Yuval Bar

Yuval was born in Nahalat Yehuda, on 22 March 1958, to Yechiel and Rachel Khubara, and he was brother to Arnon. His father, Yechiel, was born in Sana’a, Yemen, and Rachel was the daughter of Yemenite immigrants. When Yuval was three years old, the family moved to a public housing project in Holon, where he enjoyed his childhood. There, children would eagerly await four o’clock in the afternoon, when they were allowed to rush outdoors to play and roam around the neighbourhood. Children of all ethnicities played soccer together until dusk hid the ball from their sight.

Yuval was a ‘numbers kid.’ When he returned from school, he would quickly eat and do his homework, then sit with his legs straddled in front of the wall, throwing a red plastic ball against it, and counting the throws – much to the neighbours’ annoyance. Once, he counted 777 throws. He was competitive and loved to win games, even in the throwing and counting game he played by himself.

Yuval arrived at Kibbutz Be’eri just days before the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, at the end of ninth grade. His was a difficult story; his parents had separated and, as a result, Yuval and Arnon were also separated from one another. Despite the upheaval, they managed to keep in touch throughout their lives.

On the kibbutz, Yuval joined the group for "yaldei hutz" – or children who came to the kibbutz for a more stable environment - ‘Kitat Alon’  or the ‘Indians,’ as it was known locally. At that time, he grew his hair long, and his afro hairstyle became a thing. Despite his hippie appearance, he adapted well to his particularly proper adoptive family, Hassida and Buchsi. Surprisingly, he felt comfortable within the educational framework, and kibbutz life suited him. He especially loved music and performing and singing, and as a teenager he had a record collection that included albums by Kaveret, Neil Young, Dire Straits, and Pink Floyd. He was always listening to music. Later, when he sat in the office as an accountant, one could still tell he was there by the loud music coming from the office.

Yuval was a sports enthusiast who loved all types of sports. He followed the NBA closely and was a sworn fan of local sports - swimming, soccer, basketball, tennis, ping pong, walking – you name it, and he made sure to report on events and competitions in the sports diary he wrote. Naturally, he drove his children to all the sports clubs they participated in and encouraged them to succeed.

During his military service, he served in intelligence. When he returned to the kibbutz, he worked in agriculture until he went to pursue his studies. He would often take his children on the combine, the cotton picker, or the tractor. He was a very reliable father, and would also resolve any issues wisely. He was a family man who also took an interest in history. He researched in depth the history of Maayan’s family in Hungary, and his own family’s history in Yemen and in Israel.

Yuval was a diligent and enthusiastic worker. He worked seven days a week in the kibbutz’s accounting department, but that was not enough for him. Over the last 15 years, he initiated and managed Yuval’s Recycling Project, which became the official recycling project of Kibbutz Be’eri. It started with Yuval on the green tractor, organizing bins for waste-sorting. It continued with the washing of the green bins. Then he continued, putting in place different coloured bins for different types of waste, bins for glass and cardboard. He then began teaching kibbutz members to separate organic waste, which he transported to the area of the old dairy, and then used it to create compost, which was distributed at the bin stations for reuse in members’ gardens. At first, he did this alone, then he inspired the younger generation to join him – youngsters from the kibbutz, and those from other kibbutzim who were working for a period in Be’eri. Dealing with bins was not just an ideology and a personal mission for Yuval, and it has already set an example for other settlements too – how a single individual managed to reduce the number of waste hauls from 101 containers to only 7.

Meanwhile, Yuval developed what he called ‘the kingdom’ – the collection of junk dumped at the bin stations – mattresses, toys, books, old ovens, machine parts. These were arranged according to the old and abandoned model of ‘the junkyard,’ which had once been the favourite corner of the yard in every kindergarten in the kibbutz – until the Ministry of Education banned it for safety and insurance reasons. In Yuval’s kingdom, the junkyard was reborn, and in the afternoons, the place buzzed with children and parents. Yuval was decades ahead of the State of Israel.

The romance between Ma'ayan and Yuval began in Be’eri, where they studied in parallel classes - Ma'ayan in ‘Rotem’, and Yuval in ‘Alon,’ where Tamar was the housemother. Yuval’s adoptive parents were close friends of Tamar and Asaf. But it was only after their discharge from the army that the love between Ma'ayan and Yuval blossomed, when they were both living in the young adults’ neighbourhood. Ma'ayan’s cat climbed a tree and was afraid to come down. Yuval, who was an expert at climbing trees, came to her rescue – and ever since, all members of the family are cat lovers.

At their wedding, Ma'ayan was in her eighth month of pregnancy and wore a huge wedding dress. She was focused on creating a warm and cozy home, and on food and baking. Yuval took care of technical and financial matters, while she encouraged going out to have fun. He provided research and depth, and was involved in recycling. She liked to shop. Out of their differences, they wove a complete world together, and countless fine threads bound them together in a close relationship.

Both Ma'ayan and Yuval loved to travel, in Israel and abroad. They especially loved Greece and the Greek islands. But they were the ultimate ‘kibbutzniks.’ They never left, nor even considered leaving Be’eri, despite the frequent rocket attacks and the military operations in response – whether they were limited or more major, and not even whenever the security situation escalated. It was their home, the safest place in the world. Their love for Be’eri was great, but even greater was their love for each other, and it defined them in life and in death.

On Saturday, October 7th, they died together. Their memory will be carried by their children, their grandchildren, and by all of us.

May their memory be blessed.