The residents of Kibbutz Be'eri, that was heavily damaged in the October 7 Hamas attack, are considering moving to Jerusalem for a period of several years, Mynet has learned. The kibbutz has not yet made a final decision on the matter, but if its institutions agree, the move is expected to take place.
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At least 85 members of the kibbutz were killed on Black Saturday and another 26 are being held captive in Gaza. In addition, the kibbutz itself was very badly damaged in terms of property and infrastructure, and it is estimated that its rehabilitation will take at least three years.
The kibbutz management is looking for a residential project in Jerusalem that will allow the Be'eri community to live in one compound together - about 1,000 people, for the duration of the reconstruction. One of the projects that will be examined is the Ashtrom company's rental housing project in Kiryat Yovel, called the "Little Hadassah" project.
Construction on the project, which is located next to the Monster Park, has already been completed but has not yet been marketed and will be ready for people to move in in the near future. The complex includes 3 towers with 350 apartments intended for rent only, and is therefore suitable for the scope of Kibbutz Be'eri evacuees. A large delegation of Kibbutz Be'eri members, who are currently living in hotels on the Dead Sea, arrived a few days ago to inspect the Kiryat Yovel project and to get to know the neighborhood that may become their temporary home for the next several years.
The kibbutz has not yet made a final decision on the matter, but if the kibbutz institutions agree, the state will work to implement the project and help finance the rental of the entire complex and its adaptation to the kibbutz's needs. One of the thoughts is that this will be done through the public housing company Amidar, which will rent the apartments for the kibbutz and after a few years will provide them for citizens entitled to public housing.
A senior source in the Jerusalem municipality told Mynet that "Jerusalem will welcome the people of Kibbutz Be'eri and that there is a first-rate moral obligation to help them and realize our Jewish promise, and the municipality will do as much as possible to help and arrange everything necessary to allow the members of the affected kibbutz easy settlement in Jerusalem."
This could include converting the commercial areas designated in the project into areas for public institutions such as a school, classrooms, kindergartens and offices for the kibbutz committee.