4 minute read
A time to weep and a time to plant
By Susan Ain
Moran Freibach, a rugged man with a bronzed face stood in the morning sun. He is the foreman at Nahal Oz, an agricultural kibbutz and dairy farm located in the Gaza envelope. Nahal Oz is the closest kibbutz to Gaza, and it was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Not only was Hamas’ purpose to take hostages and massacre Jews, but it was also to intentionally destroy a farm and a food source for Israel. What Hamas did is called “agricultural terrorism.”
My husband, Aron, and I recently returned from Israel where we led a solidarity mission sponsored by Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Jewish Federation of Greater Boston. We bore witness to the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre by visiting the site of the Nova Music Festival, three kibbutzim in the south and a military base near Gaza. Additionally, we traveled north to the border with Lebanon.
Our visit to Nahal Oz and our meeting with Freibach was moving and remarkable. Freibach grew up in Nahal Oz, living there his entire life. He told us that at 6 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2023, a 14-year-old boy went for a run in the kibbutz when shooting from Hamas terrorists suddenly broke out. The boy was able to make it to a saferoom where he stayed for 11 hours, surviving because of the bravery of a security guard and 12 IDF soldiers who were staying at the kibbutz for shabbat. The security guard was killed, but the IDF soldiers fought and killed about 80 terrorists. The attackers rampaged through Nahal Oz, banging on doors, shooting and taking hostages. At 5:30 p.m., IDF forces rescued them. They were evacuated up north. That day, 15 residents from Nahal Oz were massacred and eight were taken hostage. Six hostages were later returned.
The toll on this farming community was devastating. Not only was there loss of human life, but there was almost complete destruction of the farm as well. Before Oct. 7, 2023, there were 570 residents of Nahal Oz, but now just 10% remain. They are workers; some are Thai. On Oct. 7, 2023, the 30 Palestinian farm workers who were there fled.
A computerized irrigation system and pipes in the field were destroyed, which had provided irrigation to the hay fields for the cows. One hundred cows were slaughtered, and the rest were not milked for 10 days. Hundreds of chickens were killed and many cows died from infection. A new John Deere tractor was incinerated, and all other farm equipment was destroyed. The farm was dismantled.
On the following Wednesday, Freibach returned to the kibbutz to see what was left. He is determined to rebuild. About 75% of Israel’s food source and production comes from the Gaza envelope. After Oct. 7, 2023, Türkiye shipped in 60,000 tons of food.
Freibach continues to stay at Nahal Oz and was separated from his family for a year. He walked with us to an open field where the irrigation pipes were being replaced. He told us that the only income for Nahal Oz is from agriculture, and they have been working hard to bring the farm back to life. By June 2024, normal milk production was back to 3 million liters, but they want to grow it to 5 million liters. They bought 10 new tractors and some of the kibbutz families have returned, as have more Thai workers.
A fence separates the newly plowed fields of Nahal Oz from Gaza. On one side of the fence is tyranny, oppression and the evil force of Hamas. The kibbutz of Nahal Oz stands in the breech.
On that beautiful sunny day, Freibach pointed to the fence and said, “On the other side of the fence is Gaza, and I want them to see that we are planting. We are here to preserve Western Civilization.”
