Timi Regev from Beersheva is a volunteer guide at the Mitzpe Beit Eshel historical site, which was repaired and restored by KKL-JNF.
Timi Regev, age 55, father of three, lives in the city of Beersheva and is a journalist and media professional. For the past few months, Timi has been volunteering in Mitzpe Beit Eshel, located in Nahal Beersheva Park, happily making time to be there to guide groups and events at the site. “Volunteering makes me motivate myself and others to contribute to a field that I like very much, nature and the environment, Zionist-social action and loving the land of Israel, so I have a natural affinity for KKL-JNF,” says Timi.
Ornit Ginat, the KKL-JNF Community and Forest Coordinator in the Negev Highland and Arava Region, spoke about their productive cooperation:
“Timi was accepted by us as a volunteer who helps guide groups of visitors. He is called upon at irregular hours to open Mitzpe Beit Eshel, and he always responds with great love and enthusiasm. For Timi, volunteering is a born trait that is expressed through a great desire to help others and by infinite giving. KKL-JNF can be proud of his volunteering spirit.” The person who helps Timi create the guiding programs is Zeev Grozovinsky, age 90, one of the original pioneers who lived in Beit Eshel in 1943. Zeev travels to Beit Eshel every Thursday, from Moshav Hayogev in the Jezreel Valley, and tells Timi about the site’s history and residents with the authenticity of one who has experienced it himself.
Mitzpe Beit Eshel, located in Nahal Beersheva Park, was restored by KKL-JNF about ten years ago and is open for visitors. The site is one of three outposts established outside Beersheva in the summer of 1943, which constituted the beginning of the repatriation of the Negev. In its initial years, relations between the people in the outpost and the local Arabs were good. In 1947, however, following the UN Partition Plan, the Arab neighbors became hostile, but the Jews in Beit Eshel refused the offer of the British to be evacuated. On May 19, 1948, Egyptian armed forces entered Beersheva, and Beit Eshel was shelled continuously for five months, resulting in casualties and destruction. The members of the outpost and the soldiers succeeded in surviving for a long time, thanks to the trenches and reinforcements they built, but they had to leave after IDF forces conquered Beersheva, due to the extensive damage. They founded Moshav Hayogev in the Jezreel Valley.
In the course of the site restoration, the stone buildings were repaired and restored while preserving the original design. The simple cement flooring was left as it was. The vaulted ceilings have remains of soot and fire. There is also some of the graffiti that accumulated on the walls over the years. The stone well that was used for drinking water and irrigation has also been preserved and restored. One of the most fascinating restorations done at Beit Eshel is the system of trenches and sandbags that enabled the members of the outpost to survive. Signs installed throughout the site explain about the history of the site and the bravery of its residents. The site is currently open mainly to groups by arrangement in advance. On holidays, the site is also open to the general public. KKL-JNF publishes updates regarding the opening hours of the site during the holidays.