Rebuilding Sha’ar HaNegev after October 7

JNF Australia’s 2026 national annual campaign, For a Stronger Israel, has announced a commitment to establish the Sha’ar HaNegev Community Village, a 15-acre precinct intended to support healing, recovery and renewal for communities affected by the events of October 7, 2023.

The announcement was made in front of three thousand supporters across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The campaign was headlined by international law and human rights expert Natasha Hausdorff, who spoke at all three events. She was joined in Sydney and Melbourne by Alon Ohel, who survived seven hundred and thirty-eight days as a hostage in Gaza and shared his story with audiences, including a live musical performance.

Also in attendance was Sha’ar HaNegev Mayor Ori Epstein, who lost five family members, including his mother and eldest son, on October 7. Epstein took over the role from his late brother-in-law, Ofir Libstein z”l, who was murdered on October 7 while serving as mayor.

“I have learned that leadership in moments like these is about choosing. To believe in the future even when it’s difficult to see one”, Epstein said. “We would come home, we would rebuild, but rebuilding Sha’ar HaNegev you cannot simply do by putting back what was destroyed. Our communities need to believe that they have a future.”

“The Australian Jewish community have become such an important part of our story. We do not see the community’s donations as charity. We see it as partnership”, he said. “I can choose what to do with the life that remains… we will remember those we lost; we will carry them with us, we will build, grow, and bring life back.”

In Sha’ar HaNegev, eighty-six residents were murdered and twenty-three kidnapped on October 7. Eleven of the region’s twelve communities were evacuated, displacing more than nine thousand people for almost two years. Families are now returning, and JNF Australia said the Community Village would provide emotional, therapeutic, social and community services.

The 15-acre site will include a resilience and treatment centre, a social services division, a space for bereaved families, animal-assisted therapy facilities, an arts and culture centre, therapeutic gardens and communal recreational areas.

JNF Australia CEO Doron Lazarus said the campaign reflected the organisation’s commitment “to stand alongside the people of Israel today while helping build a stronger, more resilient future for tomorrow”.

Construction is due to begin at the end of 2026, with completion expected by the end of 2027. JNF Australia said the centre would be the first of its kind regionally and would serve approximately twenty thousand people annually.

JNF Australia National President Pam Krail said the Sha’ar HaNegev Community Village “represents the next chapter of our collective commitment – creating a place that will help people not simply return to where they were, but move forward, heal and build a stronger future for generations to come”.

To donate to the campaign, please visit: jnf.org.au/ac2026/