With the outbreak of war and in the wake of the destruction in Israel’s Gaza border region, the Settlement Division mobilized immediately to establish new neighborhoods and strengthen community resilience in the affected communities and kibbutzim, inter alia:
Housing and public amenity buildings have been constructed for the Holit community at Kibbutz Revivim.
The Kfar Aza community has been relocated and rehoused.
Housing has been built for the Nachal Oz community.
The Kerem Shalom community has been relocated and rehoused at Ashalim.
287 housing units were established for the Be’eri community at Hatzerim.
The Kissufim community has been rehoused at Omer.
As part of a seminar to review the Settlement Division’s activity over the past year, which was attended by the Chairman of the World Zionist Organization and the Head of the Settlement Division, the Division screened a film it produced, which offers an overview of its activity (in Hebrew):
Launch of new young community village at Lotan, Eilot district. The Settlement Division is working towards the establishment of a student village at Lotan. Ongoing activities to create a core group of residents are under way, parallel to the on-site construction, with a view to developing change in the Arava region.
Members of Kibbutz Kfar Aza relocate to new neighborhood constructed by the Settlement Division on Kibbutz Ruhama. The new neighborhood, built at a cost of 55,000,000 NIS, comprises 120 pre-fab housing units. Five of the buildings have been designated for hostages – Gili, Zivi, Emily, Doron and Keith – residents of Kfar Aza, who are still being held in Hamas captivity. KKL-JNF was responsible for laying the foundations for the new neighborhood, while the Settlement Division set the buildings in position and is responsible for their overall management.
Brosh in the Bik’a (Rift) Valley – This brand-new neighborhood, funded by the Division, is now up and running. With the start of the school year, a number of young families have moved into the Brosh community, bringing significant support to the strength of the Jordan Valley community. The newcomers have all taken up residence in the brand new neighborhood that has been purpose-built by the Settlement Division.
Inauguration of new neighborhood in Omer – An inauguration ceremony took place for the new neighborhood developed for members of Kibbutz Kissufim within the Omer Local Council district. The ceremony was attended by the Head of the local council, community leadership, the head of the Tekuma Authority and residents from Kissufim and Omer. Gael Grunewald, Head of the Settlement Division, spoke as part of the formal proceedings.
This is a program established in collaboration with the Centers for Social Justice that aims to assist communities in Israel’s south-western border area and develop and provide response to the residents’ social needs in time of emergency, while creating connections between them and local authorities and establishing local systems for mutual assistance within the community. The program seeks to offer a pro-active, comprehensive response to urban residents in the Gaza border region, in Netivot, Ofakim and Ashkelon, based on local models created by the Centers for Social Justice. An adapted community plan is developed separately with each authority to unite local communities, provide training for residents, organize a plan of action for them and, where necessary, to assist with guidance and additional, related services. The program included a fact-finding visit to the cities of Netivot, Ofakim and Ashkelon in the South, where the project is operative. The tour group included the Head of Department for Social Activism and Tikkun Olam, the Head of Department for Israel and Holocaust Commemoration, along with their department directors, the Director General of the Centers for Social Justice, the Partnerships’ director at the Centers for Social Justice, and the southern region’s head of department at the Centers for Social Justice.
