Kfar Aza: the story of the 'kibbutz of horror' founded by Jewish refugees who escaped from Egypt and Morocco 72 years ago

The Israeli soldiers who arrived this Tuesday at the Kfar Aza kibbutz assured the media deployed to the area that they had found hundreds of dead and mutilated bodies, both civilian and military, in and around this rural settlement.. This kibbutz becomes one of the great horrors of the last chapter of the eternal confrontation between Israel and Palestine.

Kfar Aza is one of several kibbutzim that bore the brunt of last Saturday's Hamas ground attack, along with those in Be'eri, Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Mordechai, Yated, Kissufim and Urim.

In Hebrew Kfar Aza means 'Gaza village'. Indeed, it is located just three kilometers east of the Gaza Strip.. It is the south of Israel, between Netivot and Sderot, and depends on the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council.

The kibbutz was founded in August 1951 by Jewish immigrants and refugees from Egypt and the Moroccan city of Tangier.. It was temporarily abandoned in 1955 and recovered two years later.

Kfar Aza was a medium-sized kibbutz. Between 100 and 1,000 people usually live in each of these farms, and in this one there were more than 700. The population was secular Jewish and religious Jews were a minority.

A kibbutz on Airbnb

On December 31, 2014, 693 people resided in the kibbutz. In 2021, the population increased slightly and was 765 inhabitants.

In Israel there is Kibbutz Ulpan, a program for volunteers from all over the world who want to have the experience of living in a kibbutz for a few months.. It would have served to get to know Kfar Aza, but the settlement was also on Airbnb. There, a four-bedroom house was advertised for just over 40 euros per night.. There are also studios in Be'er Sheva and Gedera or apartments in Ashkelon.

Today it's hard to imagine, but inland tourism worked in this area of southern Israel. Travelujah is a tour operator dedicated to it. When referring to Kfar Aza, they speak of a beautiful kibbutz “with impressive nature, panoramic views and a very supportive community.”

In their story they mention Chen Kotler, a resident of the settlement who remembered having maintained friendly relations with the Gazans until the year 2000 (that year the second intifada began).. “He regularly traveled to the area to shop or visit the stunning beaches and, of course, to enjoy the tasty hummus on Shabbat,” reads the Travelujah website.

Hope was alive in Kfar Aza

“In other countries it would be unimaginable to live in a place that can be under fire at a moment. However, despite the deadly rockets; the emotional burden it places on children who are afraid of sleeping alone; the mother who has to decide in an instant which child she is going to run to catch if she only has 10 seconds until a bomb falls; visits to shelters, part of daily life; Despite all this, the community has a huge heart and hope for peace.. They truly believe in a just and equitable solution: that Palestinians and Israelis can live in two independent states, one next to the other,” says the text on Elisa Leopold Moed's tourism website.

“Maybe they dream, maybe they don't. But they believe that where there is a will there is a way. “Hope is very much alive in the Kfar Aza kibbutz,” adds Travelujah in an entry that today brings tears.

What is a kibbutz

From the Hebrew 'group' or 'gathering', a kibbutz is a Jewish agricultural settlement of communal production and consumption.. It is more than just agriculture and economics; It is a political projection of Zionism and as such has played an essential role in the creation of the State of Israel.

In the first years of independence, the kibbutzim played a central role in the development of the country's economy and became a model of Jewish settlement in the new territories (occupations according to Palestine).. They are not only governed by production principles but also by values of social and communal responsibility, equality and cooperation.

About 125,000 people live in some 250 kibbutzim, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel.. Paradoxically, for many they were symbols of good life and security.