The Ministry of Defense has published a public auction for the sale of 19 apartments around Israel that have been used for the needs of the IDF and security forces
The move is part of an overall streamlining process in managing the Ministry of Defense's housing inventory
Fourteen of the apartments up for sale are in Mitzpe Ramon
two in Eilat and one in Arad as well as two house in Netanya and Ramat Hasharon
The overall value of the homes is estimated at NIS 28-30 million
The house in Ramat Hasharon alone is worth at least NIS 6.7 million but some appraisers believe it could fetch a lot more
The properties up for sale are old and in poor condition and it has been decided to sell them and use the money to buy homes for army officers in the Arava and those entitled to a home from the Ministry of Defense's Rehabilitation Unit
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on November 4
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd.
on the surface appears no different than dozens of other similar towns in the Negev Desert.
it sits atop an 860-meter ridge overlooking a geological wonder: the world’s largest erosion crater
known as the Ramon Crater (Makhtesh Ramon in Hebrew).
Over the past few years the town has been attracting more and more tourists. The luxury Beresheet Hotel
opened in 2011 and has become a favorite marriage proposal spot among Israelis.
The one thing Mizpeh Ramon does have in common with the other towns in the area is a lack of job opportunities and a relatively low socio-economic status.
Tourism alone is not enough to sustain a growing community
The municipality’s goal is to double the number of residents from 5,000 to 10,000 in the near future.
“We don’t want to be like Eilat; it’s not healthy,” Asaf Axelrod
who manages Mitzpeh Ramon’s only youth center
I spoke with Axelrod at the opening of the Mitzpeh Ramon Innovation Hub, built with the help from Jewish National Fund (JNF)-USA
“There’s nothing else like it here,” Axelrod notes.
who has lived in Mitzpeh Ramon for five years
took the time from his reserve duty service to attend the inauguration of the hub.
“Tourism doesn’t have enough quality positions to attract quality people,” adds Oren Hefetz
the head of business development at JNF-USA
seven years ago that [Mitzpeh Ramon] needs an ecosystem that’s beyond tourism
one that speaks the language of technology,” he notes
It took JNF and the municipality five years to complete the Innovation Hub
It is intended to attract potential startups and tech companies wishing to branch out
it is Mitzpeh Ramon’s first office building.
Since its grand opening in mid-March, the hub has welcomed space startup Creation Space, which last year raised $1 million from US-based investment fund CreationsVC.
Hefetz points at a guy wearing a kippah and a black sweater
The man turned out to be 29-year-old Erel Shachor, an engineer at Intel.
“I came to Mitzpeh with my wife and kids five years ago
We never planned on staying here for a long period of time and came close to leaving a few times,” he explains.
Shachor found a job at Intel’s offices in Beersheva that allowed him to work remotely.
Shachor says that since infrastructure at the mostly outdated residential buildings in the town is not ideal
the hub offered him an opportunity to work at an actual office without having to make the one-hour drive in each direction to Beersheva every day.
were moved by the government into Mitzpeh Ramon.
“We actually rushed the opening of the hub in order to assist the evacuees,” says Hefetz.
“They want to go back to work and the hub allows them to come in
take one of the offices for the day and work without having to leave
or traveling cross country to their workplace.”
The majority of the evacuees have left over the past six months
but a few hundred decided to remain in Mitzpeh Ramon indefinitely
It is quite ironic that the opening of the hub was staged so close to this year’s Passover.
Just like the ancient Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the desert before reaching the Promised Land
Mitzpeh Ramon spent 40 years with practically zero building projects
until the Beresheet Hotel gave entrepreneurs an incentive
(“Beresheet” means “in the beginning,” the first word in the Book of Genesis.)
there are new hotels under construction and several real-estate projects that include hundreds of future residential houses and apartment buildings.
“Everything is sold out,” says Hefetz.
Axelrod notes that only five or six years ago
many of the existing apartments and properties were vacant
“It’s not a thing anymore,” he adds.
JNF-USA’s next project in Mitzpeh Ramon is a convention center
they will offer opportunities for companies and organizations that want to
stage a conference or retreat here,” Hefetz says
“We want to give economic incentives to young companies to come here
“I don’t expect Microsoft to move their offices [to Mitzpeh Ramon] anytime soon.”
