Meet the Heroes of She’ar Yashuv: How the Rapid Response Team is Defending Their Community

Yehonatan Nissimian, 24, a member of the She’ar Yashuv Rapid Response Team, defends his family and agricultural livelihood from daily Hezbollah attacks in the Upper Galilee, despite the community’s small population.

“I am defending my home and my family,” said Yehonatan Nissimian, 24, a member of the She’ar Yashuv rapid response team, known in Hebrew as kitat konenut (plural: kitot konenut).

I defend my home and my family

Shear Yashuv is located in the Upper Galilee, in the Hula Valley, in the northeast of the country, less than 10 kilometers from Kiryat Shmona, one of the hardest-hit communities since the beginning of the war. Every day, Hezbollah rockets and missiles attempt to pound the moshav. Fortunately, the Iron Dome has managed to deter them. However, fear of rockets led most of the Shear Yashuv community to evacuate at the beginning of the war. Today, the community of about 700 residents numbers fewer than 200 people.

Nissimian was born in She’ar Yashuv. His family owns several agricultural businesses in the village. They could not abandon their fields.

“In agriculture, it is important to preserve crops and trees,” Nissimian says. “Even in times of war, we could not abandon our home. That’s why I am here: I defend my home, I defend my family. I prefer to do this rather than be in Gaza defending other people’s homes. It’s a kind of ideology.”

Nissimian is among an undisclosed number of kitat konenut members working at She’ar Yashuv; the team could not share the number for security reasons.

Every kibbutz and moshav in northern Israel has a konenut brigade. On October 8, when Hezbollah began bombarding the area with rockets, these members were officially reinstated into the army as reservists. Although they continue to work for the local council, they also receive orders from the IDF and are considered in many ways a local brigade.

The communities on the outskirts of southern Israel, those that were attacked on October 7, also have kitot konenut. In several cases, these volunteer security teams were the ones who defended their communities during the massacre. They waited for the army to arrive, which often took hours or even all day. However, unlike the teams in the north, most members of the teams in the south did not have weapons in their homes. At some point before October 7, it was determined that this was not necessary due to what was believed to be the declining Hamas threat, and the weapons were transferred to gun shops. On October 7, many people died trying to access these weapons. In Nahal Oz, for example, the gun shop had an electronic lock that could not be opened when Hamas cut off the electricity, so the members had to fight without ammunition.

Since the attack, only communities whose residents have returned are practicing kitot konenut. The army has taken over security in evacuated localities such as Kfar Aza.

A volunteer group is made up of residents who can be immediately mobilized to protect their community in an emergency. When Hamas launched hundreds of rockets and infiltrated Israel on October 7, a day before Hezbollah began its attacks, members of the She’ar Yashuv volunteer group were already enlisted, according to Gidi Harari, 67, who is part of the emergency security team and heads the moshav’s civilian response team. All members of the volunteer group who were living in She’ar Yashuv on the day of the attack stayed home and actively defended the community, while others returned home from elsewhere in Israel to join the group. The She’ar Yashuv volunteer group has become a model for the region.

Harari told The Media Line that the members’ ages ranged from 23 to 67 (him), with the average age of volunteers being closer to 35.

“The only reserve units that have been serving since October 7 until today are the kitot konenut – the only ones,” Harari said. “For nine months, they have been providing guard and training. We are keeping them here like an army.”

She’ar Yashuv’s kitat konenut is unique, not in terms of status, but in the way its members relate to their role and “unity.”

Nissimian told The Media Line that he usually starts his day at 4:30 a.m. with a morning patrol alongside other soldiers in the kitat konenut. They wear protective vests and helmets.

“We are making sure that no one has infiltrated and that we remain ready to face anything that might happen from Hezbollah,” Nissimian said. “This is a defensive war. At any moment, Hezbollah could enter Israel and try to kidnap our women, children and families, as Hamas did on October 7. We are trying to prevent that from happening.”

We make sure that no one has infiltrated and that we remain ready to face anything that might happen from Hezbollah.

Harari said volunteers typically do half a day of guard duty and possibly additional patrols per day. In addition, they sometimes receive training through the moshav or even the Israeli army.

