Solidarity in Action: Germans Rebuilding an Israeli Kibbutz |
A quiet German initiative brings volunteers to Israel to help rebuild Kibbutz Nir Oz and support bereaved families.
At a time when Israel is increasingly isolated, when flights are emptier, delegations fewer, and even well-meaning supporters hesitate to visit – there is another story unfolding.
It is not loud. It does not come with carefully curated photos or gala speeches.
There are Germans, ordinary men and women, who are quietly travelling to Israel, not to post pictures of themselves incessantly, but to work. To help rebuild.
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with Petra Hemming, an inspiring woman from my region in Germany. What she shared with me was not just a story of solidarity, but of responsibility lived out in the most practical way.
“I grew up with Israel,” she told me. Her connection goes back decades – to her father, who helped establish a city partnership between Düsseldorf and Haifa, and to her own first visit at the age of 17. That early encounter turned into a lifelong relationship. She has returned nearly 60 times since.
But nothing in that long history prepared her for what happened after October 7.
“It was completely clear to me. We had to do something,” she said.
Together with a close colleague, Petra helped initiate a response that would become the We Support Nir Oz effort — focused on one of the kibbutzim near the Gaza border that was devastated in the Hamas attacks.
What they built was not just a campaign or a platform. It was something far more demanding.
They began organizing small groups of volunteers — people willing to travel to Israel at their own expense and work with their hands.
The first trip took place in April 2024.
“When we arrived,” Petra recalled, “nothing had been cleared. Everything was exactly as the terrorists had left it.”
There was no........