The Jewish Agency recognized right away its importance
and during the last three years supported the project with loans bringing it to eventual success
It has been one of the many missions of The Jewish Agency to provide assistance and support to Young Communities throughout Israel
Many intentional communities move to a socio-economically challenged area
where they start a small business to support their initiatives
And through it all the Jewish Agency is there to help them with building their community
and business management— especially when communities are championing environmental sustainability through organic gardening
this program has been vital to the success of up-and-coming vineyards
It was established by Alon Tzadok and his family
and is the first desert winery in the industry
The family decided to open the winery in 1997
and declared it would rely on local produce alone
The Tzadok family uses desalinated irrigation water only
and they recycle the pruned branches and fruit waste as natural soil enrichers
Though many were skeptical of their success
the Tzadoks succeeded in fulfilling their pioneer dream
Thanks to their determination and The Jewish Agency's Loan Funds (Ness Fund)
their vineyard produces over 70 thousand bottles of fine wine annually
applied to the Loan Fund to enlarge his business and vineyard land area
Shmuel Koka of a Young Community enjoys producing high-quality specialty wine in the desert climate
Shmuel (38) was born and raised in Jerusalem
He moved to Mitzpe Ramon to study at Yeshiva Midbara Eden
where he met his wife and established their home together at the Young Community in Mitzpe Ramon
"Our Young Community took awhile to form as a mission driven community," explains Shmuel Koka
"Our decision to make our home here was not easy and the challenges we face are still big
the young families in our community work alongside the long-time residents to improve and advance education
we immediately thought of entrepreneurial opportunities: tourism
We applied to the Ministry of Agriculture and asked to grow a vineyard at 800 meters above sea-level
The purpose was to promote local professional Israeli agriculture
and to develop the fields of education and welfare in the community (by transferring half of the vineyard's income to these projects)
"The entrepreneurship was not easy from a bureaucratic nor an economic standpoint
and during the last three years supported the project with loans bringing it to eventual success."
350 dunam (about 87 acres) of wine are planted in the heart of the desert producing quality fruit and wine
and also yielding contracts with big Israeli names in the game like Barkan
a new series was bottled in cooperation with Bazelet Winery in the Golan Heights
Mitzpe Ramon is proving itself as a high-quality wine area
Nissim (60) is planting a new vineyard and planning to open a winery in the Negev for ideological reasons
Nissim has returned to the soil of his childhood after 28 years in Gush Katif
It took him about eight years to overcome the hurdles of bureaucracy and get the land on which to plant his sweet dreams and good wine
The new vineyard will have four types of grapes: Syrah
Nissim thinks one man is enough to tame a vineyard
except during certain periods: "My friends and family promised to help and work with me on the project."
Nissim "looked online and heard from others about The Jewish Agency Loan Fund
The Ness Fund helped me get a loan with great return terms
and they also gave me financial guidance."
"The Negev is the best place to live," claims Nissim unequivocally
people thought agriculture here is impossible because of water
we now know great agricultural products come from the Negev
I believe it's a great place to grow the best Israeli wine."
Kibbutz Shomrat's "Shota" restaurant specializes in Georgian food and wine
The owners decided to open in 2012 with help of The Jewish Agency's Loan Funds (Western Galilee Fund)
and now they serve authentic Georgian dishes and experiences in Israel
the restaurant has a great bar and good music
speaks of the great wine culture the restaurant has created for its regular and new clientele: "We import special Georgian wine from a very high mountain region
one of which has received an international prize for its quality.”
