So you wanna move to the Negev?
Want to live in Israel's last empty piece of land? Dreaming of a home in the desert in Israel? More and more olim are moving to the Negev. There are many reasons that this once almost forgotten 60% of Israel is hotter than
ever! The trend isn't only among olim - young Israeli couples are leaving the crowded center of the country and are opting for a better quality of life in the Negev. Modern technology and improved roads, bus and train service have made it easier than ever.
Transportation? Road 6 (The Trans-Israel Highway) ends just north of Beersheva and will soon make it to Beersheva and further
south. Once you're on Road 6, you can get to Tel Aviv, Netanya, Haifa and everywhere else along the coastal strip in no time. Dimona is now a part of Israel's recently modernized train network. You can get on a train in Dimona and be in Tel Aviv
in less than two hours. The Negev isn't as far away as it used to be.
What about work? Many people only need to be in the office a few days a week. Others work with Israeli and international companies and don't need to be in the office at all. And if you're looking to get a job in the Negev, its not impossible.
Every community and town has its own needs and opportunities.
City, town or countryside? Take your pick! Beersheva and Eilat are two of the Negev's largest cities. Beersheva has gone from
sleepy town to expanding metropolis since the 90's. If you're used to living in a medium-sized city and want the amenities of a city, Beersheva is what you're looking for. It has a few malls, busy bus and train stations, and a wide variety of restaurants and stores to choose from. A car ride to Tel Aviv is about 75 minutes. Eilat has over 50,000 residents and usually tens of thousands of tourists at any given time. There is no place so far from the rest of Israel as Eilat! If you like living near the beach, good but inexpensive restaurants, tourist attractions like IMAX, King's City and the Dolphin Reef, Eilat can be a fun city to live in. Eilat doesn't have VAT so many things (including utility bills, most local supermarkets, restaurants and even the hardware store) are cheaper. The downside is the four to five hour ride to Tel Aviv from Eilat. Eilat has an airport and once you're a resident, you can fly at a discount. Taxis are cheap in Eilat - they don't charge you the extra few shekels when you order a taxi on the phone. Most rides within Eilat will cost 10-15 shekels.
Towns? Dimona, Mitze Ramon, Sde Boker, Arad to name a new. Some are defined as cities, some as towns. You'll have a few stores - maybe a supermarket or two - and bus service to Beersheva and Tel Aviv. Rent will be cheaper than Beersheva and Eilat. You can live in a quiet Negev town and use Beersheva for shopping, business and entertainment. You'll need a car - its one thing to live in Beersheva or Eilat without a car and another thing to be anywhere else in the Negev without a car. You get a bit of both worlds - you're living in the desert but have the amenities of a village with a city not too far away.
What about a kibbutz, moshav or other small settlement? It takes a Zionist to even consider moving to the Negev. If you're already moving to the desert, why not live a 100% desert lifestyle? Most of Israel's kibbutzim and moshavim have changed.
They're recovering from financial disaster and are always happy to welcome olim. They've evolved into small villages looking to grow. A few people work on the kibbutz or moshav but most work outside. You can rent an apartment or buy a house - most kibbutzim and moshavim are building new neighborhoods. Even the smallest community will have some sort of store or mini-market, but it may only be open a few hours a day. You'll be doing most of your shopping in a nearby town. Your rent will usually include arnona (municipal taxes) and electricity. The kibbutz we lived on, Kibbutz Ruhama, had free cable TV in every apartment. I was told that almost every kibbutz and moshav has a collective agreement with Hot or Yes, Israel's cable and satellite TV providers. You'll get free or almost free access to the library, swimming pool and usually a small workout room.
The Negev lifestyle is more chilled-out than in the rest of Israel. People are in less of a rush. The only place you'll see real traffic is in Beersheva. Israelis have a reputation as being a feisty bunch, but I've found a "kinder, gentler" Israel in the Negev. People in stores are quick to get to know us and what we need. They appreciate our business - there's no pretending to have tons of other customers as in the big city! There are many artists living in the smaller communities in the Negev. The sunsets are out of this world throughout the Negev.
Imagine what Sunday morning is like in the center of Israel - traffic, people running past you. Now picture Sunday morning in a small town in the Negev. You have a constant view of hills and mountains around you and notice a few more cars and people than on Saturday.
What do you do for fun in the Negev? In Beersheva and Eilat, you have the mall, the movie theatre and lots of restaurants. Eilat has lots of tourist attractions and the beach (October - April is when most Eilatis go to the beach). The smaller communities in the Negev have dozens of unique guesthouses. We stayed at one in Ashalim, not far from Sde Boker, that impressed us. We had a gorgeous room inside a local artist's sculpture gallery. Sde Boker has rooms for a fair price so you can stay there and go hiking on the many trails there (just like you did on the high school or college Israel program that you went on years ago!).
How do you deal with the hot weather? In Eilat, every apartment has air conditioning or water coolers (weaker than a/c but it does the job and costs a lot less electricity). The hottest months are June, July and August. May and September are hot and From October to April, the weather is perfect - mildly warm and mildly cold. I wait all year for those seven months to come around! Come May, you're indoors more - its like winter somewhere else. The rest of the Negev (everywhere north of Eilat and the Arava) gets hot, but not nearly as insanely hot as down in Eilat. The same seven months have perfect weather and the summers are hot. I'm originally from Miami - Eilat's summer is a lot hotter than Miami. But the central Negev has about the same heat as Miami has in the summer, only there's no chance of rain and the air is dry (less sweaty!) during the Negev summer.
What's a "garin hityashvut" and why would I want to join one? Its a small group of people trying to establish a settlement in the Negev. There are always a few active groups at any given time. By the time you join, they've probably agreed with the government and Jewish Agency on where the community will be located. The next step is usually setting up mobile homes and basic infrastructure on the site so members can move in. Every family gets a plot of land to build a home. You join one because you believe in it and want to be part of a group of people establishing a community in the Negev.
Do residents of the Negev receive any benefits from the government? Yes. Eilat doesn't have VAT. A small lot of land for building a home is much cheaper in the Negev than anywhere else in Israel. Land in the northern Negev (which is closer to the rest of Israel) costs more than in the Ramat Ha-Negev area (south of Beersheva). In the Nitzana area, about 45 minutes southwest of Beersheva, some communities are giving residents 1-2 dunams for free! There are some tax benefits in parts of the Negev.
What about Kupat Holim and hospitals? Beersheva and Eilat both have hospitals. Beersheva's Soroka Hospital is world renowned. Both cities have all three Kupot Holim. Many smaller towns will have one or two. It is common for kibbutzim and moshavim to have at least one Kupat Holim clinic.
Pets? The bigger the town, the more veterinarians and animal clinics. Ask around - if a community you're looking into doesn't have anything, a nearby town will. I have a friend who lives in Eilat with his Saint Bernard - if you have an apartment with a yard and a good cooler ("mitzanen") or a/c, anything's possible! If you have lots of pets, a small town/kibbutz/moshav in the Negev may be the perfect choice.
What organization helps Israelis move to the Negev? Or Movement has been doing it for years. Visit their site and give them a call. They see themselves as matchmakers between you and the Negev. They'll point you in the right direction so you can check out a few Negev communities. Their site is packed with useful information about the Negev.
Here are some other cool Negev links:
Negev Tour - Israel's official Negev tourism and travel site
Sde Boker - Sde Boker official site
The Negev - My Negev photo essay
Eilat - My Eilat photo essay
Kibbutz Ruhama - My Kibbutz Ruhama photo essay
Kenny Sahr
