The plan was to meet my cousin Seth in Eilat for an afternoon of sailing on the Red Sea. I decided that an overnight by the beach would make perfect sense and would give me an opportunity to go snorkeling near the reef just south of the city. An afternoon in the water swimming with the cobalt blue and neon yellow fish was perfect (sorry no pix to share)!
Seth and I connected on schedule and we spent the afternoon sailing on the Red Sea. I think it was an 18ft boat and I was merely ballast, shifting from side to side, according to the wind!
Kibbutz Ketura is located about 30 miles north of Eilat/Gulf of Aqaba in the Arava rift valley, near the Jordanian and Egyptian borders. It is a uniquely tranquil region of Israel. The kibbutz itself is lush and green, situated against the stark desert landscape, which, in turn, is framed by two mountain walls.
Ketura was founded by a small group of young North Americans, graduates of the Young Judaea Course, at the close of the Yom Kippur War in November 1973. Today, Ketura has grown to be the second largest settlement in the region, with 140 members and candidates and over 147 children. One-third of the members are native Israelis; the majority of the immigrants come from English-speaking countries. It is a graying kibbutz, and members are being sought, particularly in the 25 to 35 age range.
Seth had arranged for me to stay in an empty house. Spartan, but it was a place to call home! A couple of beds, a table and chair, and a light for the bedroom that was clamped onto the handle of my favorite Israeli “tool”: the mogav (squeegee).
Communal meals in the dining room gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of new people. How small of a world is this? Meet Elliot who graduated from Wagner Jr High School in 1968!
Seth was a gracious host and very knowledgeable tour guide. We managed to go on some outing for a part of every day!
One of my favorite buildings was the library. Seth took me on an “after hours” tour –
Our first outing was to the orchards across the highway from the kibbutz. The red mountains of Jordan on the opposite side of the Arava valley were not far away!
I was quite fascinated with the date palms, and bemoaned the fact that I would not be in Israel to see the harvest. In Ketura’s orchards, wild donkeys roam keeping the weeds under good control!
Since 1974, Dr. Elaine Solowey, a founding kibbutz member, has been experimenting with desert agriculture featured Her groundbreaking work in the cultivation of Tibetan medicinal herbs has been featured in international publications. Ketura's experimental orchard is home to dozens of species of fruit-bearing trees, from the familiar to the exotic.
One of the fruits grown here is the pitaya. Pitaya is an exotic cactus fruit, which is starting to develop a market in the United States. The grapefruit-sized fruit looks a bit like a pink artichoke.
Seth has the responsibility of overseeing all of the building on the kibbutz - a huge responsibility in my estimation.
In addition to the details of design and project management, he is able to repair fiber optic lines, and cable and telephone lines. This skill set has him traveling to the other kibbutzim in the area doing repair work. I tagged along to check out the sites.
Set high on a hill, Kibbutz Grofit is nearby. The kibbutz is well known for its therapeutic horse-riding program. Seth (and his sister) had been a member of this kibbutz. While Seth worked l roamed around checking out the vistas. Jordan seemed very close by!
There were many friendly “Riley” dogs wherever I went. (A Riley dog is a goofy yellow lab, named for my neighbor on the Esplanande.)
Hiking in Timna National Park was fun! About 15 miles south of the kibbutz, Timna “boasts” the world's earliest copper mine; mining began in Timna more than 6000 years ago, at the end of the fifth millennium BCE. The technological revolution also started here, when metal began to be used in daily life. The Egyptians established an enormous copper mining operation between the fourteenth and twelfth centuries BCE. Over the past thirty years, the Arava Expedition has excavated and restored various sites.
The walking trail that leads to the Arches takes you past caves and mine shafts where copper mining and production began. Approximately 10,000 mine shafts have been found in this area and if you look closely at the rocks, you’ll notice the greenish color of copper ore.
The natural arches formed by erosion can be seen along the western cliff and make this site a favorite with photographers.
Solomon's Pillars were formed by centuries of water erosion on the tall, straight rock face. The red sandstone cliffs have been sculpted into pillar-shaped ridges that jut outwards. A set of steps leads from Solomon's Pillars to an Egyptian rock carving.
Another day we headed west (out the back gate) from the kibbutz up to the Ketura Plateau. It’s a rocky limestone cliff, which can be reached via a well-worn goat path. The view from the top of the cliff is amazing.
Seth told me the tradition is to spell your name with the rocks upon reaching the summit (JoJo was easier that Yehudit!).
A couple of other items had my attention. In celebration of the kibbutz’s thirtieth birthday, ceramic markers were made and placed to identify the panoramic vistas.