One of the more known traditional Georgian drinks is the Chacha
This is a grape vodka made of the wine and grape residues
we decided to focus on authentic drinks," says Bela
"I have a lot of love and respect for wine
There are a lot of fake products because of marketing of Georgian wine through Bulgaria
but we bring good quality wine from a winery 1,800 meters above sea level
Push and Brandish Knife at Bedouin ContractorThe man had been contracted to clear dirt from the site of a local yeshiva
was physically confronted by students who said 'This is our dirt,' slashing his car tires
The local council head said the matter was 'complicated' and is under review
Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Angus MacSwan
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Israel's Southern District Planning and Building Committee has approved the urban plan for Mitzpe Ramon
which will allow it to more than triple in size by 2030
The plan calls for the construction of 3,000 new homes increasing the city's population from its current 5,200 to 17,000
The plan also calls for economic development based on tourism for the Negev town including construction of a wide range of accommodation for different communities including hotels as well as tourist attractions
Mitzpe Ramon was founded in 1951 as a camp for workers on the Beersheva-Eilat highway and became a permanent settlement in 1956 when immigrants from North Africa and Romania were brought to the town
Houses were built in the 1980s and 1990s for evacuees from Sinai and immigrants from the former Soviet Union
The town's hot desert climate is tempered by its altitude of 860 meters
Southern District Planner Tomer Gotthelf said
"Mitzpe Ramon has unique traits combining a desert environment with first rate potential for developing desert tourism
This plan outlines for Mitzpe Ramon gradual stages of development that maintain the principles of sustainable development and protect its unique values."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 18, 2020
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2020
Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk and Karol Badohal in Warsaw
and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Matthew Lewis
6-8 volunteers will leave their regular lives and enter a facility now under construction in Mitzpe Ramon for the purpose of simulating life on Mars
The volunteers will live for several weeks in a closed facility
in which they will carry out daily tasks corresponding to those that must be performed in space
They will leave the facility only in space suits
and will have no contact with people who are not part of the mission
The purpose is to test the psychological effect of living under the conditions on Mars
to carry out good human engineering of the conditions in the living quarters
and examine possible failures in scientific tasks
The food will be what can be brought to the spaceship
and the astronauts will have to conform to the daily routine expected from people traveling to Mars
personnel is limited and as much research as possible must be accomplished
while the spaceship must be maintained technologically
Mitzpe Ramon was selected as a target for the venture because it is regarded as similar to Mars in land structure
and isolation - a rare combination in other regions in the world
it does not have the extreme cold that prevails on Mars
and also obviously cannot simulate the lack of oxygen and the prevailing radiation on Mars
The team setting up the project is headed by Dr
a post-doctorate student from Ben Gurion University of the Negev
under the guidance of Ben-Gurion University VP and Dean of R&D Prof
Rubinstein is setting up the project in the framework of a venture he founded named Desert Mars Analog Ramon Station (D-MARS) - an initiative to establish a planetary research center in the Mitzpe Ramon area
The initiative is supported by the Israel Space Agency and concerns interested in the venture because of its educational potential
such as the Industrial Cooperation Authority (ICA)and the Austrian Space Agency
The facility itself was built by students at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology Faculty of Architecture
together with other students from other Technion departments
The Israeli project was founded after a similar project by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ended
While the Israeli project is designed for educational and research purposes
NASA's project was designed to make real preparations for life on Mars
The astronauts spend eight months in a facility on the edge of a volcano in Hawaii
One of the main words of advice provided by Ansley Barnard
to the participants of similar future ventures
"Remember that the toilet systems are also a system and they’re a living system
if they smell a certain way or act a certain way they’re trying to tell you something
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on February 4, 2018
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2018
Reporting by James Mackenzie; editing by Christina Fincher and Mark Heinrich
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in Gaza and directed troops to prepare to resume fighting Hamas if the militant group does not go ahead with the next scheduled release of hostages on Saturday
Hamas said Monday — and reiterated Tuesday — that it planned to delay the release of three more hostages after accusing Israel of failing to meet the terms of the ceasefire
including by not allowing an agreed-upon number of tents and other aid into Gaza
READ MORE: Hamas’ threat to delay next release of Israeli hostages raises fears for fragile Gaza ceasefire
Amid the mounting tensions, U.S. President Donald Trump emboldened Israel to call for the release of even more remaining hostages on Saturday.
After meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday, Trump predicted Hamas would not release all the remaining hostages as he had demanded.
“I don’t think they’re going to make the deadline, personally,” the president said of Hamas. “They want to play tough guy. We’ll see how tough they are.”
Since the ceasefire took effect, Hamas has released 21 hostages in a series of five exchanges for more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. A second phase calls for the return of all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce. However, Trump’s statements about both the pending releases and plans for post-war Gaza have destabilized its fragile architecture.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Netanyahu’s threat referred to the three hostages scheduled for release on Saturday or all the remaining hostages, which would be a departure from the terms of the ceasefire. Netanyahu’s office said it “welcomed President Trump’s demand.”
As Trump spoke to reporters in Washington and reasserted his demands, an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, said Israel was “sticking to Trump’s announcement regarding the release of the hostages. Namely, that they will all be released on Saturday.”
Netanyahu’s office also said it ordered the military to mobilize troops on and around the Gaza Strip in preparation for scenarios that could arise.
