Be'eri

Be'eri ( ) 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 it had a population of . A total of 101 Israeli civilians and 31 security personnel were killed and 32 hostages were taken from the kibbutz during the Be'eri massacre led by Hamas in the October 7 attacks. Around one in ten residents of the kibbutz were killed in the attack.

Be'eri ( ) 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 it had a population of . A total of 101 Israeli civilians and 31 security personnel were killed and 32 hostages were taken from the kibbutz during the Be'eri massacre led by Hamas in the October 7 attacks. Around one in ten residents of the kibbutz were killed in the attack.

History

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. It was named after Berl Katznelson, as Be'eri (Beeri) (a biblical name) was his pen name. Be'eri had a population of over 150 in 1947. The early settlers engaged in land reclamation and tree planting. 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." 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. After Israeli independence, the kibbutz moved three kilometres southeast to its present location. It is considered one of Israel's wealthiest kibbutzim. During the Second Intifada, the kibbutz suffered from Qassam rocket attacks and combat near the Israel–Gaza barrier eight kilometres away. A sulfur deposit from Upper Pleistocene sandstone was discovered in the vicinity of Kibbutz Be'eri.

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 developed and cultivates superfood Mankai (Wolffia globosa) using hydroponics. 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.

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.

Sports

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

Notable people

Shoshan Haran, agronomist and former hostage Sofie Berzon MacKie, visual artist, curator and director of Be'eri Contemporary Art Gallery Eli Sharabi, former hostage and author Vivian Silver, peace and women’s rights activist

Gallery

File:Be'eri 1948.jpg|Kibbutz Be'eri in 1948 File:Be'eri.jpg|Yiftach Brigade position close to Be'eri in 1948 File:Be'eri i.jpg|Members of Yiftach Brigade "D" company assembled at Be'eri in 1948 File:Be'eri ii.jpg|Kibbutz Be'eri after the fighting in 1948 File:באריהישנה 0642.JPG|Old water tower and security fort File:PikiWiki Israel 7498 byzantine water cisterns.jpg|Byzantine water cisterns File:94074 sulfur mines near bari PikiWiki Israel.jpg|Sulfur mines

See also

Be'eri Forest

References

External links

Be'eri WiKibbutz One of the Most Beautiful Parts of Israel, Before All Hell Broke Loose, Haaretz Kibbutz near Gaza celebrates delayed bar, bat mitzvahs Be'eri Forest - Wandering among the anemones

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1375586035 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.