A hundred meters separate the line between compensation and evacuation by the government and life in the shadow of war amidst fears of an economic collapse in an area of northern Israel susceptible to Hezbollah attacks, yet not officially designated as an evacuation zone by the government. The Kerem Ben Zimra community lies 4,100 meters from the Lebanese border, where all tourism and recreational businesses have been closed down for over half a year.
"It's like life here is normal, but we're falling apart," shares Hila Buzo, manager of the Ben Zimra Winery, nestled in the Upper Galilee community. The visitor center, the main source of income for the winery, and her family's private home lacking any safe rooms, stand exposed facing the Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras.
Like many from the community, Hila and her family left and uprooted their lives, despite no official directive to do so. "The rules of the game say Hezbollah only fires on the evacuated settlements, but I don't know when the rules they've set will change," she says, voicing her concerns.
Half a year ago, Hila and her husband took their four children and left. They sought to provide some normalcy for the children while the school, nursery, and kindergarten in the community, operated in a reduced format and from an old bomb shelter. For four months now, the winery and visitor center they run haven't received compensation from the government, and Hila's husband has to go to his nearby fields close to the border daily to gather fruit.
"My Husband and brother-in-law risk their lives every day when we go to work there — but we have no choice. We grow vineyards and orchards in areas close to the border, and my husband travels there and risks his life because he doesn't know if he'll receive compensation from the government or not, and he can't take that risk. We haven't received a single shekel in compensation since the war began," says Hila.
"Our visitor center, facing the stunning backdrop of the Galilee and Lebanon, is closed," She says. "Amazing people buy wine from us via our website and support us. The war caught us unprepared, and we have expenses we can't cover, trying to sustain the business from private funds. The bakery next to us is struggling to survive, but no one dares to enter the village and pass through the military checkpoint that warns against traveling on a dangerous route, as far as the government is concerned, we might as well be in the center of the country."
In addition to the winery, hundreds of tourism businesses in the north have been adversely affected by the war and are facing an economic crisis. Hnedy Braik, owner of a Golan Heights guesthouse, describes the situation: "Since October 7, our family business of authentic Druze guesthouses has been in crisis. The last booking we received was on October 6, and since then, not a single visitor has arrived."
Braik, 39, lives in Majdal Shams. "In better days, our guesthouses and unique Druze hospitality were a major draw for tourists from all over the country. Many people celebrated with us, including the Passover Seder, and experienced our culinary hospitality.
"However, the current war and subsequent closure of Mount Hermon, which was a major attraction to our area in the past, completely stopped our operations. Nowadays, the streets of Majdal Shams look deserted, with only soldiers wandering around. People don't want to stay where you can hear gun and missile fire, alongside sirens."
Have you received compensation accordingly?
"We turned to the government for assistance, and received grants, but in very small amounts. Ones that can't help us recover. Currently, it's very hard to see any hope to return to normalcy. We're waiting and praying for the situation to improve in our area and hoping our visitors will return," he said.
"Unfortunately, the situation only worsens now, and there's no positive overturn in sight. The sounds of explosions are heard clearly, and we don't feel safe, but we're trying to maintain optimism and hope that everything will end soon and return to the way it was in the past."