Against All Odds: Building the Desert |
| Join Jewish National Fund-USA and Beth El Synagogue Center for a Westchester community event with Yedidya Harush, liaison for Negev Community Development in Halutza. Hear from this living, breathing pioneer about what it means to truly live your Zionism through the development of Israel’s Negev Desert. You’ll also learn about how you can help actualize the Zionist vision today, even from the US. |
| David Ben-Gurion famously stated that the future of Israel is in the Negev. Yet 90% of Israel’s population is concentrated in the country’s crowded center. JNF-USA’s Blueprint Negev strategy invests in the regional growth and economic development of Israel’s southern region, including Halutza, which sits on the border of Gaza and Egypt. Halutza was a barren desert – sand dunes were its most prominent feature – but in cooperation with JNF-USA, Halutza’s pioneers (Halutzim) are building Israel’s future. Despite the challenges of living in this volatile border region where there was once nothing but sand, Halutza residents have built an oasis of community and economic growth fueling the development of the Negev. |
| Featuring Guest Speaker |
| Yedidya Harush JNF-USA’s Halutza Liaison for Negev Community Development |
| As JNF-USA’s Halutza Liaison for Negev Community Development, Yedidya Harush works to cultivate an underdeveloped region in Israel’s southwestern corner into a thriving community. During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Harush and his reserve elite IDF unit played a critical role in securing the border and protecting the country. |
