The Negev Trip

Hello again!

This week has been one jam-packed with activities, learning, and fun, and I can't wait to share it with you all! As I had mentioned before, this past Tuesday we left for a 4 day, 3 night trip into the upper Negev desert, stopping at various places and examining some of the issues related to the region, which are surprisingly complex. If you'll allow me the space, I'll run down exactly what we did each day, and some of the knowledge I've come in contact with.

Tuesday:

      Tuesday was spent at the Desertification and Drylands Conference at Sde Boqer. Over the course of the late morning and afternoon I listened to discussions on the synergies of the Rio Conventions, desert landscaping and architecture, and carbon sequestration with afforestation. All of them were interesting, but my favorite was the first session discussing the Rio Conventions. During this session, Dr. Pamela Chasek from the International Institute of Sustainable Development gave an intensely interesting presentation on the socioeconomic drivers of desertification. She stated something that I was incredibly happy to hear: she said that there needs to be more interaction between the environmental field and other fields of research including economics and politics. She reaffirmed what I've wanted to do for a while now, which is not biological research, but take an environmental outlook into the social sciences. After Dr. Chasek, I had the privilege to listen to the UNCCD Executive Secretary, Luc Gracadja, give a presentation on ways to combat desertification through care for soils in the drylands. As a special, unannounced treat at the end of the session, the Secretaries/Ministers of Agriculture for Israel and Italy convened and signed mutual Memorandums of Understanding, discussing the future of agricultural activities between the two countries. I will be honest, I do not fully know what it is they promised to each other, since the Italian secretary only spoke Italian, and the Israeli Minister spoke Hebrew. From what I know, it was mostly fluff, as some political speeches can be; but it was amazing to be in the same room with such accomplished and intelligent people, even if I didn't understand them completely.

      That night the machon students broke up into small groups of three or four people and spread out to the homes of AIES alumni who are completing Master's degrees at Sde Boqer. We dropped our luggage off, and then went to a spa for dinner and swimming. It was fun taking that time to just relax after so many hours of listening to discussions and lectures! After the spa we returned to Sde Boqer, I visited their pub night for a little bit (it was much less of a party than Ketura's surprisingly, even though Sde Boqer has over 1,000 people there), and then went back to my host's house for a few hours' sleep.

Wednesday:

      Bright and early Wednesday morning we found ourselves with our bags standing on a curb waiting for the bus. We went across the street from Sde Boqer to the national park which surrounds David Ben Gurion's tomb. Ben Gurion was the first Prime Minister of Israel, and shaped the nation into much of what it is today, especially in the Negev region. He viewed the desert as something that while beautiful and valuable, was also an opportunity for Israel's development. As our professor David Orenstein mentioned, Ben Gurion believed that if Israelis could conquer the desert, they could do anything. We had a simple breakfast at the park, and I saw ibex for the first time! They wander around like deer in the Northeastern U.S., eating everything. I took plenty of pictures of ibex, as they were all over. The view from both our breakfast location and the actual site of Ben Gurion and his wife's tombs was astounding. After breakfast, we headed down through the park to a canyon named Ein Avdat, which is the location of natural springs which run year round. I cannot do justice to it through words, it was so beautiful. We walked through the canyon, over running water which made me almost giddy to see, since open standing water in a desert is something I haven't come across before. To get out of the canyon, we hiked almost straight up, using narrow stairs and ladders bolted into the rock. It reminded me very much of Treman Park in Ithaca—without all the green of course! Even with enough water, not many plants are vibrantly green here. I did get to taste saltbush (salty, of course) and see an ibex jumping from ledge to ledge, as well as see from afar hermit caves which were used by Byzantine Christian hermits hundreds of years ago. I wish we could have gone in, however they were more than a little difficult to get to.

      The bus met us at the top of the canyon, and we once again piled into it, traveling to a small independent goat farm nearby. It was run by Jewish settlers who make semi-hard and hard organic goat cheeses, in almost the middle of nowhere. We learned some of the difficulties involved in trying to make a living as an independent entity in the Negev, which include land discussions due to politics, relationships with neighbors, and infrastructure. This family views themselves as just trying to make a living and raise their children in a healthy environment of their own choosing, but as an idea the small family farms of the area are less benign. Some claim that the small farms are allowed out into the Negev in direct opposition to the nation's open space plans because they serve as a block to Bedouin movement and settlement, and as a means of control over territory in sparsely populated areas. In class we learned what the farms signify and deal with politically, however this was an opportunity to understand these farmers as people pursuing a dream. They are so far succeeding, and they make absolutely wonderful cheese (Which we got to taste! Yum!).

