| Re'im Region
Kibbutz Re'im was established in 1949 and is under the jurisdiction of the Eshkol Regional Council. The name "Re'im" means "friends" or "comrades" and commemorates the kibbutz founders who fell in the War of Independence. At the groundbreaking ceremony in October 1949, the members hung a large sign that read" "We are here – others will come." And indeed, since then many have come.
Re'im was a cooperative kibbutz until 2018, when it became a renewing kibbutz (kibbutz mithadesh), with members' income consisting solely of their individual income.
In recent years, Re'im has grown by absorbing young families seeking a communal lifestyle as well as children of members who returned to make their home at the kibbutz.
Events of October 7
On October 7 Re'im experienced a large-scale and brutal terrorist attack when dozens of Hamas terrorists infiltrated the kibbutz. One of the quietest locations in the western Negev instantly turned into a battlefield where dozens of members of the kibbutz emergency response team fought and physically defended the residents. During the battles, seven civilians and four IDF officers were murdered.
At the same time around 3,500 partygoers were attending the nearby Nova music rave. Hamas terrorists arrived at the festival site in pickup trucks and paragliders and began shooting at the partygoers with Kalashnikov rifles and RPG rockets and tossing hand grenades. During this massacre 364 civilians were murdered, hundreds were injured and 40 were abducted.
The Nova massacre was the largest terrorist attack in the history of the state of Israel and one of the largest in human history.
Dina Cohen, the Kibbutz Re'im nurse, saved the lives of wounded people under fire.
As kibbutz nurse for 28 years, Dina was quite familiar with the medical histories of all the kibbutz members and knew how to handle emergency situations. But nothing prepared her for that Shabbat morning, October 7, when her infirmary turned into a trauma room, and she was called upon to treat wounded soldiers and young partygoers from the Nova festival.
"Like everyone on the kibbutz, that Shabbat morning I suddenly found myself under a barrage of missiles, without any prior warning. Within ten minutes, we were informed that terrorists had infiltrated the kibbutz."
At some point Cohen received a phone call from the commander of the emergency response team informing her that there were wounded soldiers in the kibbutz infirmary. "I asked him what he needed. His answer was 'I don't know.' I understood that under the circumstances he was reluctant to ask me to go outside. I told him to come right away and escort me to the infirmary." Cohen stepped outside, leaving her spouse and her children in the security room.
"Today I understand the meaning of a real test for people whose role is to save lives at crucial moments. I did not stop to think, and I was not afraid. I worked on automatic pilot. Right in front of me I could see those who were still alive. It was important for me that they receive treatment as quickly as possible, that they survive."
Stories of Heroism
