Every year, the kibbutz holds a traditional Bikurim (First Fruit) ceremony in honor of the Shavuot holiday, which falls on Sunday. This year, however, the community’s wheat fields were severely damaged by fires started by the kites sent from Gaza.

“A Molotov Kite burned all the wheat, and we decided that where there are kites of hate, there will also be kites of love and peace,” said members of the kibbutz , who gathered at the site of one of the burned fields to launch the kites. “The children from the kibbutz will get the kites, they’ll draw pictures and messages of peace on them and we’ll set them loose. We just want to live here in peace. Life here in the Negev is magical and we want it to stay that way,” they added.

“We were moved by the reactions, the sharing and the donations. The feeling that the nation supports us strengthens our standing here, during both routine times and during mergencies,” said Efrat Shlomi, the Kibbutz’s Social Education Director.

“We would like to take this opportunity to send our thanks to the IDF soldiers and the leaders who are working day in and day out to continue to live our lives here with a sense of security,” she added.

The event ay Kibbutz Sa’adbfollowed a visit to the region earlierThursday by President Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin, who met with farmers and praised their resilience during this difficult time in the region.

“We are not eager to fight, all we want is to live in our country in peace,” said Rivlin. “I came here to salute you, all of the [Gaza Belt] residents, but especially you, the farmers, and to tell you that you are the greatest,” he added.