Kibbutz hit on October 7th rallies to help northern border kibbutzim

Kibbutz Nirim, still scarred by the October 7 attacks, has made a remarkable decision to forgo vital rehabilitation funds and redirect them to embattled frontline kibbutzim in northern Israel.

In a gesture community leaders have described as both heartbreaking and inspiring, the southern border kibbutz has asked that donations earmarked for its own recovery be transferred instead to communities facing daily security threats near the northern frontier. This comes despite the fact that Nirim itself remains in urgent need of support, with families struggling to rebuild homes, public spaces and a basic sense of safety after one of the most devastating assaults in Israel’s history.

Kibbutz Nirim was among the hardest-hit communities in the October 7 massacre and is still in the midst of a long and complex rehabilitation process. Residents are attempting to restore not only buildings and infrastructure, but also the fabric of communal life—routine, belonging and continuity—against a backdrop of trauma and loss. Yet from within this ongoing crisis, the kibbutz chose to look outward, turning its focus to the plight of others.

The decision comes as frontline kibbutzim in northern Israel—among them Misgav Am, Manara, Snir, Evron and Metzuba—continue to live under constant threat and uncertainty in the shadow of the current ceasefire. For these communities, rehabilitation is not a future project but a daily struggle, as frequent disruptions, security alerts and tension define everyday life. Children grow up amid anxiety and sudden interruptions, while parents fight to maintain a semblance of normalcy under what many describe as “impossible conditions.”

“As Maya Liberman, Community Manager of Kibbutz Nirim, wrote to the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund: “At this time, the communities of the north in general, and the frontline kibbutzim in particular, are living in an impossible reality, and our hearts go out to them,” she said. “We feel, in the deepest fibers of our being, what our brothers and sisters in the north are going through. Despite the urgent rehabilitation needs that still exist in Nirim, we are asking that donations from the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund that are designated for Kibbutz Nirim be redirected to the rehabilitation of the frontline kibbutzim for whatever needs are required.”

For the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund, which coordinates aid to affected communities across the country, Nirim’s request is both a symbol of internal solidarity and an indictment of broader systemic failures. Its CEO, Neri Shotan, said such acts highlight the depth of mutual responsibility within the kibbutz movement, even as they expose the extent to which citizens and donors have been left to shoulder burdens many believe should fall to the state.

“Even today, as entire communities struggle to rebuild, it is the public—citizens, foundations, and the Jewish diaspora—who step in, while the state is absent,” Shotan said. “The growing phenomenon of crowdfunding and the increasing reliance on philanthropy, exemplified by Nirim’s choice to redirect donations to frontline kibbutzim despite the severe damage it suffered on October 7, demonstrates extraordinary solidarity—but also highlights a troubling reality: the growing dependence on philanthropy in place of basic state responsibility.”

The Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund has become a critical lifeline, channelling emergency grants, creating alternative educational frameworks, supporting agricultural recovery, and backing community-building and resilience programs for both southern and northern kibbutzim. Yet those involved say the scale of need remains vast and ongoing, with no quick end in sight. As northern communities brace for further uncertainty and southern communities like Nirim continue their painstaking recovery, Nirim’s decision stands as a stark example of a community choosing solidarity over self—even when its own wounds are far from healed.

*Credit: Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund*