Israeli religious-secular kibbutz on Gaza border attracts 20 new families

Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, a rural Israeli Gaza border community with a mixed secular and religious population of approximately 220 people, recently attracted 20 new families seeking to potentially settle there. The kibbutz, which welcomes people of all backgrounds, maintains a policy of keeping its population two-thirds secular and one-third religious.

“They came from everywhere,” the kibbutz spokeswoman Geula Rabi stated. “They talked about the importance of religious and secular people living together and about the Zionist significance of moving to the Gaza border after October 7."

Each new family will be interviewed and assessed to determine whether it fits into the local community after listening to the needs of each new family. 

“We will give legitimacy to each family to decide what’s best for them.”

“If there’s a difference of opinion, we invest time hearing each other out and decide together,” Rabi continued. “With goodwill, we usually manage to find a solution."

The kibbutz is located a few hundred meters from the Egyptian border and adjacent to one of the main crossings between Israel and the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, during the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel.

Outnumbered and outgunned, the kibbutz' small security team saved the lives of most residents by preventing Hamas forces from capturing the community. The battle, which lasted hours and resulted in the deaths of multiple Hamas operatives, claimed the lives of local security team members Amichai Yisrael Witzen, 32, and Moshe Yedidia Raziel (Rosenberg), 31.

Approximately 50% of the kibbutz population temporarily moved to other locations in Israel following the attack. Most of them are expected to return to the kibbutz this summer. 

Rabi views the community’s mixed population as a “microcosm of the state,” referring to Israel’s politically, ethnically, and religiously diverse population. At the same time, she emphasized that the kibbutz mainly looks at the individual.

“Nobody tries to change the other. We look at the person, not a category,” the local official argued. 

She admitted the Oct. 7 attack might deter some people from moving to a small rural community located next to the Gaza border. Despite the challenges, Rabi describes Kibbutz Kerem Shalom as a “Garden of Eden.” 

“It sounds surreal, but it’s a Garden of Eden in which to live and raise children. It’s a unified community. We look after one another during good times and bad. And it’s exciting to know that you’re doing something significant, living with people different from you and being a model for Israeli society,” she said. 

The nearby Kerem Shalom crossing has played a key role in the international efforts to send humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. In May 2024, some 10 Israelis were injured and 4 killed when Hamas terrorists fired a rocket and mortar barrage at the border crossing.