Page 16 - Holyland Magazine - 2018 Edition

A special tour Discoverthebiblicaldesert,
in honor of Israel’s 70th anniversary
TShahar Shilo
he Israelites travelled through the
desert as they left the land of Egypt. In Israel and the Jewish people, people of
the desert, the twelve tribes became a
nation. The desert was the birthplace
of the Jewish patriarchs, who brought
the word of God to the people. From
Abraham, the ancient forefather of the Jews,
to Moses, the greatest of all prophets, and
King David, ancestor to Jesus (David and
Jesus were both born in Bethlehem, on the
outskirts of the Judean Desert).
Seventy years have passed since the State of
Israel was established against all odds. Few
believed that the words of the ancient biblical
prophets would come to pass, precisely as
Jerimiah and Isaiah had envisioned. Seventy
years have gone by since that fateful month
of May 1948, and during that time the
young state has successfully established its
standing among the nations of the world and
has created a pluralistic, productive society
with a flourishing economy and first-rate
institutions of higher education.
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inspired by the vision of
Ben-Gurion
Today's tour invites our brethren and friends, desert bloom. Unique types of fruits and
Christians who love and value the Land of vegetables, brackish water irrigation,
growing vegetables in beds of sand,
faith and spirituality, to learn more about the extending the shelf life of different varieties
pioneering initiatives and innovation that are of produce, and sophisticated solutions for
taking shape in the Negev Desert in southern bugs and pests, are just a few examples
Israel. of RNDARC developments that were once
considered inconceivable. This impressive
We'll begin in Beer-Sheva at Abraham's site presents Israeli agricultural innovation
Well International Visitors Center, which that is considered a modern wonder by
tells the story of Abraham, the patriarch experts worldwide. The research center
shared by all three monotheistic religions is adjacent to an innovative solar power
and the forefather of all Jewish and Arab station, the largest of its kind in the world.
nations. This fascinating site is located on Visit the power station to learn about novel
the banks of the biblical Beersheba River, in technology designed to produce energy
the southern section of the modern city. without burning fossil fuels that are harmful
to our environment.
From Beersheba, we'll head south towards
the Ramat Negev Desert AgroResearch Our next stop is Sde Boker, located just
Center (RNDARC). This remarkable south of the research center. This was the
facility is home to innovative research and home of Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister
advanced developments in the various of Israel, who chose to join the young,
fields of agricultural technology that have pioneering kibbutz in 1953. Sde Boker was
enabled Zionist visionaries to make the founded by young, idealistic shepherds in