He acknowledged that the past nine months have been very difficult. In response, She’ar Yashuv has made a concerted effort to boost the morale of his kitat konenut members. Recently, they provided them with army green hats and shirts, stamped with the moshav’s name. They are among the few kitat konenut in the area to have done so. The gear arrived about a month ago.

“We did this because we wanted the men of the kitat konenut to feel like they were serving in a special unit for the moshav,” Harari said. “It’s a kind of stamp that they would receive if they were members of a particular military unit.”

“We want to give them a sense of belonging,” Harari continued. “This doesn’t replace their family or other problems people face, but we have to do something. They needed it because they were alone. Nobody thought it would take this long.”

The older members of the team organize weekly dinners and other activities to keep the members of the kitat konenut engaged and motivated. They often celebrate holidays together. The kitat konenut offers flexible schedules, allowing some members to work in the morning and complete their volunteer duties in the afternoon or evening. This flexibility prevents them from moving to keep their jobs, which would otherwise reduce the size and effectiveness of the unit.

“Each kitat konenut has its unique flavor. At She’ar Yashuv, it’s a family,” Harari said.

Currently, Harari lives alone. His partner moved about 30 kilometers south to help her mother, who was displaced from another community in the north. Their older children live independently.

Only 30 percent of the families evacuated from She’ar Yashuv were housed in hotels. The rest were scattered across the country. “We lost the community,” Harari said. “Suddenly, people are living in Modiin, Ramat Gan or Tel Aviv, and they realize that it’s better: education is better, access to medicine is better and they don’t have to fear Hezbollah. So why not stay and live there?”

As the community disconnects in many cases, the kitat konenut is growing closer. Nissimian said, “The bonds are stronger because we are all neighbors and know that we will remain friends after this war. All the people I serve with will be my neighbors for the next 30 years. We will stay together and fight together no matter what. Is there any other choice?”

“A lot of solidarity here”

Gal Silberman, 33, has lived in She’ar Yashuv for 15 years. When he heard about the escalation of violence, he rushed from Tel Aviv to join the kitat konenut. He is now responsible for the moshav’s security cameras and technological needs, and contributes to the crisis team. His father, Hagay Silberman, is the moshav’s deputy head of security.

Silberman said his role at kitat konenut has become a full-time job, and he remains available 24/7. He praised Harari and other senior leaders for creating a cohesive group, boosting morale and motivating the team.

“I don’t know about the other kitot konenut, but there is a lot of solidarity here,” Silberman told The Media Line.

Before the war, Silberman and his parents usually kept to themselves and devoted themselves to their farm. However, since he joined the Konenut group, he has formed a close bond with its members. Today, he feels closer to the community than ever before.

“We need it because of the routine. We see each other every day. We have to get along, be there for you to protect the person who’s looking after you. You have to be able to trust them and know that if something happens, they’ll help you,” Silberman said. “If everybody didn’t get along, it would be horrible.”

According to Silberman, the media has commented on kitat konenut in various places, often suggesting that its members’ work seems easy. In reality, he said, it is far from simple.

“We have no family or friends around us, there is not much to do here and we cannot travel,” Silberman says. “Even though we are not fighting in Gaza and are not under daily fire, and we feel relatively safe despite the drones and missiles, the daily grind is relentless.”

He said no two days are the same. Silberman has a startup and works from home, often spending all of Friday working. While that may seem easy since members sleep in their own beds and eat regularly, it’s a challenge, he said.

“I don’t have kids, but some of my friends here do, and they can go weeks without seeing their four or five kids,” Silberman said. “When they finally get together, it’s overwhelming.”

‘It’s a duty’

Harari stressed that the current conflict with Hezbollah is significantly different from the 2006 war. The terrorist organization now possesses more sophisticated weapons, making its attacks “much more significant,” and it has evolved from a guerrilla terrorist group to a large, well-organized militia backed by Iran.

In 2006, She’ar Yashuv was hit hard. While Iron Dome now brings some relief, it doesn’t make things easier.

I feel more than obliged to serve my community. It is a duty… and I do my best

“I feel more than obliged to serve my community,” Harari said. “It’s a duty… and I do my best.”