Trump has said Israel should cancel the entire ceasefire if all of the roughly 70 hostages aren’t freed by Saturday. Hamas brushed off his threat Tuesday, doubling down on its claim that Israel has violated the ceasefire and warned that it would only continue releasing hostages if all parties adhered to the ceasefire.
“Trump must remember there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties. This is the only way to bring back prisoners,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Tuesday. “The language of threats has no value; it only complicates matters.”
Trump is hosting King Abdullah II in Washington as he escalates pressure on Jordan to take in refugees from Gaza, perhaps permanently, as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.
“We’re not going to buy anything. We’re going to have it,” Trump said of U.S. control of Gaza as the Jordanian king stood by.
Abdullah II was asked repeatedly by reporters about Trump’s plan to remake the Middle East, but didn’t make substantive comments. He also did not comment on the idea that a large number of refugees from Gaza could be welcomed in Jordan, where millions of Palestinian refugees already reside.
Palestinians and the international community have seethed over Trump’s recent comments that any Palestinians potentially expelled from Gaza would not have a right to return.
During the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas committed to freeing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while Israel said it would release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The sides have carried out five swaps since Jan. 19.
The war could resume in early March if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase of the ceasefire. But if it does, Israel will face a drastically different battlefield. After forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate to southern Gaza in the early stages of the war, Israel allowed many of those displaced people to return to what is left of their homes, posing a new challenge to its ability to move ground troops through the territory.
Metz reported from Rabat, Morocco. Associated Press writers Chris Megerian in Washington and Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel contributed reporting.
By Zeke Miller, Samy Magdy, Associated Press
By Aamer Madhani, Tia Goldenberg, Zeke Miller, Associated Press
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but after mass protests the prime minister reinstated him.Itamar Ben-Gvir
a far-right minister in Netanyahu's coalition government
saying Gallant was still "deeply trapped in the conception" that it "is not possible to achieve absolute victory".But Benny Gantz
called the move "politics at the expense of national security."Yair Lapid
said the move "in the middle of the war is an act of madness"
adding that Netanyahu was "selling out Israel's security and the soldiers of the IDF for his own political survival."Reporting by Steven Scheer; Writing by Steven Scheer and Tom Perry; editing by Gareth Jones
Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Timothy Heritage
Post By: Arielle Klein | Last Date of Travel: January 2013
that was formed by the receding of oceans and rivers changing course and carving out the softer interior rock to form the Makhtesh
The Makhtesh is famous for certain rock formations like Ha-minsarah
There’s something so holy and spiritual about the place
It’s as if you can feel G-d in the wind around you
See His hand in the fabulous colors of sand the Makhtesh is famous for
and the spectacular views that stretch for miles
While I wouldn’t recommend going in the winter like we did
I definitely would suggest you head over and check out this incredible natural wonder
As mentioned above
There is only one small shopping area with kosher food
although there is definitely a nice selection considering the size of the place
We had the shawarma for dinner for our one night there
and we both agreed that it was the best shawarma we had our whole trip
It is worth noting that the kosher restaurants here are not Mehadrin (at least they weren’t when we were there) but are under the local Rabbinate
There is plenty to do in this part of Israel
to farms there’s lots of family friendly fun to be had
My son’s favorite activity was the alpaca farm
Its a great place to take the kids and they also have a room where they show you how they separate the alpaca wool
make it into yarn and the use it to weave all sorts of deliciously soft cold weather staples
This farm also offers guide led horseback rides in the crater
that were not feasible with a two year old but sounded awesome
Another fun thing to do is rent bikes and bike the trails
or put on your hiking boots and work up a sweat taking the trails and seeing the gorgeous colors and vistas
Mitzpe Ramon is a pretty small resort town
although they do have several places to stay
At the top of the heap is Isrotel’s amazing new offering Beresheet
the hotel is literally built into the edge of it
from a fantastical pool that is both indoors and out
Unfortunately it was booked when we were there
but if and when I go back that’s where I hope to stay
If you’re traveling with larger group or for a longer stay
with large spacious suites that are great for families
Our suite has a spacious living room with kitchenette
Both rooms have TVs (great for entertaining the kids) and a nice functional bathroom
Delicious buffet Israeli kosher breakfast is included in the price
Dani Klein founded YeahThatsKosher in 2008 as a global kosher restaurant & travel resource for the Jewish community
He is passionate about traveling the world
and spending time with his friends & family
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© YeahThatsKosher 2024 – Reproduction without explicit permission is strictly prohibited. | Privacy Policy • Download our kosher restaurant directory app
