Building more than just buildings

I get asked a lot why I came to live in the middle of the desert, to give up my comforts of living in a big city for a lifestyle that in many ways adds more difficulty to one's day to day life, my answer was always "to build the future of the land of Israel." When I saw pictures of young people settling the Negev, building their own homes, working together and having fun, I was stuck by the romance of it all. Like the early pioneers who first came to Israel to build a more ideal society, I too wanted to be a part of the people that could say “I was there. I had a hand building something where there was once nothing.” I am proud to say I am a part of this, that the future of Israel I have had a hand in shaping, but I didn’t know exactly what I’d be building.

I am building a constructive role model for troubled youth. I am building a positive image of Israel and Jews with the Bedouin Arabs. I am building a future of opportunity for recovering addicts. I am building a community which goes beyond myself and my peers in Ayalim, but seeks to bring up the whole of the region with us. We have issued a call to action for the next generation of Jews, realizing that the work of establishing the country did not end in 1948. Only here, in an area so neglected by the past, so open and ready for change, so separate from the establishment and the tired ideas repeated over and over is such a change possible. This is the real goal of the Ayalim Association, to bring up the quality of life of all Israelis, regardless of age, race, or religion. A Renaissance of the vision of Herzl, a Jewish state with commitments to social values and Jewish morals, and all in the lands in which Ben-Gurion saw that very possibility.

 The recent protests raging across the country have come accompanied by demands for Tzedek Chevrati, or Social Justice, but what does this all mean? It is a vague demand and to what degree is the government even responsible? That may be a distinctly American way of thinking, but I can’t help but be reminded of JFK’s inaugural speech when he encouraged all Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” This spirit is alive and strong in Ayalim as we not only provide a legitimate alternative to rising costs of living in the center, but also want to ensure that it is not only ourselves and our future communities that are secured. We want to elevate the quality of life of all Israelis, and are willing to do the work to create that greater community and society.

              Living here and being a part of the Ayalim Association, we are constantly reminded that we don’t need to ask anyone for help in something we can do ourselves. From building our own pub to organizing projects to the local Bedouin school, from to planning our philosophical discussions and Beit Midrash to working with local bus lines to establish routes so the elderly will be able to do their daily grocery shopping, all aspects of our social and logistical lives are taken care of by us. So when I am asked why I came to live in the middle of the desert, my answer is still to build the future of the land of Israel. Only now it is so much more than just buildings. Come build with me.