bernstein, Alon (2024-01-11). "Friendly fire may have killed their relatives on Oct. 7. These Israeli families want answers now". AP News. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  12. ^ "Israel-Gaza war: Six Israeli hostages killed in Gaza". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  13. ^ "The secret to Kibbutz Be'eri's successful socialism: Being rich". Haaretz.
  14. ^ "Kibbutz Beeri pays members NIS 150m in dividends". Globes.
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