"Precisely Now": The Families Who Moved to the Kibbutz Closest to Gaza

Three years after October 7, nine families, religious and secular, moved to Kerem Shalom, the kibbutz closest to Gaza. The article describes their motivations: a sense of national mission, a desire to rebuild where the massacre occurred, and the belief that presence determines borders. The new residents speak of fear alongside meaning, and of personal and national victory.

Three years after the October 7 massacre, nine families, religious and secular, chose to move specifically to Kerem Shalom, the kibbutz closest to Gaza. The article presents the stories of Shira Engler, a wedding makeup artist who moved from Gush Etzion; Avital Gitler, a midwife who distanced herself from her family and Soroka Hospital; Gilad and Avia Yahalomi, who had planned to move even before the massacre; and Amichai Shinler, who was seriously wounded on October 7 while defending his family. The residents speak of fear alongside a sense of mission, national significance, and victory. Alongside temporary structures, a new neighborhood of 14 housing units is being built. The article presents the move as a Zionist statement and as building life out of the memory of pain.