New art panel at Kibbutz Or Haner

In Or Haner there are broad, flat plains like in central Illinois where I grew up, and the corn is so tall and lush that it looks like Iowa. And John Deere tractors work there way back and forth across the fields and haul harvests of produce and feed for livestock. It looks like home, but it’s Sha’ar HaNegev, the gateway of the Negev dessert to the south. It’s hard to believe that a little over fifty years ago, this place was desolate.

Wednesday we made our third visit to Or Haner, since we had been there in 2005 and 2006, and things are much quieter now than they were then when qassam rockets were being launched regularly from nearby Gaza. It was good to see the progress that has been made there in a short time. The kibbutz is even more lovely as a result of the work of Argentinian artists who painted several panels like the one in the photo.

Ronit, our Or Haner friend, who has visited the Quad Cities twice, picked us up in Jerusalem, and we enjoyed catching up on her news on the drive to Sha’ar HaNegev. It was lunchtime when we arrived, so we had a great lunch in the kibbutz dining room. Or Haner is one of the few kibbutzim that still has a communal dining facility, and they provide catering for other nearby kibbutzim. There are several in the area. It’s interesting to see the transitions in the kibbutzim movement since the early pioneering days with they were so vital to the establishment of the Jewish state. Or Haner has a new neighborhood where private houses are being built for families who will receive services from the kibbutz, but are not members. Especially for young families with children, kibbutz life looks like a great option. It’s clear that a modern kibbutz survives on business acumen, not just hard work and courage.

While we were there, we talked with our friend Dr. Ruthie Eitan, who is a professor at Sapir College. Ruthie was the one who had the vision for a partnership between Sapir College and St. Ambrose University, which was developed since our last visit. We also met, for the first time, Dr. Uri Rosset, who will be coming to the Quad Cities in September. Uri is an expert on Islamic extremist groups.