First Wedding Held in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom Near Gaza Border Since Oct 7
For the first time since October 7, a couple married in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom near the Gaza border, symbolizing community renewal and resilience ahead of the three-year anniversary.
Nearly three years after the October 7 attacks, a wedding was held last night (Thursday) for the first time in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom since that fateful day. Sivan, a kibbutz member who grew up there, and her partner Meir chose to marry by the kibbutz pool near the Gaza Strip border, in the presence of family, friends, and local residents.
For the Kerem Shalom community, this was an extraordinary event: since the October 7 assault and the subsequent evacuation of the kibbutz, no large-scale joyous celebration had taken place there. Some community members attending the wedding only recently returned to live on the kibbutz after a prolonged period away from their homes.
The couple chose to hold their wedding precisely where Sivan grew up, turning the event into a powerful symbol of return to routine and revived life on the kibbutz.
"The couple's choice, with her being a local who grew up here, to marry right here on the kibbutz paths is our greatest victory," the Kerem Shalom management stated. "We endured the worst. This place has witnessed very difficult moments; our community was torn apart and rebuilt, and we returned here a year and a few months ago."
The kibbutz added: "The choice to establish this new home right here is a moving statement that we continue to live and grow out of a deep love for this place."
The wedding took place mere weeks before the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks. "In about a week and a half, our community will mark October 7," the kibbutz noted, "and pain and hope are intertwined together, precisely on this evening."
