Meet the Heroes of She’ar Yashuv: Here’s How the Rapid Response Team Defends Their Community

Yehonatan Nissimian, 24, from She’ar Yashuv’s rapid response team, defends his family and agricultural livelihood against daily Hezbollah attacks in the Upper Galilee despite the community’s reduced population

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

I am defending my home and my family

Shear Yashuv is located in the Upper Galilee in the northeastern Hula Valley, less than 10 kilometers from Kiryat Shmona, which has been one of the hardest-hit communities since the start of the war. Daily, Hezbollah rockets and missiles attempt to pound the moshav. Fortunately, the Iron Dome has managed to deter them. However, fear of rockets led most She’ar Yashuv community members to evacuate at the start of the war. Today, the community of around 700 is fewer than 200 people.

Nissimian was born in She’ar Yashuv. His family has several agriculture-related businesses in the village. They could not abandon their fields.

“With agriculture, it is important to maintain and sustain the crops and trees,” Nissimian explained. “Even in war, we could not abandon our house. That is why I am here—I am defending my house, defending my family. I’d rather do that than be in Gaza defending other people’s homes. It’s kind of an ideology.”

Yehonatan Nissimian (Courtesy)

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

Every kibbutz and moshav in northern Israel has a kitat konenut. On October 8, when Hezbollah began bombarding the area with rockets, these members were formally drafted back into the army as reservists. While they continue to work for the local council, they also take orders from the IDF and are regarded in most ways as a local brigade.

Communities located on the periphery in southern Israel—those that were attacked on October 7—also have kitot konenut. In several cases, these teams of security volunteers 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 southern teams did not have their weapons in their homes. At some point before October 7, it was determined unnecessary due to what was believed to be the dwindling threat of Hamas, and weapons were moved to armories. On October 7, many people died trying to get to those weapons. In Nahal Oz, for example, the armory had an electronic lock that could not be opened when Hamas cut off the electricity, so the members were left to fight without ammunition.

Since the attack, only communities whose residents have returned have been operating kitot konenut. The army has taken over security in evacuated locations like Kfar Aza.

A kitat konenut comprises volunteer 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—She’ar Yashuv’s kitat konenut members were already enlisted, according to Gidi Harari, 67, who serves on the emergency security squad and runs the moshav’s civil response team. All kitat konenut members living in She’ar Yashuv on the day of the attack remained in their homes and actively defended the community, while others returned home from other places in Israel to join the squad. The She’ar Yashuv kitat konenut has become a model for the region.

Gidi Harari (Maayan Hoffman/The Media Line)

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

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

She’ar Yashuv’s kitat konenut is unique, not in status but in how members relate to their role and “unit.”

Nissimian told The Media Line 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 no one has infiltrated and that we remain ready for everything that could happen from Hezbollah,” Nissimian said. “This is a defensive war. At any moment, Hezbollah could break into Israel and try to kidnap our women, kids, and families, as Hamas did on October 7. We are trying to prevent that from happening.”

We are making sure no one has infiltrated and that we remain ready for everything that could happen from Hezbollah

Harari said volunteers generally give half a day of guard duty and potentially additional patrols daily. In addition, there is sometimes training through the moshav or even the IDF.

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

“We did this because we wanted the guys in the kitat konenut to feel like they are serving in a unit that is special for the moshav,” Harari said. “It is some kind of stamp like they would get if they were a member of a particular army unit.

“We want to give them a sense of belonging,” Harari continued. It does not replace their families or the other issues people are dealing with, but we need to do something. They needed it because they were alone. No one thought it would take so much time.”

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

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

Currently, Harari is living alone. His partner has moved about 30 kilometers south to assist her mother, who was displaced from another northern community. Their older children live independently.

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

While the community is, in many cases, disconnecting, the kitat konenut is growing ever closer. Nissimian said, “The connections are stronger because we are all neighbors and know we will stay friends after this war. All the people I am serving with will be my neighbors for the next 30 years. We will stay together and fight together no matter what. Is there another choice?”

‘A lot of solidarity here’

Gal Silberman, 33, has lived in She’ar Yashuv for 15 years. Upon learning of the escalation, he hurried back from Tel Aviv to join the kitat konenut. He is now responsible for the protective cameras and the moshav’s technology needs, and he contributes to the situation room. His father, Hagay Silberman, serves as the deputy head of security for the moshav.

Gal Silberman (right) with his father, Hagay Silberman (Courtesy)

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

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

Before the war, Silberman and his parents mostly kept to themselves and focused on their farm. However, since joining the kitat konenut, he has formed close bonds with its members. Today, he feels more connected to the community than ever before.

“We need it because of the grind. We see each other every day. We have to get along, to stand the person guarding with you. You need to be able to trust him and know that if something happens, he will help you,” Silberman said. “If everyone did not get along, it would be horrible.”

Silberman said the media has provided feedback on the kitat konenut in various locations, often suggesting that its members’ work seems effortless. In reality, he said, it’s far from simple.

“We don’t have our families or friends around, there’s little to do here, and we can’t travel,” Silberman explained. “While we aren’t fighting in Gaza or getting shot at every day, and we feel relatively safe despite the drones and missiles, the daily grind is relentless.”

He said every day looks the same. Silberman has a startup and works from home, often spending all of Friday working. Although it might appear easy since the members sleep in their beds and have regular food, it’s challenging, he asserted.

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

‘It’s a duty’

Harari noted that today’s conflict with Hezbollah is markedly different from the 2006 war. The terror organization now possesses more sophisticated weapons, making their attacks “much more meaningful,” and it has evolved from a guerrilla terrorist group into a large, well-organized militia supported by Iran.

In 2006, She’ar Yashuv was heavily impacted. While the Iron Dome now provides some relief, it doesn’t make things easy.

I feel more than an obligation to serve my community. It is a duty … and I am doing my best

“I feel more than an obligation to serve my community,” Harari said. “It is a duty … and I am doing my best.”