Throughout the semester we heard stories about the Negev/Naqab trip, and at the end of April, it was finally happening. I remember looking out the window on the bus, hearing the chatter of my friends around me, and being slightly nervous about what I was going to see and hear. Throughout this semester the idea of expanding mental borders around different narratives has been pushed by the program, and I was wondering how far this experience was going to stretch my mindset and preconceptions I might not even consciously acknowledge.
We started our trip in the Dead Sea region where we went on an ecological tour learning about the land and the two tectonic plates that make up the Dead Sea valley. We then visited the Dead Sea Museum where we learned about the history of the Dead Sea Works (now the ICL). It was strange to learn about the harm that the company is doing to the environment in the Dead Sea, and on the other hand hear the narrative pushed by the company itself. Next, we went to the Atid Comprehensive School at Al-Furaa where we saw the impact of the Arava Institute’s educational Off-Grid Hub there, including different water, sanitation, and hygiene technologies. I was shocked to see how underfunded and blatantly ignored the needs of the community are there. We ended the first day in the Bedouin village of Dureijat where we had an incredible dinner hosted by Jaber Abu-Hamed and his family.
We started our second day viewing the ruins of the Bedouin village of Umm Al-Hiran where our guide and expelled resident Ra’ed Abu Al-Qian explained the story of the village and the trauma they went through with the continuous demolition of their village. It is one thing to see a picture of a destroyed village but another thing entirely to see it with my own eyes. We continued to the biggest Bedouin town, Rahat, and learned about the history of the community there. We visited Fatma Al-Zamale in her home and had a fantastic lunch. Fatma shared her unique story with us, the trials and tribulations, and the tragedy she and her family faced in Gaza. I was amazed by her kindness and bravery, which was in almost a complete contrast to the harsh reality she has to cope with. It was also fascinating to see that the community in Rahat had completely changed their historical way of living due to political pressure from the government.
After that, we visited Earth’s Promise in Beer Sheva, where we saw the ecological and social contribution that gardening has for a community. We finished our day in Holot Makman, an ecological B&B in Nitsana.
On our third and final day, we heard the life journey of our host Rodney and his relationship with the Bedouin community nearby – we also saw the impressive workshop where he built things for his B&B. Next we went to the Ashalim Power Station and saw how the power of the sun is harnessed to create energy. We finished our trip with lunch and a workshop on Acro-Gymnastics.
The Negev/Naqav trip was an enriching experience for me, and a unique opportunity to meet a few of the different narratives existing on this land, as well as the people who live them.\From Fatma and Rodney I saw that human perseverance and hope are essential in times of struggle. I am grateful for this experience and for the knowledge I gained from it. Thank you to my fellow students and interns and to the team that put this together for us.
Written by Emuna Fried, with contributions from Rachel Ben David