Driving along the eerily quiet paths of Kibbutz Be'eri leaves a strange feeling. Most of the destruction from October 7, 2023 — some 130 homes destroyed — has already been cleared away, leaving empty plots of land. Only a handful of burned-out buildings remain as reminders of the massacre. Construction is underway everywhere, not in an attempt to erase the past but simply to start over. Yet something is still missing between the old and emerging neighborhoods, between the dining hall and the printing plant: life.
Most of Be'eri's residents are currently living at Kibbutz Hatzerim, with only a few having returned home. Some still commute to Be'eri for work during the day, but their lives are no longer centered there. The community is aiming for July 2027, when residents are expected to return and bring Be'eri back to life. A new complex inaugurated Tuesday near the kibbutz entrance is intended to help make that happen.
The Sylvan Adams Be'eri Park, whose centerpiece is a brand-new pump track, was inaugurated with a ride by longtime kibbutz residents and local children in memory of the cyclists murdered on October 7. The project was spearheaded by philanthropist Sylvan Adams and Israel Cycling Academy, the name under which the Israeli cycling team plans to expand its activities in Israel, with a particular focus on children.
Soaring popularity
Pump tracks are rapidly gaining popularity worldwide, and their defining feature is that, like snowflakes, no two are alike because each is shaped by the terrain where it is built.
The Israeli cycling team has already built a similar track in Rwanda, which became a resounding success and attracts large numbers of children. About 10 other tracks are scattered across Israel, but the new facility is the first in the Gaza border region and the largest in the country.
Stretching about 190 meters (623 feet), it features sections designed to generate high speeds and allow riders to perform jumps. Built from a special type of asphalt, the track helps young cyclists develop and improve their riding techniques, but it is also designed for adults and can even accommodate skateboards. One important rule: Motorcycles are not allowed.
The project was carried out by Swiss company Velosolutions, which specializes in pump tracks. The company did not hesitate to change the layout and redesign the course to avoid uprooting trees growing in the middle of the planned route — a particularly symbolic decision.
The park is expected to host Israel's national pump track championship as well as a qualifying event for the world championship, the first of its kind in Israel.
And why is it called a "pump" track? Because pedaling is not the main focus. Instead, riders generate momentum by pumping their bodies up and down as they navigate the track's curves and transitions.
Be'eri has long been a haven for cyclists
(Photo: Herzl Yosef)
Be'eri has long been a welcoming home for cyclists. The well-known La Medavesh bicycle shop sits at the entrance to the kibbutz, and its manager, Erez Manor, together with Rami Gold — who went out to fight on the morning of the massacre and became one of the symbols of heroism that day — were the driving forces behind the development of cycling in the area several decades ago.
They developed riding trails and created the nearby "Be'eri Pit," transforming a large excavation into a high-quality cycling course that has since closed.
Now, they look at the new pump track with excitement and dream of rebuilding the Be'eri Pit alongside it. The site, once an amphitheater that hosted the kibbutz's annual bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies, is an open space with terrain seemingly made for mountain bikes.
That dream moved one step closer to reality Tuesday when Adams announced that he would explore rebuilding the pit and tasked Gold with submitting a plan.
Two other prominent members of Be'eri's cycling community are Avida Bachar and Sharon Shabo, both of whom regularly took part in the group's Saturday rides.
Bachar's wife, Dana, and one of his four children, Carmel, were murdered in their home's safe room during the Hamas terrorist attack, and Bachar lost a leg.
Shabo, who had gone out for a solo ride that morning, suffered a severe arm injury on Route 232 as his home in the kibbutz went up in flames. His family survived by hiding, while his son Shaked, an army officer, killed terrorists who attempted to break into their hiding place.
From vision to reality
Sylvan Adams and Ron Baron, owners of the Israeli cycling team NSN, formerly Israel-Premier Tech, toured Be'eri about two months after the massacre and invited Bachar and Shabo to be their guests at the 2024 Tour de France.
The visit forged a strong bond between the two sides, eventually leading to the construction of the new track.
"I've met many donors since my injury, but very few people with a vision also know how to turn it into reality the way Sylvan does," Bachar said. "What he has contributed is another building block in the rehabilitation of the Gaza border communities' cycling groups, because everything fell apart after October 7."
