President Isaac Herzog and the First Lady Michal Herzog marked 1,000 days since the October 7th massacre by hosting a moving gathering of members of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, together with the mother of Sergeant Yaron Zohar z"l, who was killed defending the kibbutz.
The President and First Lady listened to their personal stories, detailing the challenges they faced during the war, alongside the resilience and courageous choice to rebuild the kibbutz and return home. The bereaved families described their daily struggle with grief and the memorial at the kibbutz that gives them the strength to choose life and hope each day anew.
Since October 7th, 2023, the President and First Lady have maintained close ties with the Kerem Shalom community, accompanying them from the days of their evacuation to Eilat, through their relocation to temporary housing in Ashalim, to the rebuilding of the kibbutz and their return home.
President Isaac Herzog stated, “The thousandth day since October 7th is not merely a marker in time. It is a reminder of Israel's capacity to grow out of crisis and unbearable pain: to remember, and never to forget. To rise with an overwhelming will to build, to live, to act, and never to give up. This is the story of Israeli resilience. Our enemy made no distinction among us. He came to destroy us all. Our answer, and our true victory, lies in action: in rebuilding and in returning to the kibbutzim. Our answer is in the laughter of children in kindergartens, filling the communities of the South and North once again. We will continue to plant, to build, to nurture life, and to choose hope. And so our answer is one and the same: to keep planting, building, nurturing life, and choosing hope."
First Lady Michal Herzog added: “You reflect the entire Israeli story: the greatest pain imaginable, but also the strength of spirit, the love for community, the capacity to keep nurturing life, and the choice to rise, rebuild, and believe again. We have walked with you since the earliest days after the tragedy, when you were evacuated to Eilat, and then to Ashalim. We were there when the tree was replanted back home in Kerem Shalom, and that is the spirit that leads you. Every time we meet you, we leave strengthened. You give all of us hope."