The Phoenix Jewish news., 1959-08-14
REPORT
Negev's Settler
Real Negev Hero
BY BERTHA E. GOLDMAN
Co-Publisher. Phoenix Jewish News


about two weeks left to spend in Israel The days sped
quickly by with the ast-minute touring, business to
finish, and arrangements to leave.
Bud joined for three-day trip to Beersheba
that was very exciting. The first day we drove
through dry and desolate scenery to the Dead Sea
with Mr.. Benjamin. Jewish Agency guide. We
passed many BedOuin Arab camps on our way to the
lowest spot earth. tour, personally conducted
by the head of the potash works there, found me
climbing up and down the superstructure of this i'm
pressive chemical works. must confess to being
much bewildered impressed
We visited number of desert settlements like
Nevatim settled by immigrants from Cochin, India.
in 1854 Ktziot and Nahal or, border settlements of
Nahal, the agricuture-army group, and Sde Boxer,
Ben Gurions isolated desert kbbutz. The vast waste
what with half of the land but less than 1OO,
900 people, feel like the people living below
Beersheba are the real heros of Israel.
THE DRIVE FROM Beersheba to Maktesh Ramon
about halfway to Elath, is desert which even
with water grow nothing and when you see the
immense canyon Maktesh Ramon, on the edge OF no
where, the feeling of isolation and wildness is over
powering Yet plans steadily along for the de-
veopment of the Negev using every available bit OF
knowledge at the disposal of mankind anywhere in
the world Beersheba and Dimona with their phenom-
onal growth testify to the continuing conquest OF the
desert-sow and at immense cost, but conquest 1t
will be if Israeli courage and ingenuity continue to
be a national characteristic.
One of my most interesting trips in Israel was to
Ntzana at the border of the Sinai Desert. This was
the railroad station and customs house for entry to
Egypt before the Israel-Arab war; but the build
ings blown up, and only rubbe remains The
Israel army uses this area for manuevers, and the
day there part of three-day tank
manuever with air coverage Since this is open
to tourists, stopped several times and lndeed
saw part of the army we would never have known
the heavily mined fields the last few hundred
meters between the borders grim reminders OF the
state of "war" Nasser keeps alive.
OUR VISIT TO THE Thursday Arab market In
Beersheba gave chance for interesting pictures,
and although the Arabs prosperous by Israeli
Standards it does not make them any cleaner by
American standards
A. ~ xvIoo noniS
United Nations soldiers stood guard at the road lead
ing into the city of GAIA. All around the Arabs were
working in their fields and singing, peaceful
enough sight for the moment that we were there
About 10 miles from GAIA is the klbbutZ Where
my young cousin, Tania lives with her husband,
Amnon, and their baby, and it is here we came for
the Shevuoth celebration prepared jointly by four
neighboring kibbutzim, Yad Mordechai Kfar Am,
Zikim, and Karmiya. Bales of hay seats as
about 600 people proudly watched the open-stage
display of the "first fruits from their villages.
Tractors and horses pulled simply but lngenously
prepared floats but loved most of all the chdrens
parade they tugged on a baby lamb or held up
cages of hens and eggs or flowers for all to see
The sweetest statement came from Amnon who is
of the kibbutz and very proud OF it, when
he explained that Karmiya not as old as Yad
Mordechai, therefore didn't have children older
than to ''show'-but they would soon have them
too, since all that was needed was time!
l PAID RETURN visit to Neurim, near
Nathanya the Youth Aliyah Children's village that
is the special project Julia Dushkn loves SO much
Like everything in Israel, it had grown beyond
recognition and naQ Cne We'll IOVeu, well CdISu Ao1
look of the dedication to youth one finds everywhere
in Israel The first class of Arab girls living in
Youth Aliyah village there for three months
to get advanced sewing instruction. This was an
inovaon hailed by all vocational education author
tiles in Israel.
am writing now in Geneva, in the United Nations
building where the foreign ministers meeting.
We have had five lovely weeks of slow and pleasant
travel through Greece, Italy and France driving up
to Geneva from the Riviera. We had lovely eight
day stop at Aasso the Italian Riviera del Fori,
where our stay enriched by six English couples,
some with children, which gave us wonderful time
since all of us had playmates. We have pleasant
apartment here and will begin the last phase OF our
trip as expect to be home in the latter part OF
September.
In the serene and beautiful envrons of Geneva 1T
does not seem that there problems that cannot
be solved in the world, and so leave you with the
fervent wish that our trip shall continue to be lovely
and much fun and that the wise and powerful men
sitting in conference the other end OF the ear
phones from this press room shall come to some
workable decision to problems facing them in the
troubled world outside of Switzerland