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Life on the Edge of War

(Times of Israel) Adele Raemer - 589 days ago, the life I had known imploded. The community and home I had built and lived in for my entire adult life became a fire-and-brimstone war zone and I became a refugee in my own land. Following the invasion of 150 marauding terrorists, Kibbutz Nirim was evacuated. At first, I returned to Nirim cautiously, fearfully. Rockets were still exploding - some landing inside the kibbutz - compounding the devastation inflicted by the terrorists on October 7. But I was on a mission: to raise funds for rebuilding, to share our stories with anyone willing to listen, and to reconquer and reclaim my home. I guided people through the ruins. I told the story of that day - the day when terrorists stole so much from my life. I lost more friends than I can even count. I almost lost my daughter and granddaughters. My son and I escaped the terrorists' murderous wrath by a sliver - they were on my front porch, breaking in through the window, before being lured away. Still, my heart clenches every time I drive past Nir Oz, to get to Nirim. The atrocities committed there - just a mile from home - are impossible to forget. As a community, we made a decision: we wouldn't just fix what was broken. We would rebuild. Bigger. Better. Safer. Stronger. More beautiful. We are here. We are rebuilding. We are living with the noise from the war in Gaza, the unknown, and the memories. And I am certain that one day this land, and our lives, will be whole again. The writer, an educator for 38 years in the regional school, has been living and raising her family on Kibbutz Nirim since 1975.
2025-05-20 00:00:00
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