Aviva Averbuch

Business Owner

Aviva Averbuch is a talented chef and pastry chef and the owner of a café-restaurant. She was born and raised in Kibbutz Brur Hayil, located in the Gaza Envelope. Fifteen years ago, Aviva moved to Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, on the border with Lebanon, to establish a business and build a life in the north.

Aviva and her team built a large and highly successful restaurant in the region, employing 80 staff members. After 12 thriving years, the restaurant was forced to close due to the construction of a commercial complex on the site. Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, delaying Aviva’s plans to rebuild. Two years later, she successfully launched a charming café in her kibbutz, “Cookia Bashvil,” which quickly became a local favorite with 17 employees.

On October 8th, when war broke out, Kibbutz Kfar Giladi was evacuated entirely in a single day, forcing the closure of Aviva’s café. Since then, she has been unable to return—neither to her home nor her business. Today, her community is scattered, and she has rented a house in another kibbutz. Aviva eagerly awaits the opportunity to return, rebuild her life, and help revive the north, which has been left abandoned.