no matter how long it takes," said Shaban Abed
a technical engineer and a resident of Gaza City
He said the court's move was "late
a mother of five and a resident of Gaza City who only gave her first name
said she hoped it would help bring an end to the war."I hope we can soon see Netanyahu and the criminal Gallant in jail," she said
now they are being hunted."Netanyahu's office said the ICC decision was "antisemitic" and he will "not yield to pressure
will not be deterred" until Israel's war objectives are met.The ICC has "lost all legitimacy" after issuing the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said."A dark moment for the International Criminal Court," Saar said on X
adding that it had issued "absurd orders without authority".There was no immediate comment from Gallant.In a statement
Hamas welcomed the warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu and urged the court to expand accountability to all Israeli leaders.Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters the warrants against the Israelis were an important step towards bringing justice for the victims and that all countries should back them.The EU's foreign policy chief
said the decision was not political but made by a court and thus should be respected and implemented."The tragedy in Gaza has to stop," he said.Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi also said the ICC's decision must be implemented
adding that Palestinians deserved justice after what he termed Israel's "war crimes" in Gaza.The Netherlands' foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said his country acts on arrest warrants for people on its territory and will not engage in "non-essential" contacts.Republican Senator Lindsey Graham
a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump
Senate to act and sanction this irresponsible body."Israel's 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed about 44,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all the enclave's population while creating a humanitarian crisis
Gaza officials say.It launched the campaign in response to the October 2023
Hamas-led attack which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel
Israel has said.Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg in The Hague
Charlotte Van Campenhout and Bart Meijer in Amsterdam; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Doina Chiacu; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Peter Graff
A senior correspondent with nearly 25 years’ experience covering the Palestinian-Israeli conflict including several wars and the signing of the first historic peace accord between the two sides.
This is the latest in our twice-monthly series on underrated destinations, It's Still a Big World
The car’s headlights weren’t working properly and I could barely see three feet ahead of me
For all I knew I might run into a wandering Nubian ibex
the car rental company in Tel Aviv had rented me a defective cellphone
and despite continuously charging it the battery had died—again—an hour back
I’d meant to arrive at my accommodation in Mitzpe Ramon before sunset
and I was lost somewhere in the vastness of Israel’s sparsely populated Negev Desert with no navigation system
I hoped I wouldn’t topple the car straight into the Ramon crater
When I finally stood on the rim of the crater the next day
I was wowed by this surreal geological formation
Often referred to as “Israel’s Grand Canyon”
is situated almost 3,000 feet above sea level
Like the Grand Canyon when seen from the rim
and 650- to 1649-foot-deep bowl sometimes appears to have no horizon line
as if it were a picture you could walk into
With its lunar-like landscape of cotton ball white
coral pink- and cream-striated sandstone walls
and miniature mountain ranges rising off the desert floor
it’s the perfect movie stand-in for a fictional desert planet
The word crater is actually a misleading term to describe what is in fact an erosion cirque. “When you speak about a crater you’re talking about one of two things,” says Itay Harary, founder of tour company Deep Desert Israel
as he crouched down in the sand to demonstrate with small chunks of limestone
“Either a meteorite crashed into the earth and created an impact crater
or a volcano collapsed into its centre and then you have a volcanic crater
What we have is a unique geological phenomenon that occurs only in Israel… Millions of years ago before the continents split
Tectonic plates pushed against each other and formed a small mountain that rose up above the surface of the ocean
wind and water eroded the island and a hole was hollowed out of the rock
This phenomenon is what we call ‘makhtesh’.”
Mitzpe Ramon didn't even exist as a town until the 1960s
Founded as a workers’ camp in 1951 for the builders of a new North-South highway
Mitzpe initially attracted mainly North African and Romanian Jews who were hired to build roads
most Israelis wrote off Mitzpe Ramon as no more than a petrol stop and toilet break on the way to Eilat
the desert town on the edge of the crater has been growing
attracting city people from Tel Aviv and the more crowded North
Today there are approximately 5,000 residents
all looking to escape the stresses of Israel’s more densely inhabited North
One owner of a B&B just outside the town says he needed to get away from the problems of the North
He didn’t like being in the center of the country
Hen Yannay, a professional photographer, educator and guide whom I met through Meijer, is originally from Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee. Yannay moved to Mitzpe in 1994 to direct an artists' colony, eventually becoming involved with tourism in the region. His company, Desert Tours
are trying in a way to run away from the chaos of Israel
But since Mitzpe is also a challenge and not an escape room
and most of all the feeling that “anything is possible.”
