Call for Help. Helping rebuild a community

My name is Ayelet Schori. Me and my husband, Raz Vagim were both born and raised in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. Where our parents, siblings, nieces and nephew still reside.

In 2017, we moved to Southern California in search of a safe and quiet place to raise a family. We were willing to sacrifice the distance from our family and friends in the pursuit of better opportunities and a less stressful reality.

Since our move, we maintain daily contact with our family and friends. We visit our kibbutz at least once a year, despite the long distance and costly travel.

On October 7th, 2023, at 8:29pm PST that long distance crossed reality. We started receiving non stop notifications of red alerts(bomb sirens) to our phones. We immediately checked on our parents, as if this was a familiar protocol. News started pouring in about a terrorist infiltration to the surrounding kibbutzim, which our parents have not heard of yet, so we started checking in on our friends and their families from our kibbutz. Not long after, each friend in turn texted “there are terrorists in my parents house right now” within our group chats.

Not soon after, Raz’s mom texted that she is terrified, because terrorists were trying to get inside her house. Thankfully they eventually moved on and she survived. For over 12 hours, the horrible thought of not seeing our family again did not leave our minds until military forces arrived.

Then came the devastating news my brother in law was found murdered.

As of today, the surviving residents of Nir Yitzhak have been evacuated for an undetermined amount of time and do not know when they will return home, or what that home will look like if and when they do. What we do know for certain is that we face a long road ahead.

Hamas brutally attacked our families and the homes we grew up in. Nir Yitzhak and the kibbutzim surrounding Gaza experienced a horrific massacre. Hundreds of terrorists attacked the residents of the kibbutzim where only a few armed people were there to defend their families and friends until armed forces arrived. The residents hid in the shelters, trying to avoid making any noise, while terrorists set their homes ablaze in an effort to burn them alive.Villages have been completely destroyed. Over 1200 people have been murdered, including women, children, and elderly. Hundreds have been kidnapped to Gaza. Untold thousands have been wounded.

In response to this tragic event, we have established a fund to provide support and assistance to the families who have been deeply affected by this brutal attack and removed from their homes with no supplies, limited resources, and no assurance that they will even have homes to go back to.

This campaign is dedicated to the rebuilding of the community of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. It will span over different areas. First, the immediate needs of the kibbutz members such as medicine supply, groceries, accommodations, children activities, and emotional support.

In the near future (hopefully) when the kibbutz members will be able to return home, they will use the funds to repair the unimaginable damages that the terrorists caused to their property and landscape.

As former members of the community we are in direct contact with the appropriate personnel in the kibbutz management, and acknowledge them prior to starting this campaign. As expected, they are extremely busy dealing with the impact of the recent events, but are very grateful for this campaign. Once the campaign is over, collected funds will be transferred directly to the Kibbutz’s bank account and the money will be distributed appropriately by the kibbutz management according to need and urgency. We will provide photos and continuous updates showing the impact of your donations and efforts.

It is our intention to fly to Israel as soon as the situation allows it. We’re hoping to attend the funerals of those who lost their life, and take part in the efforts of recovering our beloved kibbutz.