Alon Futterman, director of the Kfar Aza foundation, addressed the audience at the Jerusalem Post Miami Summit on Tuesday, together with former hostage Kieth Siegel, who was held by Hamas terrorists for 484 days, before his release on February 1, 2025.
“I stand here in order to say that, unfortunately for some of the communities in Israel, October 7 is not over yet,” said Futterman. “There are still three communities that cannot go home, Kfar Aza being one of them.” He shared that the kibbutz plans to reopen this summer and that residents will eventually be able to return home.
On October 7, 64 residents of the kibbutz were murdered, and 19 of the 240 kidnapped individuals that were held by Hamas came from the kibbutz.
Futterman told attendees that the new young adult neighborhood, which was destroyed on October 7, is currently under construction. Current fundraising efforts, he explained, are focused on helping residents fully embrace life when they return. “How can we make sure that an individual’s home is not only rebuilt, but they also have a kindergarten to send their kids to? How can we make sure that a neighborhood is rebuilt, but there’s also an infirmary there or a synagogue that we are currently fundraising for? It’s not just about moving back. It’s about the ability to choose life there once moving back. We need your support, and we are so appreciative of everything that has happened until now.”
Futterman then introduced Keith Siegel, who has lived in Kfar Aza for over 40 years. “Aviva and I moved there in 1983,” he said. “We raised our four children on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. The community is very dear to me.
“During my 484 days in captivity, the source of my resilience and my strength was my family, my Jewish faith, the Jewish people, and all of you,” said Siegel. “Together as a people, as a community, our unity, our solidarity, is what makes us even stronger and makes us able to live, survive, thrive, and become even stronger. Together, we have the strength, we have the ability to do anything that we really need to do.”
Written in collaboration with Kfar Aza Foundation