As radical left-wing protesters continue to flood Tel Aviv streets with anti-government demonstrations, a quiet yet powerful display of true Israeli unity has taken place far from the media spotlight. Last weekend, trees from a home destroyed in Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7th Hamas attack were transplanted to a new neighborhood in the Otniel settlement, named after a fallen hero who gave his life saving the family that owned those very trees.

Kibbutz Be’eri, a secular community located just kilometers from the Gaza border, was one of the hardest-hit areas during the October 7th Hamas attack. Founded in 1946 as part of the Labor Zionist movement and named after Berl Katzenelson, the kibbutz had approximately 1,100 residents before the attack. Be’eri typically votes overwhelmingly for left-wing parties like Labor and Meretz.

Otniel, established in 1983 in the hills south of Hebron, is a religious community known for its yeshiva (Jewish religious academy). The settlement generally supports right-wing parties like the Religious Zionists and Likud.

On October 7, 2023, more than 100 Hamas terrorists infiltrated Kibbutz Be’eri, overwhelming the mere 11 members of the kibbutz’s standby security unit. Hamas terrorists brutally murdered 102 kibbutz residents, wounded dozens more, and kidnapped 30 to Gaza in one of the worst single-site massacres in Israel’s history.

As news of the attack spread, Major (ret.) Elchanan Kalmanson from Otniel, along with his brother Menachem and nephew Itiel Zohar, formed a volunteer rescue team. Despite having no official orders, they drove 100 kilometers straight into the danger zone.

For approximately 16 hours, this team fought house by house through Be’eri, eliminating terrorists and rescuing around 100 residents. When frightened families barricaded in safe rooms were reluctant to open their doors, Elchanan would recite the Shema prayer to identify himself as an Israeli.

Among those saved was the Fricker family, whose home had been occupied by terrorists. Rachel Fricker later recounted: “Elhanan rescued us when the house was on fire. After hours of distress, he arrived like an angel and immediately instilled confidence in us. His face will remain etched in my heart forever.”

Shortly after this rescue, Elchanan was killed in combat with terrorists. His team was later awarded the Israel Prize for Civilian Heroism.

In memory of Elchanan Kalmanson, a new neighborhood called Be’er Elhanan was established in Otniel. It currently houses 12 families, with a synagogue named after him and plans for a study hall.

The Fricker family, whose Be’eri home was slated for demolition and rebuilding, offered to transplant the mature trees from their yard to this new neighborhood in Otniel – creating a living connection between the communities.

At the planting ceremony, Rabbi Benny Kalmanson, Elchanan’s father, spoke about the significance of this gesture amid Israel’s political divisions: “While many focus on what divides us, this gift shows the true heart of the Jewish people. The average Israeli—not the vocal extremes—seeks unity. These trees, saved from a family rescued by my son, now bridge the supposed gap between religious and secular, right and left.”

While anti-government protests dominate headlines and social media, events like this tree planting ceremony receive far less attention. The demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, led by a small but vocal minority of left-wing activists, have become a regular feature of Israeli life, but they tell only part of the story of post-October 7th Israel.

“We would like to thank the people of Be’eri and the Fricker family for their generosity of spirit,” Rabbi Benny and his wife Yochi Kalmanson stated. “Out of their destruction, they choose to embrace and build bridges across our society, teaching us all a lesson in true Zionism.”

The trees, now replanted in the Judean Hills, stand as living memorials to both the fallen hero and the residents of Be’eri who suffered during the October 7th Hamas massacre. Beneath the surface of Israel’s much-publicized political tensions, these quiet acts of solidarity between communities that typically stand on opposite sides of the political spectrum reveal a different reality than what often makes headlines.