Seven kilometers from the Gaza border and just one kilometer from Egypt, Shlomit is a small but growing community in Israel’s South, established only 15 years ago and today home to about 670 residents. Surrounded by desert landscape, the community is part of the Halutza region, which includes the neighboring communities of Naveh and Bnei Netzarim, areas that have become symbols of resilience, growth and pioneering spirit in the Negev.
Last week, hundreds of residents gathered in Shlomit to dedicate a new synagogue, Be’er Shalom, in a celebration that reflected both the community’s painful losses and its determination to continue building for the future. Children dressed in white waved Israeli flags and banners bearing illustrations of the new synagogue as families filled the streets surrounding the building, transforming the desert setting into a scene of celebration and communal pride.
Residents of Shlomit dedicate the new Be’er Shalom synagogue, celebrating resilience, growth and renewal near the Gaza border
(Video: Gil Shalev)
“It’s the heart of the community for us,” one resident of Shlomit said. “Just the idea that we make the desert bloom, and to honor our friends who fought for us to be here, it’s very meaningful.”
The synagogue and the future community center set to rise beside it were made possible by the Jewish National Fund-USA, which has played a central role in developing the Halutza region through investments in infrastructure, housing, education, and communal spaces aimed at strengthening long-term population growth in Israel’s South.
The organization has accompanied the region since its earliest days, when residents first arrived to establish communities in what was then little more than sand dunes along Israel’s border.
“The day the residents of Shlomit, Naveh, and Bnei Netzarim decided they were going to move here, when there was only sand, Jewish National Fund-USA was with them on the ground,” said Tali Tzour Avner, chief Israel officer of Jewish National Fund-USA.
“Dreaming, planning, executing - we invest, we give, we support because we see that things are really happening on the ground,” she added.
Directly across from the synagogue, construction is already underway on what will become the region’s largest public building - a new Jewish National Fund-USA community center that residents say will serve as another anchor for continued growth in the area.
For many in the community, the synagogue represents far more than a place of prayer. It stands as a symbol of continuity and renewal in a region that has faced years of security challenges while continuing to expand and thrive.
The road to Shlomit passes the Re’im parking area, near the site of the Nova Music Festival massacre in October 2023, a reminder of the devastation that struck the region on Oct. 7. On that day, after Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israeli communities surrounding Gaza and attacked the festival, members of Shlomit’s emergency response squad rushed out under heavy fire to help neighboring communities under assault.
Four members of the community - Bechor Sued, Aviyad Cohen, Uriel Bibi, and Reuven Shishportish - were killed in battle after fighting terrorists in a nearby community.
Throughout the dedication ceremony, residents spoke not only about remembrance but also about the responsibility to continue building and growing despite the pain.
“They will learn that they will not defeat us on the battlefield,” one speaker said during the event. “After their military defeat, they will see that they are also losing in growth. In every place where they wanted to see destruction and damage, they will see civilian, communal, Israeli, and Jewish growth.”
Architect Rachel Komet, who designed the synagogue together with her father, Yechiel, said the building was planned around the delicate balance between memorializing loss and creating a living, thriving future for the community.
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Residents of Shlomit march with Israeli flags during the dedication ceremony for the new Be’er Shalom synagogue near the Gaza and Egypt borders
(Photo: Gil Shalev)
“The idea was to create a place that preserves this sensitive line between commemorating life and ensuring continuity,” Komet said. “It was a privilege to do this in partnership with the special, deeply Zionist people who live here.”
She recalled first meeting members of the local emergency response team nearly 15 years ago, when the region's communities were still in their infancy.
7 View gallery
Families gather inside the new Be’er Shalom synagogue in Shlomit, celebrating the community’s growth and resilience after the Oct. 7 attacks
(Photo: Gil Shalev)
“They came to our office and said they wanted to build the cultural center of the Negev,” she said. “There was only sand here. There was nothing.”
According to Komet, the support of Jewish National Fund-USA helped turn that vision into reality, not only through the synagogue project but also through many of the public buildings that now serve the region.
“The partnership and support of this organization moved us deeply,” she said. “It gives so much spirit and strength to this edge of the country.