The Hamas attack and massacre on October 7 left Kibbutz Be'eri in ruins. Since then, the kibbutz has received help from countless selfless volunteers. Elif Yagoub, a Sudanese refugee who volunteered in Israel for a year before the war as a tutor, stayed to help the community, which she felt was her community. Be'eri residents have sent a letter to Interior Minister Moshe Arbel asking him to grant citizenship to Yagoub for her service in Israel.
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In the letter, the residents pleaded with the minister. "On October 7, our community, Kibbutz Be'eri, suffered a terrible disaster. However, since that day, we have been blessed with the support of many people who appeared and selflessly volunteered. This giving, which touched us deeply, made us feel and understand that, behind the masks and the conflicts, there is a solidarity in Israel that ensures Israeli society's resilience, ability to recover and grow."
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'Through her volunteering, she demonstrated determination, professionalism, and sensitivity, which touched the souls of our children'
"We are urgently writing to you regarding a young woman, Elif Yagoub, who dedicated herself to the recovery of our community and the healing of the Be'eri children's souls," they wrote.
These words, addressed to Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, are signed by 80 residents of Kibbutz Be'eri. In their plea, they ask him to grant Israeli citizenship to Elif Yagoub, 20, a Sudanese refugee who served in the kibbutz for a year and continued to volunteer and support the community after the disaster.
Yagoub was born in Sudan and arrived in Israel in 2007 when she was two years old. She grew up and was educated in Kibbutz Ketura in the south, and has resided in Israel on a temporary refugee visa that is renewed every year.
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'Dedicated herself to the recovery of our community and the healing of the Be'eri children's souls,' Kibbutz members wrote
"I grew up as an Israeli from a very young age, and I feel Israeli," she said. "That's all I remember and know. When I was 14, I asked about enlisting in the IDF, and they told me that I could not enlist because I'm not a citizen. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to enlist and contribute because it was clear to me that I was Israeli like everyone else. After that, I tried to join national service, but that wasn't possible either because of my status."
Nevertheless, she did not give up on her desire to volunteer and began a year of service. She came to Kibbutz Be'eri, where she was responsible for the informal education of 42 students in the 5th and 6th grades.
Three students she taught were murdered on October 7, and three others were kidnapped to Gaza and later released as part of a hostage deal. In the letter, the residents of Be'eri wrote of Yagoub, "through her volunteering, she demonstrated determination, professionalism and sensitivity, which touched the souls of our children."
After the year ended, she stayed in Be'eri for another six months, then moved to Eilat and began working. Now she plans to start studying at Ben Gurion University and is interested in African studies and psychology. On October 7, she was with friends in Tel Aviv, celebrating her birthday.
"On Saturday, I received messages from the kibbutz groups and very quickly started corresponding with some of the students. On Sunday, I traveled to Eilat, and after a few days, I went up to the Dead Sea, to meet the families of my students and try to help in any way possible."
In the letter sent to Arbel, other members of the kibbutz wrote: "Elif identifies with the State of Israel, its values, its people, knows its laws, and in practice volunteered for national service only after her request to enlist was rejected. After October 7, Elif proved that her affiliation with Israeli society is not only on paper but that she is a proactive resident and supporter of Israel. We feel it would benefit Israeli society, Kibbutz Be'eri, and Elif if the honorable minister will officially recognize the obvious, that Elif is part of us."