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2 years after Oct. 7 shattered them, Israel’s border kibbutzes are drawing new dreamers

JL;DR SUMMARY Israeli kibbutzim near the Gaza and Lebanese borders are undergoing a revival as part of national efforts to repopulate and rehabilitate these border communities, following devastating attacks and evacuations from surrounding violence. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

ZionismIsraeli CommunitiesHezbollahGaza BorderRehabilitationKibbutzimBorder SecurityKibbutz MovementGovernment InvestmentSocial Revival

Places mentioned

Mishmar HaEmek, Haifa District, Israel
"A new wall has been added to the Memorial to Fallen Kibbutz Members in Mishmar HaEmek, listing more than 450 people who died on Oct. 7 and in the subsequent war in Gaza."
Beeri, Southern District, Israel
"The reopening of the bakery and print shop at Beeri, where more than 100 residents were killed and dozens were taken hostage, were hailed as major steps toward rebuilding."
Nir Oz, Southern District, Israel
"And a ceremony to mark rebuilding at Nir Oz that featured Gadi Mozes, the octogenarian released from Hamas captivity in January who for many embodies the classic kibbutznik spirit, took place only in August."
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"Among them is 29-year-old Ilan Gritsevsky, who in August left Tel Aviv for Kibbutz Nir Oz, where roughly a quarter of residents were murdered or taken hostage on Oct. 7 and where only six houses emerged unscathed."
Nirim, Southern District, Israel
"If it wasn't for Nirim, or Nir Oz, Hamas terrorists would have reached Tel Aviv."
Kfar Aza, Southern District, Israel
"whose grandparents in the 1920s helped found Shefayim the central Israeli kibbutz that housed evacuees from Kfar Aza after Oct. 7."
Reim, Southern District, Israel
"Maya gave up a job at a Tel Aviv startup to relocate to Kibbutz Reim, along with eight other young adults."
Manara, Northern District, Israel
"A resident gazes at the devastation at Kibbutz Manara in Israels north."
Yiftach, Northern District, Israel
"At Yiftach, where rockets destroyed about 90% of fields, kibbutz members chose to bypass the state and funded clearing and replanting on their own."

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Retrieved 2025-10-06 05:30:43 UTC
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