A delegation from Teaneck, New Jersey, that was led by Bob Levine, JNF USA Vice President for Education, arrived in Israel to visit some of JNF USA’s and KKL-JNF’s many and diverse projects. Levine has been accompanying missions to Israel for many years, and this is the 98th (!) time he is visiting Israel. We joined the mission for their trip to the Arava to see its wonders – Ein Yahav, the new medical center, AICAT, Sapir Park, the Vidor Center, the laboratories of the agricultural R&D station and Tamar Park.
“Israel is a great miracle, and we must bring more and more people to see it,” Levine said. “A people can’t just exist, it has to be creative, to grow and to develop, and it’s important for me to be a part of that.”
For eight days, the members of the group visited Israel’s central and southern regions. In addition to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, their itinerary included American Independence Park, Sderot, Beersheba, Sde Boker, Mizpe Ramon, the Dead Sea and the Judean Desert.
Three entire days were spent in the Arava, which emphasizes the great importance of Israel’s hottest and most distant region. The Arava visit began at Ein Yahav, where infrastructure work for a new neighborhood has been carried out, which will enable another 88 families to join the community. “The community is growing, and with the help of KKL-JNF and JNF USA we’re transforming this place into a Garden of Eden,” said Roi Rotem, a local resident.
Noa Zer, Director of Business Development in the Central Arava Regional Council, described life in the Arava to the group: “Together, we are making the desert into a place where people can live and an attractive alternative for young families.” She explained that the new neighborhood in Ein Yahav will provide an answer for families who want to build their home in the Arava for a reasonable price, to enjoy a warm community, and not to necessarily make their living from agriculture.
At the Arava Medical Center, which was built with the support of JNF USA, including the Teaneck community, the guests heard an explanation on the importance of the center for local residents and for the region’s future. “In the past, we had to travel as far as Beersheba or Eilat in order to receive medical treatment,” Noa Zer noted. “The new medical center has impacted the entire region. People don’t want to come live in the Arava without appropriate medical facilities.”
At AICAT, the Arava International Center for Agricultural Training, the guests learned about the unique program for training students from developing countries who study and work in the Arava. At the end of their studies, the students go back home and take advantage of the knowledge they acquired for agricultural development. Thanks to the support of JNF USA, the plan to expand the Center’s campus will soon be carried out. Tida, a student from Cambodia, said that he was learning a lot from the lectures and working in the field. “When I go home, I will grow vegetables just like they do in the Arava.”
The group stopped to refresh themselves at Sapir Park, a desert oasis in the middle of a very dry region that was created by KKL-JNF with the help of its friends throughout the world. The natural spring, the lake with the ducks and the green surroundings were certainly a sight to see in this arid area.
At the Vidor Center – A Window to Agriculture in the Arava, which was built with the support of JNF Australia, the group learned about life in the Arava with the help of a fascinating interactive presentation. The guests enjoyed the unique media methods: hearing about agricultural crops when you touch a furrow of sand; wooden cupboards with video screens that tell the personal stories of families who live in the Arava; a sand table with a computerized screening devise that describes topographical processes; displays of biological means of pest control; a beehive; fish breeding and many more very impressive exhibitions.
From there, the group continued to the R&D station laboratories, which deal with agricultural development and ecological research. They met Dr. Rivki Ofir, a research scientist who explained that the R&D station helps develop agriculture and at the same time provides jobs for researchers and scientists who live in the region. Dr. Ofir’s research focuses on using desert plants for producing medicine. “Desert plants survive harsh conditions and produce materials that could never be manufactured in a laboratory,” the scientist explained.
“This mission gives us an opportunity to see sites in Israel that other tourists usually don’t get to,” said Janice Levin. “If we were younger, it’s entirely possible that we’d want to come live in the Arava. The chance to be pioneers and do something really innovative is very attractive. Although they have air conditioners, the local residents are truly pioneers. It’s very moving to see everything KKL-JNF does in Israel, especially here in the Arava. The privilege of being part of this, even from a distance, gives us a great deal. Only someone who visits Israel can really understand what’s going on here.”
Bob Levine recalled his first visit to Israel in 1951 as the first counsellor of the Young Judea movement. “It’s totally correct to say that Israel has changed since then,” he noted. Since 1968, he has been involved in JNF activities. “Over the years, we were busy teaching the younger generation about Zionism, planting forests, paving roads, creating communities, building water reservoirs and diverse projects for improving the quality of life.”
“When I visit Israel and see all the projects that we’re involved in, I’m filled with a feeling of joy that comes from the realization of a dream,” said Helen Levine, Bob’s wife, with a great deal of emotion.
Another member of the delegation was Alan Eras, who joined the trip together with his two twin children Mark and Mira. The 13 year-old children celebrated their bar mitzvah year on the Shabbat before the trip. “This is my first visit to Israel, and until now my impression is that this is a normal country in every sense of the word. It’s amazing to see how the desert became a living place. It was important for me to come with my children in order to strengthen their connection to Israel.”
“In school, they mainly tell us about Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, but during this trip we’ve been lucky to see other parts of the country,” Mark said. “Thanks to this trip, we feel much more connected to Israel.”
“We met very friendly people, and what’s for sure is that we’ll never go hungry here,” Mira added with a smile.
Ofer Kobi, a date farmer, also has a somewhat less conventional occupation – raising crocodiles. The crocodiles that grow on his farm are sold to zoos and farms around the world. The members of the delegation walked around the farm, had a look at the terrifying creatures, and even petted one of the baby crocodiles.
Ran Segev also has a unique profession: ornamental fish. He grows goldfish (Molly) that are mainly marketed in Europe. About 30,000 fish are born on the Sea-Gal farm in Moshav Idan every week, and there are about 300,000 fish on the farm on a regular basis.
The computerized system makes it possible to control the temperature, and the fish are fed by a robot. Segev originally came to the Arava as a research scientist in the field of fish breeding at the R&D station. “I fell in love with the region, and after a few years I felt a desire to leave research and actually raise fish on my own,” he said.
On the advantages of living in the Arava, he said: “The hot climate in the winter is suitable for fish breeding, land here is cheap and we acquired the necessary knowledge. When we change the water, we use it for irrigating the date palms, so no drop goes to waste.”
The group also visited the biblical Tamar Park, an archaeological site with a history of over 4,000 years, from the patriarch Abraham, to Moses, Kings David and Solomon, hundreds of years of foreign conquerors, unto the birth of modern Israel. The group met the volunteers who maintain the site, Jim Crumley and Pat DeGroot. “We’re simply two Americans who want to help Israel,” Crumley said. “We believe that this is one of the most important parks in Israel, an exemplary model of the Hebrew heritage.”
The day in the Arava came to an end, but the delegation looked forward to more fascinating days. “I’m very connected to Israel and I visit here every few years, but I never got to know the Arava in the past. I thought that there was only sand here,” said Norman Levin. “It’s amazing to see the people who decided to come live here in the middle of the desert. These are the modern-day pioneers of Israel, people who are crazy in the positive sense of the word. I am proud to be part of something very grand that is happening here.”