Hatzeva

I missed my high school's 45th reunion this fall, as did Gail (née Zionts) Raz, a friend of mine from the school who now lives in Israel. Both of us live pretty far from Pittsburgh these days, especially Gail, but we didn't see any reason why we couldn't have our own reunion while I was in Israel.

So, on Friday I rented a car and drove down to Hatzeva, a small moshav in the southern Israeli desert, where Gail now lives with her husband of 40+ years, Micha.

A moshav is similar to the better known kibbutz, except in a nod to human behavior, the farms are owned individually, not collectively. However, a lot of equipment, such as plows and tractors, are owned collectively, making these a highly efficient form of farming.

The moshav Hatzeva is located in a very remote part of Israel, in the Arava desert, just south of the Dead Sea, and about 500 feet below sea level! In fact, the drive in is spectacular. Southern Israel is mostly flat and not very interesting, but when you reach the escarpment that marks the edge of the Great Rift, the same rift the Leakeys made famous in Kenya, the earth drops 3,000 feet down to the lowest spot on the planet, the Dead Sea, and the Raz's home.

Road hazards in southern Israel

The bottom of the Arava Valley, with Jordan to the east. Unfortunately, you can't go wandering out there because of buried mines, left over from the 1967 war. It was a very hazy day, so the picture doesn't do the place justice. 

Gail emigrated to Israel in the early 1970s to live in the Arava, so she easily wins the prize for the most far flung CAHS graduate, with a special certificate for the exotic location. When Gail and Micha started in the area, there was nothing there --- just dirt and sand. The sense of isolation and harshness is still striking, but the moshav has managed to carve out a living and an extremely pleasant community, despite the challenging environment.

The area only gets 20-30 mm of rain a year (about an inch), so everything is about water and its conservation. The farms use very sophisticated methods to wring every bit of use out of a drop of water.

Competition from Spain has made it tough to grow their former favored crop, fresh fruit and vegetables, but Micha is a shrewd businessman. He switched to flowers, specifically hibiscus, used for decorations. He's one of the few farmers in the world who grows them.

A field of hibiscus flowers, to be sold in Holland.

Micha and his hibiscus flowers.

Our 45th reunion out in the Alava desert!