Shabo echoed the sentiment.
"I have tremendous respect for Sylvan, who contributes to culture, sports and health in Israel," he said. "He built the pump track in memory of those murdered in Be'eri, as a platform for recovery and to encourage sports."
Adams said the project was about much more than rebuilding damaged infrastructure.
"I told the people of Be'eri, 'Of course we'll rebuild the cycling infrastructure that was damaged here. But we'll build it back better, so our enemies know we cannot be intimidated,'" he said.
"This wonderful facility shows that we are strong, that we cannot be broken and that we are here to stay. The park belongs to Be'eri, to the children of neighboring communities and to the entire western Negev."
(Photo: Herzl Yosef)
Commemoration through cycling clubs and running groups, including the running community in Sderot, has become a prominent feature of post-October 7 recovery projects.
"My son Carmel was a surfer, and in the surfing community there's a tradition of forming a surfers' circle to honor someone who has died, as they did for him," Bachar said.
"The same is true of cycling and running. These are communities, social gathering places, a sense of togetherness. The bicycles are just an excuse to spend time with friends. It's a way to create quality time together.
"I used to ride around Be'eri about twice a week. Of course, we'd stop along the way for cookies and coffee and talk about life. This is a way to bring life back to our region.
"The new track will also become another meeting place for local communities, and it adds some color to our lives. Anyone from anywhere in Israel who wants to enjoy a Saturday outing can come here. The most important thing in life is time with family and friends, and cycling makes that possible."
Shabo sees sports as a vital part of recovery.
"Many people in the kibbutz are involved in sports," he said. "For me, sports are the best medicine, the best psychologist."
What does the pump track offer cyclists?
"To be able to participate in Be'eri's cycling club, you need to practice negotiating obstacles, master them and learn how to deal with difficulties," Gold said. "It builds character.
"But we need to look at the bigger picture. It gives our next generation, which is currently quite confused and disconnected from this place, tools to get to know themselves and believe that this region can be rebuilt.
"We can plant a little hope here. Be'eri's children need to come home, and we need to give them a sense of security, to show them that the kibbutz isn't going anywhere. A child should be able to return here, to a place that will once again feel like the safest place in the world.
Sharon Shabo, Be'eri Secretary Gal Cohen, Avida Bachar and philanthropist Sylvan Adams
(Photo: Ronen Topelberg)
"I never left, apart from one month when my house needed repairs. I was part of a team called 'Hopeless Optimists' that began cleaning up and clearing away the destruction. But I know that coming back here isn't easy.
"People saw evil walking around outside, and I believe that being together can help soften that feeling and give people strength.
"This is the first green space built outside the kibbutz since October 7, and it symbolizes coming home. Every single one of us is still living that day. For nearly three years, there were destroyed neighborhoods here, and suddenly we're seeing everything being rebuilt."
Rebuilding a shattered community
Shabo, who heads Be'eri's rehabilitation administration and is the brother-in-law of former Israeli soccer star Yossi Benayoun, takes pride in the new homes gradually taking shape across the kibbutz.
But he has forgotten nothing.
"October 7 shattered our community and tore it to pieces," he said. "It changed our lives completely. We are a hurting kibbutz, a symbol against our will.
"Cycling will help children find the strength to grow and move forward in their free time. Bicycles will be a central part of our recovery and healing as a community."
Shabo said the rebuilding process also carries deep psychological significance.
"There's a psychological element to the construction in Be'eri," he said. "Coming back to a better, more developed, more beautiful place is good for the soul.
"The new track is a tool for children, education and sports. It will allow us to grow."
Kibbutz member Aya Meidan, who was ambushed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 while on her way to a bike ride, hosted Tuesday's inauguration ceremony.
At the opening of the event, she paid tribute to 14 cyclists and triathletes from Be'eri and other western Negev communities who were murdered that day, many of them while riding along the area's trails and roads.
"We received much more than a cycling track. This is a path to renewal and a future," she said.
"We will remember the cyclists we lost, but for us, the new cycling park will bring the heartbeat back to our wounded community and to the entire western Negev.
"This is the place that will bring joy back to our children.
"We have a country to rebuild and a people to heal, but we will succeed through our own small steps. This is our image of victory."
First published: 15:32, 10.16.26