Ron‘s commitment to the Negev and its people
Since I was a child I loved the desert, its landscapes, its wildlife, its Beduin masters, its geology and archeology. I used to go on week long walks, or full moon hikes when the desert was burning hot. I used to happily sleep with no cover under the amazingly clear night time sky.
To all this, Ben Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, added his plea that we go and live in the desert as it constitutes 40% of our small land.
The few people who did live in it suffered and still suffer from years of neglect in employment, housing and most problematically – education.
In 1987 I went down to the Negev for the first time not as a visitor to its beautiful trails, but as a volunteer high school teacher. I arrived in Yerucham. I will always remember this period as one of the most beautiful in my life.
I have now returned once again, hopefully for good, to take part in the building of the Negev and in the conservation of its beauty.
The lasers are coming to the desert...