"Rock climbing training for tourists in Ramon Crater"
Mitzpe Ramon also appeals to tourists who enjoy nature and the outdoors
but down below there are mountains to climb and wadis to descend into
Participants sit on mats and mattresses around a campfire in the crater while owner and guide Nadav Silbert provides an overview of the stars
galaxies and solar system over mugs of tea and coffee
Afterwards guests get to look through huge professional telescopes to observe the night sky up close
There were few stars visible when I visited in mid-August
but the sight of a giant tangerine moon rising above the dramatic landscape of the Makhtesh Ramon is definitely up there on the list of awe-inducing natural spectacles I’ve had the privilege of witnessing
and restaurants and cafes situated in an erstwhile industrial area of repurposed hangars and warehouses
I visited a soap factory and boutique, a visual arts gallery, a clothing factory, a vintage clothing shop, and the Lasha Bakery
celebrated in the Negev Highlands for its artisanal kosher breads
imaginative cocktails and a relaxed atmosphere in which patrons are welcome to bring their dogs
All of which—the motley crew of people and the hodgepodge of artistic and culinary options—imbue this desert town on the edge of a crater with a quirky
On my last evening in Mitzpe Ramon I drove out 20 minutes from the town to Nana Winery
There I learned from owner Eran Raz that despite the Negev receiving only 100mm of rain per year
the ancient desert nomads whose capital was located in Petra
had been making wine during the Hellenistic period
“We found remnants of their underground terrace irrigation systems,” said Eran
“There was a big winery in Avdat,” an ancient hilltop city about 13 miles north
Today Raz and his fellow winemakers take advantage of modern drip irrigation technology that relies on underground computerized probes and long plastic tubes to gradually release water
but it had been a longtime dream of his to make wine in the Negev
Packing up his home in the fertile Galilee
The early years were very challenging Raz told me
as we sat tasting wines in his glassed-in tasting room overlooking the vineyard
he discovered that he’d “been planting on the main drug smuggling route between Egypt and Israel
The drug smugglers weren’t happy about this
so they’d send camels in to tear up my vines.” In time
once he and the neighboring winemakers formed an alliance to protect their property
they started attracting hundreds of people to their annual wine harvest festival
“And now,” he says proudly,” we have a new wine region in Israel.”
"Owner Eran Raz (Nana) in his vineyards with his dog"
As I sat with Raz swirling a glass of Syrah
who would have thought the unforgivingly arid
underpopulated Negev Desert would ever become a wine destination
who would have thought that a former laborers’ camp would recast itself as a tourist destination and a Nirvana for Israelis from the North
But thanks to the primordial beauty of its crater and its remote location in Israel’s more relaxed South
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
\"Rock climbing training for tourists in Ramon Crater\"
\"Owner Eran Raz (Nana) in his vineyards with his dog\"
A freelance journalist and photographer based in Canada
William O’Connor is a former Travel Editor for The Daily Beast. He graduated from Georgetown University and also writes about books and art. Follow him on Instagram at @woconnor11
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the luxury Beresheet Hotel in Mitzpe Ramon opened with great fanfare
with rooms looking straight out onto the intoxicating view of the vast Ramon Crater
It was a significant milestone for tourism in southern Israel
and many hoped the hotel would breathe new life into Mitzpe Ramon
spur the creation of new businesses and jobs
Open gallery viewThe Beresheet Hotel in Mitzpeh Ramon
But despite the success of the unique hotel
which primarily draws wealthy Israelis and foreigners who can afford the high price of a room
about the only movement that exists between it and the town in which it sits is of ibexes that roam near the buildings chewing leaves of the numerous ornamental shrubs
Most Beresheet guests prefer to sit by the big outdoor pool or the small private pool in front of their room and gaze at the dramatic landscape
“The hotel broke the glass ceiling of desert tourism,” says Roni Marom
local council head for the past three years
we thought of desert tourism as sleeping in a tent
desert tourism can be the most exclusive thing in the world
It’s a great thing for a place like Mitzpe Ramon
They advertised and marketed the place all over the world
and the wealthiest people come to stay here
This wouldn’t have happened without Beresheet
They also strengthened the local economy – There are a number of small businesses
But we now know that the hotel is not really going to boost employment here
It’s important for us to develop tourism here in other directions too.”
tourism coordinator for the Har Hanegev and Mitzpe Ramon local councils
says the Beresheet Hotel doesn’t really impact the city
The prices are very high (1,800-2,500 shekels
per night) and therefore the guests want to make the most of their time in the hotel.”
