Kibbutz Be’eri approves demolition of ruined buildings, preserving one home as Oct. 7 memorial

Kibbutz Be’eri announces that the community has voted to demolish all buildings in two neighborhoods destroyed on October 7, 2023, except for one, which will be preserved as a house of testimony, initially for five years.

Ofer Gitai, Be’eri’s community director, says, “Between the desire to move forward and the obligation to leave testimony for future generations, we have chosen a path that allows for both.”

The decision follows months of discussion, consultation, and deep community dialogue.

Gitai says the move will help “preserve the memory of the October events, in a way that respects the narrative that the community chooses for itself — and will leave it in full control of the story.”

The preserved building will form a part of the community’s testimony, along with documents, visual materials, and objects. The latter have been selected as part of a special visual history program at the Yad Ben Zvi research institute.

Hamas terrorists murdered 102 people during their October 7 attack on the community — around one in ten Be’eri residents — and kidnapped 30 to the Gaza Strip. All the latter, both alive and murdered, have been returned.

As it decides on commemoration, the kibbutz is also undergoing restoration and renewal.

New neighborhoods are being built in the east of the kibbutz to house members who are currently living in various other buildings.