Growing Desert Communities through Innovation

On the fourth day of their mission, the JNF Australia delegation visited the Negev, where they witnessed life in the thriving secular-religious community of Sheizaf and dedicated a new playground in Nitzanei Sinai near the Egyptian border. They then continued on to the Arava, where they saw desert agriculture in action. Before setting out, the delegation got an unexpected bitter taste of the security station on the Gaza Border, where projects that were on their itinerary to visit were cancelled due to escalations from the Gaza strip.

The visit of the JNF Australia Delegation to southern Israel was an opportunity for a genuine encounter with the complex reality of living on the Gaza border – even before they set out for the Negev. A ceremony scheduled to be held in an elementary school in Sderot was canceled due to the security situation. Studies were cancelled that day in many cities in the south, following rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and a missile strike that hit a house in Beer Sheva. The visit to The Park of Courage (Park HaGvura) in Sderot, which JNF Australia is helping to establish, was also postponed due to security considerations.

 

Sheizaf: A shared life

The delegation kicked off the day in Ramat Negev (Negev Highlands), where they met Eran Doron, head of the Regional Council. "I’m happy to have the opportunity to show you the new things that are happening here. The ties with our friends in Australia have brought about a change in the Ramat Negev. Strengthening this region impacts the entire country. Together, we promise to continue the settlement of the Negev”.

Delegates toured the construction site of a new high school, located next to the Council building. From the new school, they continued on foot to Sheizaf, a new community of secular and religious residents wishing to embark on a shared life togheter. JNF Australia has adopted Sheizaf and supports the development of the infrastructure required to build homes and public buildings.

Sheizaf's founding group is comprised of 15 families that currently live in trailers, in a temporary camp. Infrastructure works for the construction of 13 additional homes have already begun, with the support of JNF Australia. KKL-JNF Israel has also joined the effort, and supports the groundwork, the paving of roads and the development of the entrance to Sheizaf.

"I came here to live in a joint community of religious and secular people," said Dafi Adler. "Whenever we can, we go to see the progress of the development work with our own eyes, and find it incredible that it is really happening." At the end of the visit, a cornerstone was laid for the new residential neighborhood.

From Sheizaf, the delegation continued to Tlalim, where a new park is under construction - also with the support of JNF Australia. The park will include playground facilities, a bicycle trail, green areas and seating areas. The park is scheduled to be completed by April, and the tractors were hard at work to meet the target.

 

Nitzanei Sinai: Family atmosphere

Near the Egyptian border, in the Nitzanei Sinai (Kadesh Barnea) community, a donation from the estate of Erika and Allan Manning of Sydney has enabled the construction of a playground. A group of local residents came to welcome the guests, including kindergarten children, who enjoyed playing in the new playground, and then sang and danced for the guests from overseas.

Amir Peleg, the community’s chairperson and a farmer who grows cherry tomatoes, said that he has made the commuity his home with his wife and five children: "Ten years ago, there was nothing here, but our community is growing and developing," he said. He added that the new playground was not only a play area for the children, but also a meeting place for their parents.

Local resident Efrat Gilboa is the granddaughter of Victor Fonda, the former president of JNF Australia. "There is no greater joy than hearing the laughter of children playing in a playground," she said. "By choosing to live here in the desert, I feel that I am fulfilling my grandfather's dreams."

If further proof is needed of the warm, family atmosphere between the residents of Nitzanei Sinai and their Australian friends, Hila Kaplan, a mushroom grower who lives in Nitzanei Sinai with her husband and three daughters, invited everyone to lunch at her home.

At the end of the visit to the Ramat Negev region, the entire delegation visited the grave of David Ben-Gurion in Sde Boker and laid a wreath in memory of the man whose vision led to settling the Negev and conquest of the desert conditions.

 

The Arava: Where agriculture meets Zionism

The group continued to Moshav Ein Yahav in the Arava, home to the Ben HaShitin (Between the Lines) Association for the Advancement of Education. The association’s projects, supported by JNF Australia, include a number of pre-military preparatory (mechina) programs and the "Hebrew Labor" project, which promotes the work of Israelis in agriculture.

"We could not have done all this without your help," Ben HaShitin Director General Avishai Berman told the guests. He presented the association’s vision for nurturing a generation of young people active and motivated by a sense of mission and responsibility for Israeli society and the Zionist vision. He emphasized: "Our goal is to generate a regional change".

Four mechina students met with the visitors to describe their life together, their studies, volunteering and agricultural work. Ido Buchman made aliyah to Israel from the Netherlands directly to the mechina program. "I didn’t feel at home when I was not in Israel," he said. "I knew that the program would help me connect to Israel before enlisting in the army. We learn about ourselves and understand what it means to be Jews and Israelis."

"I wanted to live in the desert, a place so very different from my home," said Daniel Frankenthal, who came to the school from Givat Ada. "The moment I arrived, I fell in love with the place."

Rachel Talkar, who came from a religious family in Hashmonaim, said: "It's amazing that we can live here together and get to know one another."

The last stop of the day was in the greenhouses of Moshav Hatzeva, where Michal Meltzer told them about the farm that was established with the support of JNF Australia, within the framework of the Hebrew Labor project, in order to enable visitors to experience agricultural work. The farm grows tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cabbages, cauliflower, onions and a variety of other vegetables. "It is very important to us that people visit us and get to know the Arava," she said.

Noga Ansis, a participant in the Hebrew Labor project, said she wanted to experiment with agriculture, because it is such unique and exceptional work. "It's exciting to grow vegetables, to see how the plants develop and to eat vegetables we raised ourselves."

"When you work in the field and get your hands dirty, you feel an inseparable part of the land," said Ido Bitran, also taking part in Hebrew Labor.

"The communities we met today represent the essence of the JNF," concluded Dan Springer, CEO of JNF Australia. "This partnership enables us to realize our Zionism."