      From the farm we went to a park outside of Yerucham, a Jewish settlement started in the 1950's. It was created by the Jewish National Fund as a place for recreation and a reservoir, and consists of a lake which catches rainfall in the winter and gradually shrinks all summer. We had lunch at the park, and then discussed the role of the Jewish National Fund as well as afforestation as a political and social tool. I didn't believe before this trip that a tree could be used to claim or take away land, but I've been corrected. The park itself was actually in a state of disrepair, with trash all over. I was shocked that in a place so special, where things were green with standing water, residents would let it get ruined by trash. Before we left, those of us who didn't go for a hike around the lake picked up what trash they could. Leaving the park, we met up with the tourism director for Yerucham, who led us around the town, including stopping by a well which is one of the locations people think could be where Hagar (Ishmael's mother/Sarah's slave) found water to save her and her son in the Old Testament. It was also in a state of woeful disrepair, unfortunately. After our tour of Yerucham, we went to the Yerucham youth hostel, got showers and coffee, and then went to dinner at the homes of several women, who cooked for us. The dinner was part of a town program called the Culinary Queens of Yerucham, which was designed to offer the town's women the opportunity to be productive and generate income for their families by welcoming travelers into their homes for a meal. It was excellent, and I heard so many wonderful stories from our host and her husband.

Thursday:

      We left Yerucham early, and drove to Ramat Hovav, the only hazardous waste disposal site in Israel and an industrial municipality. For a park containing nothing but factories and waste disposal sites, it didn't look half bad. There was no trash, at least. We sat down and listened to a presentation by a representative of the municipality, and then asked questions regarding the environmental safety of the facilities and the region. We were told that emissions were under control, but because of the factories present there, Ramat Hovav cannot take responsibility for people who live within a 5 kilometer radius. As the representative put it, “We do not have to be concerned for the health, only the safety of the people nearby.” This is because at least one factory uses pure chlorine gas, which is an incredibly deadly poison. To complicate this issue, there is an unrecognized Bedouin village across the street from Ramat Hovav, within walking distance of some of the factories; This is where we went next. We met with the sheik and some other representatives of a particular tribe as well as a one for most of the village of Wadi Al-Na'am, and we were given the opportunity to ask questions over lunch. I went with some of the Arab women of our student body to see the children and women, and what I saw was shocking, at least to me as a comfortably well-off American: trash everywhere, no running water, a few lightbulbs hanging around (where they got the electricity I don't know), a random TV and VCR, and among all this a simple happiness. The children were happy, the women were laughing. I realized that I had expected something different, something more like the commercials you see on television of settlements like these in other areas of the world, with sad children and crushed hope. But these people, the Bedouin, have chosen this lifestyle. It is difficult, since their young people are leaving, the government is demolishing their homes, and their traditions are under attack, but some of them are surviving. I spoke with some of my Jordanian classmates here afterward, and I learned that the Bedouin in Jordan and Saudi Arabia do not have these difficulties, and are allowed to continue their traditional way of life in peace. It is only in Israel, with the unique political and governmental pressures here, that the Bedouin are truly threatened with obliteration.

      We left Wadi Al-Na'am and went to another JNF park to discuss the day (More standing water!), then drove to a touristy Bedouin-themed camp for the night. We had great food and a great time, and finally crashed all together in one huge tent for a few hours.

Friday:

      On the last day of our trip, we found ourselves waking to a haze of fog. It was surreal, to be in a rather desolate place and not be able to see anything through a gray curtain. We had an excellent breakfast, then listened to an AIES alumnus give a presentation on the regional council for the Negev Bedouin. We learned that the council was a good effort, and is still trying to improve the lives of those it represents, but has some serious issues including not enough Bedouin in control of the council and a lack of funding. There is a push to recognize more villages in situ, so that tribes do not have to move, but it is rough going. Once we finished discussing things with Abra, we got on the bus and drove to Tel Sheva, a city built for the Bedouin outside of Be'er Sheva. It is the poorest city in Israel, and it is within a mile of one of the richest neighborhoods, Oman. There is a great picture I took while on the bus, where you can see the difference between the two even from far away. The ironic thing is, you have to use the same traffic circle to go to both places, and on the Oman turn the median is beautifully landscaped and clean, and the Tel Sheva turn is covered in trash and bare. It was like a line had been drawn on the rocky dirt. Driving into this town, supposedly recognized and endorsed by the government, and seeing the lack of basic services like trash collection, inspired a sort of uneasy anger in me. These Bedouin did what the government told them to do, and are still living in terrible conditions, which isn't right. Tel Sheva is a town like Oman, or Be'er Sheva, and should receive the same treatment in the eyes of policy makers and the bureaucracy.

      We went to the outskirts of Tel Sheva and met with an amazing woman named Miriam, who has developed and is selling her own line of beauty products called Desert Daughters. They are organic products using local desert herbs and pure ingredients. That was cool in itself; but what was even more amazing was Miriam's story. I can honestly say she is one of the strongest women I have ever had the privilege to listen to. She is a Bedouin woman, who traveled to England for two years, then came back to her home and started a business. She is unmarried, and not only got a loan for her business, but paid it back in full after a year and now is making enough money to train other women in making these products. She is not only empowering herself and bringing business to the region, she is helping other women realize their potential as well. Thinking back on those short 2 hours with her, I am still in awe.

And that was our trip! We drove from Miriam's workshop to Be'er Sheva to drop off some individuals who wanted to travel for the weekend, and then the rest of us came back to Ketura. Tonight we have the With Earth and Each Other virtual rally, at 1:00 PM EST, and all of us are singing “Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu” at the end of it. Classes are gearing up for midterms, as well. I hope this post hasn't been too long, or too boring. Shalom, Salam, Peace!