1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NKJV
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; [5] does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; [6] does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; [7] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I first visited Be'eri in 2008 with my husband and my "Israeli mum & dad" (so called as, spookily, they share my own parents' birthdays).
The atmosphere of peaceful co-existence was palpable and there was a loving aura around the place. At once I felt welcomed and accepted.
We were given a tasty meal in the common dining room and there were smiles, laughter and lively chatterings all round.
Reuven Kelmer (one of the kindest, gentlest men I ever met) took me by the hand and led me to a children's playground and showed me the shell of a rocket freshly landed from Gaza. It was, sadly, an everyday occurence!
Yet there were no noisy eruptions of angry recriminations.
Each time I visited the place it was always the same sweet, loving environment.
The latest news told about how the members feel, following the events of October 7, in exile at the Dead Sea (how tragically appropriate).
One member spoke for them:
"We're like zombies, we have no more tears, we're broken."
Yesterday was the 9th birthday of a little girl from Be'eri - now a hostage to hate in Gaza.
What horrors now haunt those kind kibbutz members.
After years of indescriminate bombardment absorbed from Gaza, now they have the trauma of massacre and destruction of their homes and community to endure.
My hope and prayer is that as the Bible says: "Love never fails".
Hate may seem to have gotten the upperhand for now, but love is stronger than hate in the same way as light is stronger than darkness.
1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
May love prevail in their broken hearts.
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