NEGEV CHALLENGE

The Israel of 2007 has a severe ‘population squeeze’. 93% of all Israelis are squeezed into a mere 40% of the available and undisputed land. The JNF is working with the State of Israel on an epic solution to this giant problem. Our vision is bold yet simple: to move thousands of families from the overcrowded cities of central and northern Israel down south into the 60% of the country that remains virtually uninhabited – the Negev Desert.

This is the Negev Challenge

Socially, economically and emotionally, it is a challenge of historical proportions to uproot so many people. But it is a challenge of biblical proportions to give them real quality of life in the Negev. We must transform dry, barren wilderness into fertile land that flourishes with life.

The recent Lebanon war, coupled with the ongoing threat posed by Israel’s northern neighbours, adds further urgency to the challenge.

Of the dozen Israel projects that JNF UK supports today, The Negev Challenge is by far the biggest. We have committed to raise £10 million by 2010. Working with our sister branches in the US and worldwide, JNF has committed to raise a worldwide total of over £500 million ($1 billion).

What we have achieved in the Negev so far
We’ve built JNF reservoirs holding billions of gallons of water. We’ve established communities at Sansana, Harouv, Shomria, Givot Bar, Be’er Milka and Merhav Am. These are only the start. We’ve got a further 25 planned. As well as employment-boosting tourist attractions like a huge new bike path and bike rental centre.

Here are some of the specific ways in which the funds we’ve raised so far have been spent:

Aleh Negev Residential & Daycare Centre
Traditionally, the severely disabled grow up in hospitals, isolated from the outside world. But Aleh Negev is revolutionary. Already partly operational, it looks after the severely disabled throughout their life, whilst also integrating them into the wider community. When fully operational, it will be home to over 500 adults, and will serve some 12,000 disabled children and adults each year on a daycare basis. It will create 500 jobs.

Givot Bar
A Negev community currently under construction. The first thirty families have begun to move from their temporary JNF caravans into newly built homes. A second wave is poised to move to the caravans. The synagogue donated by JNF UK has just been dedicated and the next project in this community will be a kindergarten.

Sansanna
We have recently completed a ‘Tayelet’ or Promenade for the residents of this new Negev community.

Arad Medical Centre
This centre provides emergency medical care for the residents of development town Arad and its environs in the southern Negev. It can also dispense rapid emergency care to tourists visiting the Dead Sea area or hiking in the Negev mountains.

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