Sde Boker

The desert blooms in Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Northern Negev Mountains which was launched in 1952. A portion of the dream was to show that Israel, any part of the Holy Land could prosper. Many Zionists had the dream of making Israel, all of the land including the desert, bloom. Sde Boker is a prime example of what can be accomplished with proper care and technology in the desert. David Ben Gurion said, “It is in the Negev that the creativity and pioneer vigor of Israel shall be tested.”

On a 14 day trip to the Holy Land in May 2018 we will visit Sde Boker to see this green oasis with our own eyes, to visit the grave of David Ben Gurion and to walk through the Desert of Zin.  We will experience the contrasting landscape as we go from desert sand to the green vegetation of this kibbutz. We will walk through the trees and see the ibex which live in this oasis.

The word Negev, נֶגֶב, means parched. More than half of the land area of Israel is contained in the Negev. The area is desert and receives less than twelve inches of rain per year. The soil ranges from rocky to sandy and is interrupted by dry river beds (wadis) which blossom during the occasional rains. There are vast canyons in several areas and in one place a crater called Makhtesh Ramon.

David Ben Gurion along with his wife Paula loved this part of the desert. Ben Gurion retired early, and built his retirement home at Sde Boker. There is a library on the kibbutz which contained his personal books and housing used for the soldiers who protected the former Prime Minister. Today some of these buildings have been turned into a museum.

David Ben Gurion once wrote, “The desert provides us with the best opportunity to begin again. This is a vital element of our renaissance in Israel. For it is in mastering nature that man learns to control himself. It is in this sense, more practical than mystic, that I define our Redemption on this land. Israel must continue to cultivate its nationality and to represent the Jewish people without renouncing its glorious past. It must earn this—which is no small task—a right that can only be acquired in the desert.”

He lived at Kibbutz Sde Boker for twenty years. He and his wife are buried at a beautiful location near the Kibbutz. The gravesite is located on a high plateau with a view to a broad canyon below. The canyon below is known as the Desert of Zin where Israel camped during their years in the wilderness. We will walk through this beautiful area after visiting Sde Boker.

The desert is filled with wide open spaces. Its treelessness enhances a wide sky. The vastness and coloration of the sand enhances sunsets over this seemingly empty sphere. The sun shines bright in the day and the stars and the moon are brilliant at night. David Ben Gurion spoke often about the beautiful solitude of the desert. He said, “Wisdom goes with South. It is written: ‘Whoever seeks wisdom, south shall he go.’”