An exceptional convoy departed from Kibbutz Be’eri to the Hebron Hills over the weekend, carrying ornamental and garden trees that were part of the Pricker family home, which was destroyed in the massacre on October 7 in Be’eri.
Bridging Worlds and Shared Values
The initiative was led by members of kibbutzim who chose, out of their pain, to cross what is considered an “imaginary border” between the Negev and Judea, between the kibbutz and the settlements. “We did this in the name of our shared values,” one of the participants said.
The neighborhood in the settlement is named after Elhanan Kalmanson, who went to Kibbutz Be’eri with his brother and nephew on the morning of Simchat Torah, rescuing the Pricker family and heroically saving other residents, before he was murdered.
“The Good and Beneficent”: A Blessing That Summarized Everything
At the planting ceremony, Rabbi Benny Kalmanson, Elhanan’s father, blessed with a trembling voice: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, the good and beneficent.” He added, “We want to thank you, also on behalf of Elhanan’s wife, who could not be here and join you in the blessing that is said when something good happens for the entire environment, for the entire region, and for the entire Jewish people. Thank you, thank you for the opportunity and the ability to do good things.”
This Is the True People of Israel, and We Are the Majority
Rabbi Kalmanson further stated, “This is the true People of Israel, and we are the majority. We also want to thank the IDF and security forces, thank the government and its members, thank the legal advisors, thank the head of the Shin Bet, and even thank those who disagree and choose to protest and fight for their differing position out of a sense of Zionism, love, and sincere concern for the State. The people of Be’eri teach us a lesson in Zionism when they choose to embrace, extend a hand, and build bridges over division and teach us a lesson in Zionism that will be written in the chronicles of the People of Israel.”
In the settlement of Otniel, they concluded: “We are excited to continue in Elhanan’s path and in the traditions of our fallen saints from the last war and overall, for the revival of the People and the Land. We are proud and happy to be a symbol of unity and integration, alongside the desire to strengthen our roots in the land of Judea and in the heritage of Otniel. We are pleased with the tremendous growth in recent years and promise to continue to hold onto the ground, with love for Israel and faith in the righteousness of the path.”
