A Day in the Negev

Part of OTZMA is going on educational seminars about once a week to learn about different parts of Israeli society and culture. This week, we went to Jerusalem to explore the Muslim Quarter of the Old Cit – oh, wait. Never mind. Actually, today we went down to the Negev to learn about the area, which makes up 60% of the land but only has about 8% of Israeli Jews living there. As you can imagine, this presents a bit of a problem. The Israeli government has tried multiple solutions, even sending new immigrants to live in communities in the Negev and having Bedouins, a normally nomadic people, create permanent villages in the area.

In exploring the Negev, we headed to one of those Bedouin communities called Segev Shalom, where we learned some of the region’s history and about it’s present state. Afterwards, we traveled to a developing town called Yeruham. Having always been looked at almost a waste of a city, the town has made a strong effort in recent years to rejuvenate itself, starting with its residents’ self-image. A prominent former member of the Knesset moved to the town to help with the process, and many local students have dedicated themselves to the effort.

Following our visit to Yeruham, we made a trip to the grave of David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel. Rather than being buried in Jerusalem with many other prominent Israelis, Ben-Gurion chose the Negev as his final resting place, as he had always been a supporter of developing the area and felt that his grave might draw others to his cause.

Finally, we went to a town called Dimona and visited Kibbutz Shomrei HaShalom, one of the many diverse groups that has chosen to call the Negev home. This community, consisting primarily of African-Americans who have moved to Israel, do not consider themselves religious or even necessarily Jewish, but are deeply spiritual in their own way. It was very interesting to hear them speak about their beliefs and how it connects to Judaism while being very independent at the same time. All in all, it proved to be a very interesting day, giving us yet another connection to Israel that we never would have had otherwise.