When contemplating the Negev, one must set aside any preconcieved notion of what a desert is. In Eretz Yisrael there are no rolling yellow sand dunes in softly rising and falling landscapes as unbroken as the sea. Far from being a simple expanse of sand, the Negev is marked by a mélange of cliffs, crags, boulders and dry river vadies. Where the Judean Desert ends, the Negev begins, an impressive region of low sandstone hills, rocky peaks (for example the high plateau area of Ramat HaNegev- The Negev Heights – stands between 370 meters and 520 meters), and plains rutted with narrow canyons. The Negev Desert is mesmerizing, beautiful and rich in geological history.

Photos by Rhimonah Traub

The Negev is mentioned a number of times in Parshas Lech Lecha showing us how Avraham Avinu paced the land, making it the property of Am Yisroel forever.

The essence of Avraham was chesed; a need to give permeated his whole being. After the cities of the Plain were overturned, the wayfarers who visited his home in Chevron were few and far between. Since business was slow for hachnassas orchim, he moved to a spot along a trade route in the Negev. The places he chose to live were dry – physically and spiritually. People living there were hesitant to do good deeds or to help others. (Literally, the word “Negev” means dry). He deliberately chose such a place because he wanted to teach the inhabitants to be charitable, and he saw there was a lot of potential in that area.

Negbah is also used for the direction “south.” Avraham Avinu moved south because he was worried that the embarrassing episode of Lot and his two daughters would reflect badly upon himself. Lot was the spitting image of Avraham, and he feared that people might mistake him for his nephew Lot.

When Moshe sent the spies to tour the land, he told them to head from the Negev towards Chevron (Bamidbar 13:17). He intended for them to see the worst part of the land first so they would be able to appreciate the greatness of what they were being given. Yehoshua conquered the whole of the Negev (Yehoshua 11:16). The northern Negev belongs to Yehuda and the south to Shimon. Dovid HaMelech firmly established Israelite rule over the desert. His son Shlomo subsequently built a string of fortresses along its roads.

The rise of the Nabateans began around the fourth century B.C.E. The Negev became the heart of the Nabatean Empire and Spice Route.

After the Roman takeover, Nabatean control gradually weakened. Fewer camel caravans passed through the area and other roads supplanted the Spice Route.

Unlike most areas in the country, the Romans neglected the Negev not doing much to develop it. During the Byzantine Era, Christians began to build churches and study centers in the area. Agricultural-based cities were established and the population grew. After the Muslim conquest in the seventh century settlement of the Negev came to an end. As the new rulers had little interest in the area, the residents were expelled.

For centuries after, only Bedouins lived in the Negev. An Arabic history of tribes around Beersheba, published in 1934, records 23 different tribal groups. In 1918 the English mandate period began and the region enjoyed rapid growth and was called “Beersheba sub-district.” The British built a number of highways; firstly from Beersheba to Um Rash-Rash (Eilat), then from Beersheba to the large Machtesh and also the “Petroleum Road” that goes from Yerucham to Avdat and to Machtesh Ramon.

The British White Paper of 1939 and the 1940 Land Transfer Regulations placed a number of restrictions on Jewish settlement and land purchase in Palestine. The Negev was one of the areas where both were forbidden. With the onset of World War II, the Yishuv looked to expand its areas of settlement in order to house Jewish refugees from Europe. Land was purchased in the Negev by the JNF, though Arabs agents to circumvent the British ban. Three lookouts, Revivim, Gvulot and Beit Eshel were settled in 1943. These later served as a springboard for further Jewish population of the Negev.

A massive merger between to United Jewish Communities federations will create a powerhouse of influence and funding for Jewish programs, projects, and social services in New Jersey.

The United Jewish Communities of MetroWest, based in Whippany, will join forces with the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey, in Scotch Plains, combining the efforts of the two groups into the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ serving Essex, Morris, and Union counties, according to a report in the Star-Ledger.

According to the report, the new group will serve the needs of approximately 125,000 people.

The decision came in light of previous collaboration between the two groups, their involvement in sister cities in the Negev, as well as the US economic downturn.

