Be'eri בְּאֵרִי | |
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  Be'eri  Be'eri | |
| Coordinates:31°25′26″N34°29′23″E / 31.42389°N 34.48972°E /31.42389; 34.48972 | |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Southern |
| Council | Eshkol |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 6 October 1946 |
| Founded by | No'al members |
| Population (2022)[1] | 1,071 |
| Website | beeri.kibbutz.org.il |
Be'eri (Hebrew:בְּאֵרִי) is akibbutz in southernIsrael. Located in the north-westernNegev desert near the eastern border with theGaza Strip, it falls under the jurisdiction ofEshkol Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 1,071.[1]
During amassacre in Be'eri during the2023 Hamas attack on Israel, over 130 people were killed.
Kibbutz Be'eri was established on 6 October 1946 as one of the11 points in the Negev. It was located near Wadi Nahabir, a few kilometres south ofBe'erot Yitzhak. Its founders were members of theHaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed movement, who had been preparing inMaoz Haim, as well as someHebrew scouts and a group ofIraqi Jews who had survived theFarhud and trekked across the desert toMandatory Palestine in 1947.[2] It was named afterBerl Katznelson, asBe'eri (Beeri) (a biblical name) was hispen name.[3]
In 1947 Be'eri had a population of over 150. The early settlers engaged inland reclamation and tree planting.[4] TheJewish 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."[4]
AfterIsraeli independence, the kibbutz moved three kilometres southeast to its present location. It is considered one of Israel's wealthiest kibbutzim.[3] During theSecond Intifada, the kibbutz suffered fromQassam rocket attacks and combat near theIsrael–Gaza barrier eight kilometres away.[5]
A sulfur deposit fromUpper Pleistocene sandstone was discovered in the vicinity of Kibbutz Be'eri.[6]
Relations between Be'eri residents and Gazans were reportedly good.Bret Stephens writes:
Be’eri was well known for its pro-peace sympathies: It had a special fund to give financial help to Gazans who came to the kibbutz on work permits, and kibbutzniks would often volunteer to drive sick Palestinians to an oncology center in southern Israel.[7]
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On 7 October 2023,Hamas militantsinfiltrated the kibbutz, took an unknown number ofIsraelis hostage andkilled more than 100 people in their coordinated attacks across Israel that initiated theIsrael-Hamas war.[8] Relatives of some of those killed have demanded a probe into the potential deaths of some of these hostages fromfriendly fire, including one incident in which an Israeli tank fired at a house full of hostages.[9][10][11] One of the hostages abducted from Be'eri was killed by Hamas, along with 5 other Israeli hostages, after 330 days in captivity.[12]
In the aftermath of the massacre, the kibbutz's population was evacuated. As of December 2024, some 200 residents had returned to Be'eri while hundreds more lived elsewhere in Israel, including many at kibbutzHatzerim. It is hoped that the kibbutz will be fully rebuilt by August 2026.[13]
Unlike many kibbutzim that have undergone privatization, Kibbutz Be'eri has retained the old cooperative model. The main source of income is theBe'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 cultivates Mankai (Wolffia globosa) usinghydroponics.[14]
The kibbutz growsjojoba and markets oil from the fruit to the cosmetics industry. Other sources of income are a boutique dairy that produces premium handmade cheese.[15]
About four kilometers to the north lies the ANZAC Monument, commemorating theANZAC soldiers who died in theThird Battle of Gaza inWorld War I.[3]
The kibbutz'sbasketball team,Hapoel Be'eri, plays inLiga Artzit.
Sofie Berzon MacKie (born January 1984) visual artist, curator and director of the Be'eri Contemporary Art Gallery
[...] Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram said he had ordered a tank commander to fire on the home of Kibbutz Be'eri resident Pesi Cohen, in which Israeli civilians and many terrorists were holed up, 'even at the cost of civilian casualties.' [...] families of the killed Israelis demanded 'a comprehensive and transparent probe into the decisions and actions that led to this tragic outcome. [...]'
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