The German parliament announced today (Monday) that it will contribute approximately 7 million euros for the reconstruction of the Kibbutz Be'eri gallery next year.
President Isaac Herzog today toured with the President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier the remains of the houses of Kibbutz Be'eri and from there they continued to the local gallery that was completely burned during the murderous terrorist attack by Hamas.
During the two's stay there, the German President announced the intention of the German Parliament to donate approximately 7 million euros for the reconstruction of the gallery. The two also visited the printing house "Defos Bari", which suffered severe damage in the events of October 7.
Herzog: The gallery is the living spirit and will continue to lead the kibbutz
State President Issac Herzog: "We are next to the gallery building that was the first dining hall of Kibbutz Bari, which was completely burned down. This gallery for decades presented about 400 exhibitions and was one of the most impressive cultural institutions in the State of Israel. The gallery was originally founded by the Svirsky family and later Ziva Yelin led it with genius and now our Sophie too. This has been the living spirit for 13 years, and it will continue to lead this place.
We want to restore this place because it symbolizes the spirit of Barry and the fact that this is where everyone came together. Not only to think about how to plant and build, but also about the great spirit of the people of Israel. I want to say thank you to the head of the council Gadi Yarkoni for his courage and daring, and to the wonderful people of Bari who brought us here again and again because we believe in them and in all the settlements - we will plant more, we will build, we will set mezuzahs and we will return.'
German President: "Whoever returns to Kibbutz Ari will need some kind of anchor"
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described his feelings during the visit to Kibbutz Be'eri. "I am proud and would like to express my gratitude for being invited to Israel by the president and his wife, we are excited to be here in Be'eri. In Germany, we are listening to the news from October 7, watching TV, and seeing the pictures. It was easy to imagine what happened here - but being here, in this place is different. The ruins behind us are the silent testimony to what happened here."
According to him, "It is not easy to find the words to describe what we heard from those who know and those who witnessed the actions, murders, killings, and rapes of Hamas here on October 7. We are here in a kibbutz, and the kibbutz movement is connected in a certain way to Europe and especially to Germany. This kibbutz in Be'eri was founded by Jews from Germany, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia - therefore the Kibbutzim are part of history and represent the soul of Israel."
The German leader added, "The very fact that we are here means that we can see how much this soul of Israel has been destroyed by the attack by Hamas on the Israeli people, on Kibbutz Be'eri and the nearby kibbutzim," he said.
According to Steinmeier, "I think what we need to do is to think about the next months, the next years, whoever returns to Kibbutz Be'eri will need some kind of anchor. Therefore, the president and I decided to take the sponsorship for the rebuilding of the art gallery, and the meeting house where the Kibbutz people gather in peaceful times every day".
The German president announced his intention to transfer a sum of money for the rebuilding of the gallery in the kibbutz. "I am grateful that the Secretary of State of our construction ministry is here with us, and that our ministry is cooperating with their colleagues here in Israel. I am grateful to the German parliament that announced its intention to give us next year, 7 million euros for rebuilding the art gallery and the convention center. In addition to this, I hope that we will succeed in creating working conditions for young people, craftsmen, from Germany and Israel, and that they will meet here to cooperate closely in the rebuilding process."
Finally, Steinmeier addressed the issue of the abductees in Gaza. "So I hope that even in these days of mourning, in these days when we think about the hostages, we are still waiting for them, for those who are still in the Gaza Strip. Even in these days, we are thinking about the future. So that we can give you reasons for the people of Be'eri to return, and this place will return to be a very lively place for Israel here in the south of Israel".