Chairman Salz, Head of Education Anat Levy, Dotan Rochman, Head of the Security Department, and Omri Hagag, Community Manager of Kibbutz Dan, reported on developments since October 7 last year, when Hamas brutally attacked Israel. The twelve elementary school and four high schools in the Upper Galilee were initially all closed. In the meantime, teaching has resumed in two high schools and four elementary school. In addition, on-site teaching facilities have been set up in several kibbutzim in a decentralized manner and in bunkers. The schools often teach in two shifts so that not all pupils are in one place at the same time. By last summer, 35 new bunkers with toilets and showers had been installed in schools in the Upper Galilee.
After the Hamas attack, 14 kibbutzim located less than four kilometers from the Lebanese border were completely evacuated. In addition, many people from the other 15 kibbutzim have decided to leave the region voluntarily - at least temporarily. Slowly, however, the first residents are returning. The state is covering all the costs of hotel accommodation for the evacuees. However, citizens also have the option of "organizing themselves", for example in private accommodation, with family members or similar - in these cases, those affected also receive financial compensation from the state.
Members of the kibbutzim try to keep the community together
Although the members of the kibbutzim sometimes live all over the country, they try to keep the community together. It is precisely the cohesion in the kibbutzim that is the reason for many residents to live in the north of the country. This is why the sense of community should be kept alive. There are concerns that after the war, not so many former kibbutzim residents may decide to live in the north near the border with Lebanon and Syria in view of the constant threat situation there.
Most of the residents of Kibbutz Menara, right on the Lebanese border, now live in a hotel complex in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. A kindergarten has been set up in the hotel, various handicraft and gymnastics courses are offered for the elderly and the hotel lobby has become the new "town center". With the help of numerous volunteers, they are trying to bring as much normality back into life as possible. Life now looks similar for the
of the residents of Kibbutz Dan, who have been accommodated in the eponymous Hotel Dan in Haifa. Staying in a hotel may sound like a vacation, but it comes with many challenges. Up to four people have to share a hotel room. However, it is impossible to think about real everyday life: there are no facilities for cooking, there are only a few washing machines - hotels are not designed for "permanent guests" - and there are no places to retreat to.
The mayor of Kibbutz Menara is currently planning, together with the regional administration, to move his kibbutz from the hotel to Kibbutz Gadot in the southern Upper Galilee - where the residents are to find a new home and be accepted into the kibbutz community until all the damage in Menara has been repaired and the residents can return to their homes. Their will to rebuild everything and return is unbroken. Efforts are also being made to ensure that the children and young people of school age can attend school as much as possible. In Tiberias, for example, a container village has been set up for this purpose, in which the pupils are taught partly by their teachers from the north and partly by new teachers together with pupils from the entire evacuated north. The aim is to support the children as much as possible and offer them a daily routine and a perspective.
In all the kibbutzim in the Upper Galilee, units have been set up to protect the area and train for emergencies several times a week. The aim is to prevent the events of October 7 from happening again in the north of the country at all costs.
Delegation heard very personal stories everywhere
In addition to all the organizational and professional challenges, the delegation heard very personal stories everywhere about the son in Gaza, the daughter's murdered friend at the festival and the bereavements. October 7 and its aftermath are preoccupying the inhabitants of the Upper Galilee, like all of Israel, in many aspects of life. Nevertheless, the delegation members heard from all sides that they wanted to remain optimistic. And something else became clear: the people of Israel are moving closer together again.
The delegation had another important encounter with Hassan and Halima Hussaq, Arabs living in Kfar Manda who have sold coffee and hummus at the district council's late-night market for many years. Together with two representatives of the Upper Galilee, the delegation was a guest there and was welcomed with open arms. These encounters between Arabs and Jews also give some hope for the future after trust in neighbors and peaceful coexistence was severely damaged on October 7.
"Thank you for being here" has almost become a greeting these days
"Thank you for being here" has almost become a greeting these days. The delegation members heard several times how grateful they were to Germany for standing by Israel at this time, but also how important the partnership between the Upper Galilee and the district of Ludwigsburg is. No matter what kind of solidarity the district sent to its partners in the Upper Galilee - be it the hoisted Israeli flag from October 7, a joint photo of all members of the district council with an Israeli flag or the solidarity concert - it brought both partners even closer together during this difficult time and sent out signs of hope and friendship.
The delegation also had three meetings with students and teachers, who independently asked them not to believe all the news on social media without checking it, but to inform themselves, form their own opinion and talk about it. Other stops on the visit included the German Embassy and the "Place for the Hostages", both in Tel Aviv.
It is already clear that the time after the war will also pose major challenges: in view of the academic deficits that the war period inevitably entails, offers must be created for the pupils to compensate for these deficits - and soldiers who return to their families after many months of war and sometimes suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder must first find their place in the family again.
