Dates have always been landmarks for me, but recently they have also become a source of incessant reflections. When I look back, I am amazed by the coincidences in dates.
On the eve of Yom Kippur, October 5, 1946, the 11 points for settlement in the Negev were raised. On a similar date, October 6, 1973, the Yom Kippur War was forced upon us. And on October 7, 2023, we experienced the Iron Swords War.
Three dates, three different events, but all of them touch the heart of our history.
I remember that night—a night of excitement and mission.
I still remember the excitement that gripped us the night the 11 points were established in the Negev. It was the end of Yom Kippur, October 5, 1946. There was no state, no army, and the future was shrouded in mist. But there was a sense of mission. There was an understanding that if we did not create facts on the ground, the Negev would not be included in the future Jewish state.
Hundreds of people volunteered and secretly went out to the Negev. Within a few hours we established Be'ere, Urim, Gal'on, Hatzerim, Mishmar Negev, Kfar Darom, Nevatim, Nirim, Kedma, Shoval and Tekoma. A fence was erected around each point, huts were erected and a water tower was built. Everything was done quickly, everything was done with faith.
This operation is considered one of the boldest in the history of settlement, and in the War of Independence it became a strategic anchor against the Egyptian army. We came to the Negev to be in it, that was the statement.
Then came October 7, 2023 — and history seemed to repeat itself.
It chills me to think that Kibbutz Be'eri celebrated its founding on October 6, 2023, exactly 77 years ago, and the next day it became a scene of fierce fighting. The members of the emergency squad fought for the house, for the residents, for the community. The same was true in Nirim, and in other communities in the encirclement.
The destruction was immense. The reality was unimaginable. But alongside the pain, a desire also grew, a desire to return, to restore, to rebuild.
What connects the people of 1946 to the people of 2023?
I ask myself over and over again what the thread connecting the two generations is. And my answer is clear: The people themselves.
In 1946 the message was: We come to the Negev to be here..
In 2026 the message is: Although What happened in 2023, many of the residents of the surrounding area want to return home...to restore the place and the community.
In both generations, there are people who choose to hold on to the place, see their community as part of the future, and believe that this home, despite all the difficulties, is where they want to live.
What can we learn from all this?
That the future depends on us. That we need to act, take responsibility, be involved in the community and help others – even small actions can make a difference. The threats have not gone away and will not go away anytime soon…
But our desire to continue living here has not disappeared. We will pass this desire on from generation to generation.
Because — We have no other country.