On Sunday evening of Memorial Day, the Kibbutz Movement commemorated the memory of 3,422 sons and daughters who fell in founding the country, in defense of Israel, or died in terror attacks, since the founding of the movement.
In the past year, an additional 322 fallen and murdered from among the Kibbutz Movements were added - most of them were victims of the October 7 Massacre and casualties of the war that followed.
The kibbutz settlements have often defined the boundaries of the Hebrew settlement and, eventually, the borders of the State of Israel. Even today, it served as the first line of defense against the enemy - a role that came with heavy costs.
The role of the kibbutzim has not ended; in the Western Negev, where the kibbutzim were attacked and experienced unprecedented massacres in our history. And along the northern border, where border settlements were evacuated, and tens of thousands of residents have been refugees in their land for seven months.
'Cultivate the land until the last furrow'
The Secretary-General of the Kibbutz Movement, Lior Zimche, stated on Sunday night, “We were proud to play a central and significant role in defending the country for five generations.
“Alongside pride, we carried with us the memory of the sons and daughters of the movement who paid with their lives for our right to live in our country.”
“We embraced our families and communities in their great pain and accompanied them in those difficult days,” Zimche added.
“The Kibbutz Movement will continue to cultivate the land until the last furrow and be a central partner in the country's development.
Zimche further said, ”May the memory of the fallen, murdered, and killed be blessed and engraved in our hearts forever.”