There are places where the soul of a nation breaks – and others where it chooses to rebuild. Just four kilometers south of Kibbutz Be’eri lies Re’im, a quiet grove that once hosted one of Israel’s most joyful celebrations: the Nova music festival.
On October 7, 2023, it became a symbol of unimaginable loss. Families return there daily – parents who lost children, friends who survived, soldiers, students and international visitors who simply want to stand, witness and breathe.
KKL — planting the future of Israel
In February 2024, on Tu Bishvat – the Jewish holiday of trees and renewal – bereaved families walked the dusty earth of Re’im again. Alongside Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), they planted a tree for every victim of the Nova massacre. They placed photographs, personal items, flags and flowers. A forest of memory began to grow.
125 years of planting a nation
Today’s generation is familiar with KKL-JNF primarily through its green landscapes and recreational sites. However, since 1901, long before the State of Israel was established, KKL-JNF has planted trees to claim land, fought desertification, built roads, cultivated water sources and made barren soil bloom.
The forests we hike are not natural ecosystems – they are living testimonies to global Jewish solidarity, donations from communities all over the world, and the belief that a tree is both a stake in the ground and a promise for the future.
What was build after trauma
After October 7, KKL-JNF allocated immediate funds to upgrade the Re’im site and make it safe, dignified and meaningful: accessible pathways, parking and bathrooms, fresh drinking stations, shaded seating areas, a camera system for security, on-site staff, irrigation systems, permanent signage explaining what happened here and a personal sign for every victim. This is no longer just a picnic site, it is a ritual space – where people come to process, remember and reflect.
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The site of the Nova music festival massacre near Re'im - no longer just a picnic site
(Photo: Adi Israel/KKL-JNF Photo Archive)
Replanting Be’eri: a forest for the fallen and the living
Just a kilometer away, KKL-JNF is renewing Be’eri Forest – 12,000 acres scorched multiple times throughout the years. New saplings – acacias, eucalyptus, sycamores, jujube trees, tamarisks – are being planted across 620 dunams of restoration.
A new forest is rising: “Iron Swords Forest” – open to anyone wishing to commemorate a loved one lost on October 7 or in the war that followed.
“This war was a real trauma — not only for the people who were killed or kidnapped, but also for nature itself. Because this is a desert environment, the forest cannot regenerate naturally. Every tree that is lost is truly lost, and replacing it requires planting a new one,” said KKL- JNF Forest Engineer Dr. Michael Sprintsin.
“I believe this says a great deal about the people of Israel — that even after tragedy, bloodshed and suffering, there is an ability to heal, both through nature and as a nation.”
This new memorial forest will be a place to connect, heal, find solace and ensure the stories of the fallen, those taken too soon will never be forgotten. From pain and heartbreak, new hope and resilience are growing in Israel’s soil.