8 | FEBRUARY 8 • 2024 J
N
essay
Reflections on a Visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz
T
his past December,
my husband and I had
the good fortune to go
to Israel for the birth of our
seventh grandchild and to do
some volunteer
work (all
food related)
to benefit
the country.
We made
sandwiches
and prepared
beef jerky for
the soldiers on the front
lines and worked on a
farm harvesting produce
that otherwise would have
gone to waste. It was such
an incredible and personal
experience for me when we
were there that when Renee
Kozlowski, my close friend,
told me she was going in
January to volunteer, I told
her that I would happily be
her plus one.
Through What’s App
and a wonderful Google
spreadsheet assembled
by volunteers at a shul in
Teaneck, New Jersey, we were
able to decide on a schedule
of things we wanted to do
while having time to visit
family and help the Israeli
economy by spending time
shopping.
On our second day, we
headed south.
Nothing prepared us for
our trip to Kibbutz Nir
Oz to witness the evil and
devastation that the residents
endured. The kibbutz is 1.5
miles away from Gaza and,
as we approached the site,
we could see smoke from
explosions on the horizon.
Once we arrived, the first
point of business was for
the soldiers accompanying
us to tell us that if a “Red
Alert” happens, we had 10
seconds to quickly lie on the
ground and cover our heads.
We were flanked by young
IDF soldiers doing their part
to protect us and were told
to stick together and not
wander off.
Prior to Oct. 7, the
grounds of Nir Or were lush
with colorful wildflowers
and vegetation, which has
continued to grow amidst the
burnt-out buildings, shells
from explosives, yard art,
broken dishes and blood-
drenched furniture.
Our tour guide, who grew
up on this kibbutz, said it
was established in 1955. Nir
Oz was one of the oldest and
still-functioning kibbutzim,
a home to “peaceniks” who
honestly believe(d) that Jews
and Arabs could live side
by side and were vocal in
their desire for a two-state
solution.
Our guide told us that
when he was a child, he
used to go swimming with
fellow Gazans whose parents
worked on the kibbutz
farms. Gazan families shared
meals with the kibbutzniks
and, when a Gazan needed
medical treatment, someone
from the kibbutz would take
them to an Israeli hospital to
ensure better care.
On the morning of Oct.
7, hundreds of terrorists
entered Kibbutz Nir Or.
They knew which families
were home, which were away
and where the kibbutz’s
command center and
medical facility were located.
They came equipped with
explosive devices, guns,
knives and other weaponry
with one goal in mind —
absolute destruction.
Our guide knew every
family and took us from
house to house, telling us
who lived there, whether
they were killed or
kidnapped and whether their
bodies have been returned
to Israel. Of the 400 people
living on the kibbutz prior to
Oct. 7, now only 100 remain.
This is where baby Kfir and
his family lived.
Our guide also told us
about an older man and
his wife who lived on the
kibbutz and were supposed
to be away visiting their
granddaughter for the
weekend. Plans changed and
the granddaughter came to
the kibbutz instead so that
they could visit each other.
Since the house was
supposed to be empty, the
terrorists were not careful in
PURELY COMMENTARY
Lea Luger
The home of the
family of baby Kfir
The kibbutz
watchtower
Lea Luger
and Renee
Kozlowski at
the BBQ on
the IDF base