Yatir Forest - a huge patch of greenery amidst the yellowish brown of the desert – is considered to be something of a marvel. The agriculture that flourishes in that enchanted part of the country is, however, a true miracle. On May 26th and 27th in Yatir Forest, local farmers celebrated their second cherry festival, a venture organized jointly by KKL-JNF, the Yatir Region Tourism Association, the Ministry of Tourism and the Negev Development Authority. Hundreds of visitors came to pick the cherries and enjoy the various activities on offer for all the family.
“Who would believe that cherries could grow here in the Negev, so close to home,” asked Omer resident Molly Ben Aharon in astonishment as she picked together with her children. “This really is a very special experience, not just for the children, but for me, too,” she said. “This is my favorite fruit and I’ve picked loads,” added her son, four-year-old Eitan.
Nati Yisrael, Director of Tourism in the Yatir region, explained that the festival is designed to give the general public an opportunity to visit this wonderful region and see for themselves the remarkable agriculture it sustains. “We have amazing agriculture here, but many people aren’t aware of it,” he said. “Yatir Forest is full of activity and draws crowds of visitors, and it’s important to us that more and more people come to the area. Here they can get in touch with nature, history and the local landscapes, and at the same time learn something about our farm produce.”
The attempt to show people the area has most certainly been successful, as around 10,000 people visited the festival over the two days for which it was held. “This is precisely what KKL-JNF is aiming for – opening up the forest to the public,” said Rinat Kedoshi, KKL-JNF’s Southern Region Media and Public Relations Director. “Yatir Forest is a wonderful place to hold a festival like this.”
KKL-JNF guides welcomed the visitors and told them a little about the organization’s activities in the Negev and elsewhere in Israel, and also about its development of Yatir Forest, which, with over four million trees in an area of 30,000 dunam (approx 7,500 acres), is the largest planted woodland in the Middle East. The successful planting and maintenance of such a forest in a semi-arid area raises hopes for the outcome of efforts to combat desertification. With the help of its Friends worldwide, KKL-JNF has developed a number of amenities in the forest, including footpaths, archeological sites and picnic areas.
Not only cherries, however, grow in Yatir Forest and the surrounding area. Nectarines, peaches, broccoli, almonds and olives also flourish, and in the vineyards, grapes are grown both for eating and for wine. Close by the cherry orchard, visitors to the festival were able to buy some of the local produce on sale at the farmers’ market that accompanied the event.
Yehezkel Stern of Moshav Carmel grows almonds. In hopes of selling some of them at the festival, he and other local farmers loaded up forty sacks and sent them off to the farmers’ market. Within five hours, all the almonds been sold. “Of course the festival is a wonderful opportunity to sell our produce, but most of all we want the general public to see the area and get to know it,” said Stern as he waited for a fresh consignment of almonds to arrive at the stall.
The almonds may have run out, but cherries remained in abundance on the laden trees. “The children are always asking for cherries, and today they can have as many as they like,” said Yoram Cohen of Beersheba with a smile. “Going out into the forest to pick them is a real experience.”
Nitzan Dayan of Meitar had also brought his children along for the cherry pick. “It’s important for the children to have experiences of an earlier time, so that they can remember how cherries grow on trees, not on supermarket shelves,” he explained.
His seven-year-old niece Mayan Malka joined in the conversation to inform us: “This is the first time I’ve picked cherries, and it’s really fun. The fruit tastes much better when you eat it straight off the tree.”
Families who had eaten all the cherries they could manage and had packed away more to take home now turned their attention to the wide variety of other activities on offer at the festival: fun performances for the children, tours of the area, handicrafts, and, for the adventurous, a climbing wall and a zip line. Old-style accordionists were on hand to provide nostalgic melodies.
Maurice Ovadia of Beersheba told us that he hails originally from Sefrou, the cherry capital of Morocco. “Yesterday I picked cherries in the Golan, and today I’ve discovered that the cherries of the Negev, too, are worthy of respect,” he said proudly.
“It’s amazing that cherries can be grown here,” said Rachel Amit of Lehavim. “The trees are charming and fruit’s delicious. This festival is a wonderful idea. If only it could continue for a few days more so that everyone in the country could get a chance to come along and see it.”