The Outing – Into a Sand Storm

Our last day at the base was a scheduled trip to the area near the Egyptian border. It’s the Sar-El version of a class trip. Before we could leave, our bunks were cleaned and our uniforms returned, as only six of the group would be returning for the 3rd week.

With our bags packed and loaded on the bus, we bid farewell to Sde Teiman and headed southwest. We were enroute to Qeziot, an army base very close to the border, to pick up another group of Sar-El volunteers. This base was clearly in the middle of “no man’s land”!

Looking out the windows of the bus, the haze was increasing. If I was in RI, it would be fog; if I was in Philadelphia or NYC, it might be smog; if I was in Hawaii, it might be vog (from volcanic ash), but here in the desert, it is a sand storm.

This extremely arid climate of the Nitzana region is best known for the sandy landscape, which typically sprouts a variety of shrubs and blooming flowers in winter. Unfortunately, this winter has been dryer than most. It would be hard to see anything through the fine sand that whirled around us. There are a few heritage sites as well as small communities of unusual people who have chosen to settle here.

Our first stop was Kadesh Barnea. The history is fascinating. In 1977 a group of pioneers, who had just completed their army service, turned to the Sinai Desert with the intention of joining the national collective effort of making the desert bloom. The group settled in Kadesh Barnea in the Sinai desert. Following the peace agreements with Egypt in 1979, the group was forced to duplicate their Sinai settlement in the Negev. The pioneers chose to settle in the Nitzana area as they recognized its potential for agricultural development and also because of its proximity to the Sinai.

In 1980 the first settlement was established- "Kadesh Barnea” adjacent to Tel Nitzana. The settlement operated as a "moshbutz," a kibbutz that develops into a moshav (types of collective agricultural settlements), and they made a living mostly from cooperative agriculture, while the budget was divided equally among all the members.

In 1986 the settlement became a working moshav and each family worked its own farm. In 1987 the permanent settlement was established near the border of Egypt by the Nitzana border crossing, and the young families toiled with great effort and developed extensive branches of agriculture, including tomatoes, flowers, fish, vineyards, and more. There are currently 50 families, 30 of who are growers and the rest are professionals or own their own businesses.







We visited a cherry tomato farm. We sought shelter in the greenhouses as we were looking like cinnamon and sugar donuts, covered with a layer of sand. On 500 (dunams) acres, greenhouses are filled with cherry tomato plants. With a 12-month growing season, 20 tons of “tomatoes on the vine” are exported to European and Asian markets. (These numbers may be off a bit, however, the general idea is that there are a lot of greenhouses and an amazing amount of product.) The tomatoes were unbelievably sweet. In the business plan, the family decided that having an “export only” crop would be financially advantageous.

There are many variables that allow for successful farming in the area: the long growing season, water from a local spring and hot days and cool nights promote strong plants.

Chani Zemach, our guide, took us to his family business, Desert Magic, which makes sauces, spreads and jams from the local produce. Chani and his wife started the business after moving to Kadesh Barnea 7 years ago. The business which started in their own kitchen, recently moved to a larger building to accommodate the growth of the business. We sampled all of the products and invested in the local economy. The eggplant and mint relish was my favorite!

Unfortunately, the visit to the beehives was cancelled due to the weather. In addition to making honey, bee sting therapy is provided by this family.

The development of the area is amazing. In my estimation, the people who settle here are current day pioneers. The Nitzana Youth Village and Educational Center serves as a residential Hebrew language school for young immigrants, an “outward-bound” style nature school. Nearby is a goat cheese farm, an adobe inn for eco-tourists and vineyards and a winery that is producing distinctive “boutique” wines.

Noted on the literature from the Kadesh Barnea Winery:
“Some 2,000 years ago, in what today is Israel’s arid Negev region, the Nabateans -- an ancient people who were masters at coaxing vegetation from the dry sand, rocks and hills -- brought forth grapes from the desert.”

In this tradition, in 1995, the Zadok family planted 30 dunams (acres) of vineyards in the Western Negev near the Sinai border at the Kadesh Barnea Moshav. Sunny days, cold nights, mineral-rich soil and drip irrigation combine to produce some of Israel’s best grapes in a most improbable location. In 2000 the boutique Kadesh Barnea Winery was born specializing in, full-bodied wines, which showcase the unique taste of Negev grapes.

Unfortunately, the winery was a “no-no” on Sar-El sponsored tour. I somehow knew that I would not be back in the area to go on a wine tour myself. The Kosher wine label is Abarbanel and is available in the states.

About 10 miles down the road toward Egypt is an observation point, which looks toward the original (biblical) Kadesh Barnea where the prophetess Miriam is buried.









Our brief stop at the border crossing with cameras in hand was not well received by the border guards. We were told “no pictures” and requested to return to the bus. Not wanting to have an “incident” at the border, we complied.

In the distant past about 2000 years ago, Nebataeans lived in the area and their main livelihood was trade and farming. The Nebataeans developed the spice routes and later, following the Roman conquest, they settled in permanent agricultural settlements.

Today you can still see the remnants of ancient agriculture on the farms, hilled terraces and river channels, and the apparatus for wine production found in the cities of Shivta.



Our next stop was Shivta National Park, a Nabatean and Christian city in the heart of the desert. Shivta differs from the other Nabatean cities in the Negev Desert in that it did not sit on any commerce route. The settlement was not fortified and therefore is considered a large agricultural village. Shivta was founded during the early Roman period (first century B.C.E.). We explored the Roman-period ruins, in particular,the Colt House, named for a team of archeologists led by H. Colt (son of the famous gun maker),who dug in Shivta in 1933-34.



We sought shelter from the blustering winds in one of the caves and had a history lesson.



The windowsill where I am sitting is believed to be an old hospital.
The storm persisted and it was difficult to find much shelter.







Sachar, our madrica reminded us of Jackie-O with her scarf and dark sunglasses.













Back on the bus, we headed north, dropping people off along the way: at the base, at Beer Sheva and finally Tel Aviv, where my tour of duty officially ended.

Fear not, the adventure continues..