Bring them home to Manara: Kibbutz head comments on state of Israel's North - interview
According to official government figures, as of last June 74,500 people were evacuated from the southern border and 68,500 from the North.
But “Bring them home” remains valid as the mantra for returning to their homes all those Israelis living on the Gaza and Lebanese borders, ordered to leave their homes at the outbreak of the war.
According to official government figures, as of last June 74,500 people were evacuated from the southern border and 68,500 from the North. Those figures are probably an underestimate.
To better understand the plight of those who left their homes hurriedly on Israel’s northern border, I spoke with Yochai Wolfin, CEO of Kibbutz Manara.
Wolfin has been the professional manager of Manara for three years.
Clear and present danger
Wolfin recounts that on October 7, the terrible and tragic events in the South were seen at once as a clear and present danger to the northern border communities. Residents were keenly aware of the threat by the Hezbollah Radwan units to attack and invade, the way Hamas Nukhba did in the South.Radwan is a Hezbollah unit whose mission is to invade Israel. Its 2,500 terrorists were stationed close to the border, armed to the teeth and ready to attack. Radwan was renamed in memory of Imad Mughniyeh, a senior Hezbollah leader known as Hajj Radwan, killed in a joint Mosad-CIA operation in 2008. Many or most Radwan terrorists have been wiped out, according to the IDF.
After the IDF moved into southern Lebanon last October 1, tunnels, munitions, and terrorists were found poised to attack. Had Radwan done so, coordinated with Hamas, the results would have been catastrophic for Israel, with great loss of life.
Wolfin asserts that had Hezbollah joined Hamas’s assault on October 7, there would have been nothing to stop them. And I surmise that he himself would not be alive today to chat with me, nor would many others in the border communities.
Wolfin recounts that on October 8 at 9 a.m., he messaged the 300 members of Manara. “Pack a bag for two weeks,” he wrote them, “and evacuate to friends’ and family.”
He says that it took him several minutes to press “send.” I asked him why.
Through all Israel’s wars, including two with Lebanon, and despite its exposed situation a stone’s throw from Lebanon, Kibbutz Manara had never been evacuated – though the kibbutz children were sent to safety for a time during the 1948 War of Independence.
Storied history
In the history of pioneering border settlements, Manara has a cherished place. Kibbutz Manara is situated on a mountain ridge 888 meters high, overlooking Kiryat Shmona and the Hula Valley. From it, you can see Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights. I recall doing reserve duty with my artillery unit in the area many years ago and loved its serene, pastoral beauty.Ups and downs
Through all Israel’s wars until now, Manara members stayed put. Members say that in recent years, despite its proximity to the border, there was a feeling of security. That ended on October 7, 2023.The evacuation came at a time when Manara had gone through something of a rebirth. Many years ago, Manara faced a crisis. Young people left, and only 77 official kibbutz members remained. The average age of residents was 64, and only 10 children lived on the kibbutz. A vote was held, and 90 percent of the members voted to privatize, allowing members to own, hold, and sell homes and other assets, while working outside the kibbutz and contributing their incomes.
It turned out well. In the past decade, Manara has grown, doubled in size, absorbed new members, seen new children born, and thrived. Of its nearly 300 members today, 85 are children.
Maintaining cohesion
After October 7, the kibbutz members were scattered throughout Israel. It took a week for the government to act, proposing that Manara members stay at a hotel in Tiberias. One-third of the members went to the hotel, while two-thirds stayed with friends and family throughout Israel.Later, Kibbutz Gadot opened its doors, welcoming Manara families and opening a kindergarten for the children.
Wolfin explains that the kibbutz members have an organizational center and gather regularly; a majority of members attend from all over Israel. “We also use social media to keep members in touch,” he says
Manara has a place in the hearts of those who for many reasons chose to leave the kibbutz, especially the elderly. They have volunteered to help the Manara evacuees, Wolfin reports.
The destruction wrought in Manara by Hezbollah is hard to imagine. Since Manara is perched on a high hill, it became an easy target within sight of the naked eye. Some 70% of the kibbutz structures have been damaged or totally destroyed. Wild boars now roam through the kibbutz and forage there.
Hezbollah blasted Manara systematically with anti-tank missiles.
Your home was destroyed: It became Wolfin’s painful task to inform kibbutz members when their homes were hit and damaged or destroyed. He had to do this almost daily. I asked him how delivered the bad news.
Wolfin explains that he emphasized how it was structures but not lives that were damaged and destroyed. Structures can be replaced. Lives cannot. Members accepted this with resignation.
In one case, he broke the news to a family that had lost two of its soldier sons in a previous war, the father of the family had passed away six months earlier. A Hezbollah missile struck their dwelling’s patio, destroying it. All the mementos of their loved ones were lost.
During the IDF assault on Hezbollah, Kibbutz Manara became de facto an IDF base. This, too, resulted in unavoidable damage to kibbutz structures and infrastructure.
I asked Wolfin if all or most of the kibbutz members will return home. I noted that many young people from Gaza border settlements have discovered the vibrant night life of the cities where they reside temporarily and may not return to their homes on the border.
Wolfin thinks that 90% of the Manara members will return home eventually. But a massive reconstruction project lies ahead. A new set of school buildings will be constructed, away from the Lebanese line of sight where the previous ones existed. Like the residents of the Gaza border villages and kibbutzim, Manara members observed Hezbollah terrorists’ threats daily.
Pre-October 7, the question was, will Hezbollah attack and invade? In both the North and the South, the IDF’s conception was that they wouldn’t dare. In the South, they dared. It will take years and a massive effort to restore the residents’ trust and sense of security, especially for their children.
Rebuilding
What will it take to rebuild Manara? Substantial private resources are required.Manara made its living largely from agriculture with fruit orchards on surrounding hillsides, and tourism. Unlike some of the Gaza border kibbutzim, it did not have an industrial plant.
Unlike in the South, where the Reconstruction Administration is investing, there is no such operation in the North. Wolfin observes that not only the physical infrastructure – water, electricity, communications – must be restored but also the administrative infrastructure.
At present, my impression is that Wolfin is forced to juggle too many roles. Simply managing relations with the Israeli government and its ministries is itself a full-time-job.
It will take many months, but the members of Kibbutz Manara, old and young, will return home and rebuild. Government efforts have stumbled badly. I believe it will take private initiatives to bring them home expeditiously. One suggestion: Sell a special issue of Israel bonds tied closely to reconstruction of homes, schools, clinics, and infrastructure. This would enable access to massive resources in financial markets.
Prior to October 7, Israel’s government debt as a percentage of GDP was a healthy 62 percent, down from a staggering 284 percent in 1984. There is still ample room for leveraging financial markets to rebuild the North and the South. Thriving communities can help repay the loans, if needed, provided the burden of interest is reasonable.
The vast need for resources cannot be met by government spending alone, as the current government budget has been hijacked by coalition gifts to, among others, the ultra-Orthodox and a dozen (out of 34) pointless ministers.
Months ago, a CNN anchor asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointedly, “Does Israel control its territory?” Netanyahu waffled. A frank answer would have been: “No. We still do not fully control the border areas and make them secure.”■
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The writer heads the Zvi Griliches Research Data Center at S. Neaman Institute, Technion. He blogs at www.timnovate.wordpress.com.