Deputy Minister for Development of the Negev and Galilee Ayoob Kara on Monday called on Western democracies “to stop their intolerable procrastination, which allows the Assad regime to continue its massacres.”

Ayoob Kara, who is also a Likud MK, was visiting a tourism fair in the Druze villages, addressed the Syrian issue and declared that “the massacre committed by the Syrian regime in the town of Hula, where children and women were murdered, demands of the free world to take action and stop the intolerable lip service and foot-dragging which enables the Assad regime to continue the massacres, and, on the other hand, strengthens the presence of Al-Qaeda and other extremist organizations which exploit the vacuum left by Western countries, to take over the cities and strongholds of the opposition.”

More than 100 civilians, including many children, were killed since Friday in bombing by the Syrian army in Hula, a town in central Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR).

Deputy Minister intends to hold a meeting on the Syrian problem with President Putin during his visit to Israel next month.

A Druze, Kara is one of the most outspoken conservative Knesset members, and a strong supporter of Israel. He opposed the uprooting of thousands of Jews from Gush Katif, Gaza, is a hawk on the Iranian nuclear threat, and supports Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria.

With one exception, Labor MK Raleb Majadele, all the non-Jewish members of non-Arab Knesset factions are Druze.

Israel’s Arava Power Company has closed on financing for eight solar power projects worth $204 million.

Arava, based in Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel, will build five solar energy fields in the Negev. The company also will be building three solar projects in the kibbutz communities of Kerem Shalom, Mishmar HaNegev and Bror Hail.

“We are helping to fulfill David Ben-Gurion’s vision of turning the Negev into the center of solar energy production,” said David Rosenblatt, co-founder and vice chairman of Arava.

“These installations to be built in the Negev Desert are yet another step towards energy independence for the State of Israel and a greener future for generations to come,” said Jon Cohen, CEO of Arava.

Israel’s Public Utility Authority in March granted Arava a license for the country’s largest solar energy field to go online at Kibbutz Ketura. Construction on the $150 million Ketura field is set to begin at the end of this year and is expected to be completed in mid-2014, according to Arava.

In February, Arava was granted the first-ever license for a solar project in the Bedouin community; it is being funded by the U.S. government.

Back at the turn of twentieth century, when Jewish settlers and farmers began to return to their land, no law existed in the area, and there was no sovereign to enforce it. In 1909, “Ha’Shomer” – “The Guardian” – was established to protect these pioneers and their endeavors. They were the forerunners of the Haganah, which subsequently developed into the IDF. They were warriors, horse-riding, gun-carrying, Arabic-speaking Jews who decided to protect what was theirs, understanding that only steadfastness would enable the Jews returning to their land to survive. They fought, and in many cases, they won.

The original "Ha'Shomer"

It seems that in Israel circa 2012, some things haven’t changed. Many of the farmers face the same challenges as their precursors, including repetitive land seizures, theft and destruction of crops, theft of livestock, physical assault, ongoing threats, and damage to property. Since 2004, over one thousand heads of cattle have been stolen.

Seeing the dire necessity on the ground, a few young men have gotten together and established “Ha’Shomer Ha’Chadash,” -”The New Guardian” – with the same objectives as the original. They have taken upon themselves the task of providing security to farmers and ranchers, primarily in the Negev and the Galilee. Maintaining a continuous physical presence, 700 volunteers at 21 locations help farmers secure their lands and property. Areas patrolled by the volunteers have experienced a significant drop in violent actions against farmers.

New Guardians protecting farmland

The organization’s objective is to create a strategic change in Israeli society, developing awareness about the adversities landowners and farmers face, strengthening the weakened connection of Israelis to their land, and stressing the significance of ownership over open territory in the Negev and Galilee. These ideas are implemented by volunteers who stand guard, protecting farms and grazing lands. The volunteers also promote these Zionist ideals through educational ventures.

According to the organization, the motives for their antagonists’ actions are not only financial, but ideological as well. Their aim is to exhaust the farmers and drive them off the land, so that they can claim it for themselves, thus weakening the Jewish presence.

The New Guardians poring over a map

The police and authorities are working to eliminate the problems, but are understaffed and have difficulty responding properly. The New Guardian cooperates with law enforcement, filling in gaps left by the police.

