Erez

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Erez ארז‎ إيرز‎
Kibbutz
Erez in early 1949
Erez Show map of Ashkelon region of Israel Erez Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 31°33′36″N 34°33′58″E / 31.56000°N 34.56611°E / 31.56000; 34.56611
Country	Israel
District	Southern
Council	Shaʽar HaNegev
Affiliation	Kibbutz Movement
Founded	1949 (original location) 1950 (current location)
Founded by	Noar HaOved
Population  (2022)[1]	616
Website	www.erez.org.il

Erez (Hebrew: אֶרֶז, lit. 'cedar') is a kibbutz in southwestern Israel. Located just 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) north of the Gaza Strip, it is the namesake of the nearby Erez Crossing.

The kibbutz was founded in 1949 and moved to its current location in 1950. In 2019, it had a population of 558.^[1]

Located in the northwestern Negev around 18 kilometres (11 mi) south of the coastal city of Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Shaʽar HaNegev Regional Council.

Erez is named after the first group that settled the kibbutz, who were members of the Noar HaOved from Petah Tikva. It was founded in 1949.

Archaeological discoveries from Erez include a statue of a griffin with a Greek dedication by a priest, dating to 210/211 AD. Additionally, fragments of Greek inscriptions, one potentially Latin, have been found here.^[2]

On 7 October 2023, the kibbutz was attacked in the opening stage of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. The kibbutz security team repulsed the attack in an hours-long battle, losing one of its members.^[3]

The security team of Kibbutz Erez quickly assembled to try to prevent the invaders from entering the kibbutz through the main gate. They contacted the IDF and were informed it was a terrorist attack and the kibbutzniks were told they were on their own.

A firefight involving rifles, grenades and RPGs ensued. According to one of the kibbutzniks, “we fought like lions.” This was no ordinary military engagement, but a battle to protect their children and other family members from the Hamas terrorists. If they failed, they knew that Hamas would hurt their children.

Amir Naim, one of the kibbutzniks, whose wife was expecting their first baby, was killed in the encounter. Two others were severely injured but survived due to a resident of Erez who was a nurse. She knew they needed immediate medical attention so she drove out of the kibbutz amid a hail of bullets and got them to a nearby hospital, where they received lifesaving treatment.

After a fight of close to two hours, the terrorists decided that Kibbutz Erez was too difficult to overcome, and moved on to wreak havoc on the next village. The kibbutz was never penetrated by the terrorists.

The whole kibbutz was evacuated to Mitzpe Ramon. Many of the families moved into hotel rooms there. After several weeks, makeshift schools were established and members of the kibbutz achieved some measure of normality, as much as it can be normal living in a hotel, totally dependent on caring neighbours, a supportive community and government help. Since then, some of the kibbutzniks have relocated to Kiryat Gat, which is much closer to their home.

Source: Kibbutz movement in crisis Larry Barzelai)

The kibbutz has three main industries: agriculture (arable and fruit farming as well as animal husbandry), manufacturing (Erez Thermoplastics Products manufactures plastic-covered materials), and research and development.^{[citation needed]}

• 
  The Dining Room
• 
  The Dining Room
• 
  The Dining Room
• 
  Protected space near the dining room

• Keren Neubach

• Erez Crossing, a border crossing point between Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip

Kibbutz movement in crisis. Article by Larry Barzelai)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Erez.

• Official website (in Hebrew)