Competing with this breathtaking view was a series of nine giant rusted 50-gallon cans standing along the edge of the cliff. (Notice the tiny little "black things" in the background)
This, I found out is the community’s Chanukah menorah. Each night of Chanukah, a different child ascends the mountain at sunset, and lights the menorah. This is by no means a simple task. Though the climb itself is a rite of passage the children generally have at a young age, I could only imagine that the descent in darkness could be harrowing!
Another stop was at Kibbutz Elifaz, located near the entrance to Timna National Park. The telephone line to the Guest House was not working and Seth needed to make a repair. I roamed around bird watching and met a new best friend “Riley” dog!
The Mexican theme of the Guest House was out of context in this desert setting; the manager said that they were changing it to a southwestern (aka desert) theme.
Kibbutz Yotvata was another stop in our travels. Yotvata considers itself the ”old guard” of the kibbutz movement, having been established in the late 1960’s. It is probably the largest with 250 members and almost as many children. In addition to a very large dairy, they have date and mango orchards, as well as field crops.
Seth’s visit took us to the metal shop; I was interested to see that the kibbutz had a regional contract to build the little kiosks that you sit in while waiting for the bus.
Currently, people were literally baking in the sun waiting at the bus stops! Seth thought I was too optimistic that they would be installed in the next couple of days, as the old ones had been removed months ago!
Before returning to the kibbutz we did stop at the Roadside Café.
"Miznon Yotvata" is a welcome break from the busy north-south traffic on the Arava highway. It is situated across the road from the main entrance to the kibbutz; the big seller is the ice cream that the kibbutz produces from its dairy cows. Yummmmmmm!
Until a few years ago, agriculture and outside salaries were the economic pillars of Ketura. Today, their focus is creative entrepreneurship in any field in which someone expresses an interest.
Ketura’s financial stability has been helped with some new projects. Kibbutz Ketura grows red algae (which are dried and used for food dyes and sold to Japan where it is a delicacy.
The algae is worth more than gold per ounce, and is used in makeup, health supplements, and is also used to make farm fished salmon pink-providing them with nutrients not available in “farmed” settings. Both the algae and date trees thrive off of the salty water, desert sun and constant heat.The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) explores a range of environmental issues from a regional, interdisciplinary perspective while teaching peace building and leadership skills. The student body is comprised of Jordanians, Palestinians, Israelis, North Americans as well as other nationalities. The idea that nature knows no political borders is the foundation for the curriculum and practice. The goal is achieving peace and sustainable development on a regional and global scale. The Institute is situated on Kibbutz Ketura
Ketura's dairy cattle are its most important and dependable source of income. All of the milk, like that of the neighboring kibbutzim, is processed at the dairy at Kibbutz Yotvata.
There are currently 250 head of cattle that produce about 700,000 gallons of milk a year. Cows wear electronic ankle bracelets to monitor their milking schedule and production. At this time of year, 3-4 calves are born each day; I got to feed one of them!
Keren Kolot is an educational center dedicated to studying the many voices within the Jewish tradition and to learning the remarkable lessons of the desert. It is a part of The Hadassah Educational Campus, dedicated to the development of new avenues for Jewish learning. Connected with the Institute is a successful B & B and Guest House.
Although being on the kibbutz, felt like camp to me, there is certainly a bigger picture about the communal, socialistic lifestyle that is the foundation of kibbutz life. Work is voluntary and payment is equal. The kibbutzim principle is thus a function of conscience, responsibility, and peer pressure. Money is collectively earned and spent at Ketura.
Laundry on the Kibbutz was one of the factors that reinforced the “camp” idea. For those of you who don’t know, my father owned a laundry and dry cleaning establishment in Fall River. I paid my dues working at the laundry when I was in high school. During the summer, dad used to do the laundry for a private camp on Cape Cod and I was responsible for sorting and bundling the clean clothes.
This was a flashback for me when I saw the communal laundry on the kibbutz. The clothes are identified by a number that is stamped on the comer (a variation on name labels) and sorted accordingly!
What is most amazing to me is that there is a hub of kibbutzim in the Negev that are self-sustaining. Beginning with Yotvata and following in the 60's and 70's other kibbutzim were founded: Eilot 1962, Grofit 1966, Ketura 1973 and Samar 1976. Later came Yahel, Elifaz and Lotan. In the 80's, in the Shizafon valley, Neve Harif and in the 90's, Neot Smadar All of these settlements have partnered with the council Hevel Eliot. The council provides basic services for the region: education, public transportation, cultural events, and refuse collection.
And the morning that I was leaving, Seth walked me down the road, across the busy highway and waited with me under the shade of the newly installed kiosk for the northbound bus.
We had the opportunity to christen it!
And the adventure continues~
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