The organization also has an educational program which trains young men and prepares them for leadership positions. An activist in the organization told Tazpit that the New Guardian has had a number of successes. Wherever they have a presence, attacks lessen, although harassment has not ceased completely. Her feelings are mixed. On one hand, the “other side” knows the New Guardian exists and is wary of the organization’s volunteers, but lately there has been an increase in hostilities. The aggressors have become bolder. The New Guardian will continue its activities, and has even attempted to meet the other side to learn its needs and perhaps come to some sort of understanding.

She says that the key is in how we perceive ourselves – “we must behave as owners of land and conduct ourselves with pride. We should internalize the notion that this is our country. If we do so, the other side’s attitude will change as well.” The focus is not the attackers, but on strengthening our roots in our land.

Based on these vital concepts, the organization has plans to broaden its educational activities, becoming a social movement that endeavors to present the ideas of courage, land, fraternity, dedication, and mutual responsibility to Israeli society. The New Guardian will work to create a public discourse on these issues, hoping to have an influence on individuals who will internalize these ideals and act upon them.

In conclusion, she said: “I grew up in a very Zionistic home, where I was educated to believe in the good in every human being, and where I was imbued with a love of the land. Hashomer Hachadash wants to direct Israelis towards these values, reconnecting them to their land and their country. There is a general feeling that these good old basic values are lacking now, and we want to return to them.”

The first F-35 is expected to arrive in Israel in 2015, but Israeli pilots will be able to start training on it in the U.S. in 2014.

The F-35 is a stealth fighter aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin. It is considered to be the most advanced fighter aircraft to date. A multi-mission aircraft, it is intended both for attack and interception. Its development began in 2003 as a joint initiative of the United States and the United Kingdom.

According to the IDF Spokesperson’s office, the IAF has determined that the new F-35 fighter planes will be located at the Nevatim Airbase in the Negev. The decision to place the new planes at Nevatim was based on infrastructure and training considerations, as well as the IDF’s vision of moving many of its bases to the Negev.

Operational and environmental considerations also played a role in the decision.

The deal to acquire the F-35 was signed last year and the planes are expected to arrive in Israel over the next few years.

Nevatim Base Commander Brig. Gen. Ronen Samchi,  said he was proud to have been chosen as the home of the new fighter planes, “which will turn Nevatim into a strategic base constituting a powerful element in the battle array.”

The Nevatim Airbase was established in 1982 and participates in all of the IAF’s operational activities. In April 2008, the base was expanded and it now has the longest runway in the Middle East.

Deputy Minister for Development of the Negev and the Galilee Ayub Kara appeared on Israel’s Knesset channel and spoke over the phone with defecting Syrian Army officer Abu Bilal, who urged Israel to support the Syrian populace against President Bashar al-Assad’s terror.

Watch the video:

The Israel Air Force launched an airstrike against terror groups in Gaza Tuesday night, killing three jihadists and wounding at least 11 others.

The attack took place in coordination with Shin Bet security forces and eliminated Abdullah Talibani, an agent of Islamic Jihad’s violent al-Quds Brigades in his 20s, and two terrorists who attempted to sneak into Israel from along the Egyptian border – Rami Douad Jabber Kafarna, a 27 year old Hamas militant who had taken part in launching rockets into Israel, and Hazam Hohammed Sa’adi Al-Shakar, a 26 year old Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighter responsible for munitions storage in Gaza.

Some of the injured were taken to Amal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

Terror groups responded to the attack by attempting to fire a Kassam rocket into the western Negev. Israel’s “color red” alert system was initiated in the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council, but the rocket did not make it to Israel, exploding instead in Gaza.  Army radio reported that the IDF is preparing for possible rocket attacks in response to the IAF attack in Gaza.

In a statement, the IDF Spokesman said, “The IDF will not tolerate attempts to harm Israeli citizens or IDF soldiers and will continue to operate strongly and decisively against anyone who uses terrorism against Israel.” It also held Hamas responsible for all terror activity out of Gaza.

Gaza Jihadists fired two short-range rockets into Israel on Sunday and Monday.  No damage was reported, and no one claimed responsibility for the attacks.