Kibbutz Be’eri inaugurated a new bike park this week, more than three years after the October 7 Hamas massacre, as the community continues to rebuild and most residents remain displaced from their homes.
Funded by philanthropist Sylvan Adams in partnership with the nonprofit Israel Cycling Academy and Kibbutz Be’eri, the park was designed primarily for children and young people from Be’eri and neighboring communities affected by the October 7 attack. It is intended to provide a space for recreation, training and community activities.
The facility’s centerpiece is a pump track built by Swiss company Velosolutions. It is expected to host the Israeli Pump Track Championships, followed by Israel’s first Pump Track World Championship qualifier.
Children and young people from Be’eri and other Western Negev communities rode the track for the first time during the inauguration, alongside veteran cyclists from the kibbutz.
The ceremony was hosted by Be’eri resident Aya Meidan, who survived an ambush by Hamas terrorists while on her way to her regular Saturday morning ride on October 7. She opened the event by honoring 14 cyclists and triathletes from Be’eri and other Western Negev communities who were murdered that day, many while riding on the region’s roads and trails.
“We received far more than a cycling track. This is a path toward recovery and a future,” Meidan said. “We will always remember the riders we lost. But this new park will help restore a heartbeat to our wounded community and to the entire Western Negev. It is a place that will bring joy back to our children. We have a country to rebuild and a people to heal, and we will do it through our own small steps. Today, this was our image of victory.”
Meidan’s brother, Be’eri resident Avida Bachar, lost his wife, Dana, and their son, Carmel, when Hamas terrorists attacked their home. Bachar was critically wounded and lost his right leg. At the inauguration, he spoke about his rehabilitation and the challenges facing the kibbutz as it works to recover.
“For me, rehabilitation means learning to live as the new Avida — without a wife, without a son and without a leg,” he said. “In the end, what you miss is the human fabric that existed here. Even if they are no longer with us, this is still their home… I can already see the life that will be here: children running around, riding their bikes and their skateboards. This is a meaningful part of Be’eri’s recovery and renewal.”
The idea for the park emerged after Bachar met Adams as a guest of his professional cycling team at the Tour de France.
“We spoke about rebuilding Be’eri and the entire Western Negev,” Bachar said. “Sylvan told us: ‘Of course we will rebuild everything. We will build it back better, more beautiful and stronger.’ Now, seeing that vision become reality, all I can say is thank you.”
Adams said he had been struck by Bachar’s determination after seeing him ride alongside him following his injury.
“That was the moment I understood that we had to help Be’eri, a community that has always had cycling at its heart, open a new chapter,” Adams said. “This wonderful facility shows that we are strong, that they cannot break us and that we are here to stay. The park belongs to Be’eri, to the children of the neighboring communities and to the entire Western Negev.”
Adams said the park would primarily serve children and communities in the region, while also hosting competitions and attracting cyclists from across Israel and abroad.
Most Be’eri residents are still living temporarily in Hatzerim as more than 130 damaged or destroyed homes are rebuilt. The park’s opening marks another step in efforts to restore community life while residents await their return.
Adams said the pump track was intended as the first stage of a broader plan to develop Be’eri as a cycling center for the Western Negev and riders from across the country. A nearby off-road cycling center is also under consideration. As an initial step, Adams asked Be’eri resident and veteran trail builder Rami Gold to prepare plans for the proposed facility.
“We are only getting started,” Adams said. “Our aspiration is to continue developing Be’eri as a center of cycling, community and life.”