Negev | The Blogs

Apply for a Blog

Oct 23, 2023, 9:16 PM

Bloody Sabbath – 7th October 2023

Arise and go now to the city of slaughter; Into its courtyard wind thy way; There with thine own hand touch, and with the eyes of thine head, Behold on tree, on stone, on fence, on mural clay, The spattered blood and dried...

Sep 22, 2023, 11:37 AM

Obodas – A King Deified

The temple of Zeus Obodas and ruins of the Byzantine fortress seen from the south. Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Alexander Jannaeus felt relaxed, surrounded by his soldiers, this morning outside of Gadara (modern day Umm Qays, Jordan), feeling confident of his skills as assertive ruler of the Hasmonean kingdom, having successfully managed to obtain victories and avoid crucial...

Sep 20, 2023, 11:38 AM

Every few years, I write a new modern version of Y.L. Peretz’s “If Not Higher.” Having prayed my penitential selihot prayers this year as often as possible in the shepherding communities that we did not succeed in defending from...

Dahlia Bendavid

Sep 19, 2023, 10:35 PM

Rahma? Where is That?

You may have heard something about the Bedouin in Israel. That the Bedouin are nomadic Arabs. That the Bedouin herd sheep. That the Bedouin are illiterate. That Bedouin men marry many, many women. That the Bedouin have lots and...

David Ben Moshe

Sep 11, 2023, 3:21 PM

A Rosh Hashanah letter for the men in prison – 5784

A tzadik asked me to write a Rosh Hashana letter for the men he visits in prison. Here's what I sent them. Dear Friends, I am writing to you from the big crater. It's not actually a crater; it is a massive...

Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi

Aug 30, 2023, 5:02 AM

Using Tikkun Olam to Create Partnerships and End Climate Change

Sonia S. Cummings is one of the true heroes in the Jewish community on a wide range of issues. Born in Europe, multi-lingual and talented, she and her husband James have been working on environmental issues for decades. From their...

Tania Pons Allon

Jul 30, 2023, 4:08 PM

Quenching a thirst… for progress

Tania Pons Allon and the governor at the ribbon cutting. (courtesy)

How the University of Arizona, JNF-USA, and local alumni from an Arava agricultural school are bringing water to Kenya

Jul 25, 2023, 9:22 PM

What Sustains Me After Yesterday’s Vote

Yesterday I had planned to be in the Knesset for a committee meeting, as we fight to prevent the government from cancelling the ability of public housing residents to buy their apartments at a price they can afford. Of...

Jun 27, 2023, 6:39 PM

Luxury blends with the wilderness in Israel’s Negev

Israelis have mixed feelings about the southern part of their country - the Negev. Names of places like Tze'elim, Shizafon, Shivta or Mashabim are sensitive. They are associated with memories with army uniforms - sand, dust and orders of...

Shani Rohatyn-Blitz

Jun 25, 2023, 2:47 PM

In Israel, the desert isn’t blooming; it’s spreading

Yatir Forest. (Wikipedia)

With the intensification of global warming desertification still eats away at open lands - but we must continue to take action

Load more