The evacuated kibbutzim celebrated Shavuot away from the kibbutz, with performances for the abductees

The kibbutzim celebrated Shavuot last night (Tuesday) and today, marking the events of October 7, the bereavement and the struggle for the return of the abductees. Tens of thousands of residents in the 56 kibbutzim evacuated from the north and south celebrated Shavuot outside the farm, in host kibbutzim or in the temporary sites where they live. The celebrations in the northern kibbutzim that were not evacuated were interrupted this morning (Wednesday) by alarms due to a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah into the Upper Galilee and the Tiberias region.

Shavuot is the main holiday in kibbutzim all over the country. The procession of the kibbutz branches, dances, songs, tractors, haystacks and the number of new babies born in the past year, have long since become a tradition in the Shavuot ceremonies in the kibbutz movement, and they attract many guests.

Kibbutz Bari’s Shavuot ceremony took place at the David Hotel in the Dead Sea, to which the Bari community has been evacuated for more than eight months. The traditional dances at the kibbutz ceremony were also held this year, and the women’s dance was performed with yellow ribbons calling for the return of the kidnapped.

Amit Shaloy, the financial chairman of the kibbutz, said at the ceremony: “This year’s celebration of the holiday is missing its main element – we are not celebrating on the big lawn, in front of the stage with a lot of booths around, cold chocolate, liquid lemon popsicles and dozens of children, parents, grandparents, guests walking around Including. So many are not and will no longer be among those surrounding the pavilions in the years to come, and even so, we will rise and celebrate the holiday as we have celebrated it every year. Instead of the big lawn, we will celebrate the holiday here – in the lowest place in the world.’

After noting the resilience and cohesion of the kibbutz in each branch of the economy separately for its people and abilities, he continued to say: “We will celebrate with the people of Bari who survived the difficult event, raised their heads and are engaged in the work of construction and physical and mental rehabilitation… in the hope of the next holiday of debutants in the built Bari. Long live Barry.’

Ruthy ElegantiVice President of Bari Printing, added and said: “This year, out of the great rift and loss, we – Bari Printing workers, decided to be an engine for growth and revival, for every Bari house, for the printing workers and their families, and for the entire region – and every day we are present to see that the joint work and creation The renewal allows us to return to believing that there is something to fight for, and when the day comes we will also have somewhere to return to.”

Avida Bacharwho managed the agricultural sector in Bari and is returning to managing it these days – after rehabilitation after losing his leg in the October 7 massacre, in which he also lost his wife Dana and his son Carmel, blessed memory, spoke: “After the unbearably hard blow we suffered, we were the first to raise our heads and stand up straight. The first To sow the wheat around the field was still a battlefield. We inspired all the kibbutzim and settlements around us. But we did not do it alone, alongside the spirit of our farmers, who helped us, together with our Bedouin agricultural workers, to sow The most difficult, they showed up tirelessly on Fridays, Saturdays and whenever needed.

“We will proudly cherish our friends who got up from their private grief and pain and picked the fruits in the orchards and orchards. Friends who got up to sow wheat and potatoes, harvest and collect crops with great difficulty and with tremendous strength.

“During the most difficult hours, we gathered at the hospital with our wounded to make decisions that continue to sow. The foreign workers also stood with us and by our side when they decided to return despite the war and work with us. And last but not least, the beating heart of the field, our dear agricultural workers who never rest for a moment and work tirelessly to promote agriculture in Bari. Thank you Many thanks to you.”

Kibbutz Kissuf celebrated the holiday at Kibbutz Almog in the northern Dead Sea. The members of Kfar Gaza held a joint ceremony with Kibbutz Shafiim where they have been staying since October 7, and these days a temporary housing neighborhood is being built there for them. Kibbutz Erez was hosted by the neighboring Kibbutz Or Hanar, and Kibbutz Nirim, which is being evacuated to temporary housing in Be’er Sheva, held a joint ceremony with Kibbutz Shovel.

The evacuated northern kibbutzim also celebrated the holiday in host kibbutzim: Kibbutz Manara, which suffered great destruction as a result of Hezbollah bombings, celebrated the holiday in Kibbutz Gadot in the Hula Valley, where many of its members evacuated. Kibbutz Kfar Giladi who was evacuated from the Upper Galilee was hosted at the Golan Gate, and Ayalon in the Western Galilee was hosted at a Shavuot ceremony at Beit Alfa.

In all the kibbutzim there were representatives calling for the return of the abductees. To the permanent setting that accompanies the ceremony in the kibbutz, which includes tractors and haystacks, sheaves of oats, fruit and vegetable baskets, and dancers in festive white clothing, the color yellow, the color of the headquarters of the families for the release of the abductees, was added this year. In many kibbutzim, the ceremony will include a call to the government to approve the outline of the deal presented by US President Joe Biden to return the abductees home.

The symbol of the struggle for the release of the abductees from bales of hay in Kibbutz Kfar Masrik in the Western Galilee (Photo: Oded Rosenkiar)

The word ‘now’ from hay bales at a kibbutz Shavuot ceremony, in a call for the return of the abductees (photo: Kibbutz Movement Spokesperson)