Open gallery viewA Nubian ibex in Mitzpe Ramon.Credit: Eyal TouegShilo adds that surveys that have been done clearly show that Mitzpe Ramon’s image has not been burnished by the fact that the hotel is located there
While the hotel’s image is rated as excellent
the town’s image is rated as not very good
Beresheet CEO David Amar confirms that most guests don’t venture much out of the hotel
He attributes this to people wanting to get the most out of their time there
and the wide range of activities available on the premises
There aren’t many culinary options outside the hotel
He says the hotel is at 90-percent capacity on average
“Mitzpe Ramon isn’t an easy place for a hotel on the level of Beresheet,” says Amar
and it took a long time to find the right fit between the town and the hotel
We have a strong desire to work with local businesses
The laundry that we worked with went under so now we send the laundry to Eilat
It’s still hard for us to find a carpenter or welder that can meet the hotel’s standards
It sometimes seems like we speak a different language from the people who live in Mitzpe
The situation today is that the guests come to the hotel
I want them to come to experience the whole area
and that way we could get them to lengthen their stay from one night to two or three
Open gallery viewSaar and Hadas Badash.Credit: David BacharA ski resort in the middle of the desert
Beresheet’s success can be partly chalked up to European tourists’ interest in desert tourism
and growing fear of travel to destinations like Egypt and Morocco
“The Europeans go on ski trips and they’d gladly go on hiking trips and bike trips in the desert
says Tourism Ministry director-general Amir Halevy
“That’s the basis upon which Mitzpe Ramon needs to develop – like a ski resort in the middle of the desert
The average ski resort in Europe sells five million euros’ worth of beer per month
That’s the kind of income that awaits Mitzpe Ramon.”
and owner of the Green Backpackers hostel in Mitzpe Ramon
also serves as head of the local tourism committee
He says the focus must be on what the place is good at
“We’re sitting on the edge of an amazing natural wonder and developing projects and infrastructure that fail to capitalize on this is a waste
A decision has to be made about the touristic nature of this place,” Limon says
Tourist demand for Mitzpe Ramon is increasing
but Mitzpe Ramon as a community is not well-prepared to take on this demand
But he says the ideal is “community tourism” that offers a range of lodging prices
He also thinks that tourism is not a top priority for council head Marom
says at least 700 hotel rooms need to be added in Mitzpe Ramon – to double the present number
Open gallery viewRoni Marom.Credit: Bracha and Gidi Kalifa“Eilat is the opposite of my agenda,” he says
“We don’t have enough tourist attractions in the areas that are best suited for us – agri-tourism
I’d love to see private entrepreneurs open new hotels and resort villages
Marom insists that tourism is Mitzpe Ramon’s main commercial industry and that he treats it as such
five local tourists businesses in the Darkhei Habsamim section of Mitzpe Ramon have closed their doors
Nir Ben-Gal and Liat Dror’s “Adama” project is the best known of these
the local Oranit laundromat run by Philip Friedman
and the Hadasaar Natural Living restaurant
“We operated in Mitzpe Ramon for 17 years,” says Nir Ben-Gal
“What was so nice was that this was a time when artistic and spiritual tourism developed here
It wasn’t the kind of tourism that’s all about lounging by the pool
The Darkhei Habsamim quarter was started 18 years ago in abandoned industrial buildings
for which the landlords charged a very low price – about 10 shekels per square meter
“Now they want 40,000 shekels per square meter and obviously we can’t afford that
I’m sorry to say that the current local council failed to identify the real sources of strength that were here – the small businesses that gave the town new life
I basically felt like I was being kicked out
I was pleading with them – ‘Do something because we’ll leave,’ but the council didn’t believe we’d really leave
they through that Mitzpe’s problems were over when Beresheet opened
Mitzpe’s residents aren’t the ones enjoying the hotel and its success
we hosted hundreds of people a month for dance workshops
Today I can say that they plundered the young entrepreneurs who tried to make a go of something in Mitzpe and succeeded
I did all I could to be able to stay there
but I was left with no choice except to move to Sderot
The Perseids meteor shower as seen from Mitzpe Ramon