Israel At War: Week 17
Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the communities deeply impacted in the October 7 attack, had 80 casualties, 1 in 10 of their residents died, and 18 hostages taken. “Back in Kfar Aza the aftermath of the attack is an inescapable presence. Buildings are charred, bullet ridden dumps and the doorways of all the homes bear the colorful graffiti of rescue forces telling the number of corpses they found inside.”
A few communities near the Gaza border have had some of their displaced residents return, including Sderot with an estimated 2,000 of their residents having returned. At Kfar Aza three people have returned to rebuild their lives and community, Shahar Shnorman, his wife Ayelet Cohen, and another. For 45 days the couple were the sole residents to return. Why did they come back? Shahar explains, “What would I tell my parents and grandparents who built this country and fought for every grain of sand, if I let it shut down by staying away?” With the unnamed resident returning, Shahar says, “Now when it gets night now, the lights go on in two homes.” Night time can be difficult, as Ayelet observes, “Night time is complicated. It’s not scary, it’s just unpleasant. There’s a dead silence. And it feels so lifeless and isolated.” Shahar and Ayelet leave their porch light on all night “to breach the darkness.”
What will it take to bring people back to the kibbutz that experienced so much destruction? For some it will take peace. For example, one young couple, Avidor and Keren Flash-Schwartzman had lived in their home for just two months. “Keren recalled sitting in her new living room, thinking to myself: ‘This was a good decision, coming here. We’re on track.’ She was thinking of opening a pilates studio, when two days later on October 7 the attack occurred. Avidor says, “The decision to stay will come down to safety. “Kfar Aza has many parents of small children, like us. And our main directive as parents is to keep our children safe. Right now it does not feel safe.”
Shahar and Ayelet, along with the other returnee, turn their lights on to pierce the darkness and bring a glimmer of hope. That hope? That others will follow them and return to Kfar Aza. He says with conviction, “No, Kfar Aza must rise again. Children must return to play on these lawns.” When they can do that, Kfar Aza will demonstrate that safety has returned.
Source: Canaan Lidor (The Times of Israel)
