Reichman University Law of School Rebuilding Together Workshop at Kibbutz Kfar Aza

In May, Reichman University Radyzner School of Law started an intensive workshop “Rebuilding Together" held at Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

The workshop was envisioned and initiated by Dean Lior Zemer and brought to life with the help of Ziv Lidror and Omri Ronen, alongside Zohar Avraham, a founding team member and field project coordinator.

The workshop focused on rehabilitation, community, and reconstruction, with participation from law and psychology students. They transformed a colorful, abandoned kindergarten into a sleeping area, and studied topics such as psychological rehabilitation, trauma, spatial planning, and community resilience. Most importantly, the group listened to the pain and urgency voiced by members of the community—those who were willing and able to share.

In parallel, the group worked on the ground—demolishing structures in preparation for the construction of seven new housing units in the next “Rebuilding Together” project. On May 12th, they stood with the Eshkol community on Re’im Road to welcome Edan Alexander upon his release from captivity, alongside calls for the return of the remaining hostages—a moment of deep emotion that united us all.

Later in the week, the group heard the story of Luis Har, a member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak who was rescued from captivity—a conversation about survival, courage, self-worth, and dreams. At the kibbutz clubhouse, against a backdrop of hollowed neighborhoods, sounds of war, and the distinct quiet of the Negev, they witnessed the power of a community that continues to choose unity—and refuses to give up. Student Yael Ben Artzi shares, "It was an intense week, full of action, insight, and emotion. But it doesn’t end in the field. The workshop now enters its next phase—writing policy papers and fulfilling our responsibility as students to turn knowledge into action.

Nearly every lecture and conversation we had ended with a prayer and hope that Gali and Ziv Berman, residents of the “Young Generation” neighborhood, and all other hostages, will be returned home. Only then can true healing begin.

Ziv Lidror noted, “When building the course, it was important for us to ensure a proper balance between academic depth and practical tools for policy change; and between learning from community members and practitioners and learning from leading academic figures—such as Prof. Lior Zemer, who conceived the workshop, and Prof. Anat Brunstein Klomek, who guided the workshop in aspects related to mental resilience. I hope that, together with our partners from ‘Rebuilding Together,’ we’ll be able to produce many more cohorts—each of which will undoubtedly be different, tailored to the character and needs of each community. Above all, I hope that in future cohorts we’ll deepen community engagement, respond to its specific needs, and begin integrating young community members—so that this course can be a foot in the door to academia for them, as part of their own process of rebuilding.”