A Foreigner Among Foreigners

The longer I stay here, the more I realize that I really, really like this living situation. This is our first weekend at the Merkaz, and all but five people in our group (myself included) left Be’er Sheva for beachier accommodations. As a result, my wanderings this evening have resulted in some very interesting friendships. I met a brilliant tetra-lingual Indian family living down the hall from me who immigrated here ten months ago. They came to Israel because they could not sustain themselves economically elsewhere. The father died a few months ago from poor medical treatment, so it is difficult for them to make ends meat even here at the center. The mother, Shimba, has promised to cook us Indian food for Shabbat dinner one day.

Later on, I managed to get into a comical-then-heated argument with a Uruguayan/American and a Russian about the distinctions between Palestinian government and Palestinian people. The debate somehow shifted to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheeba, and I went home with some bar recommendations and an offer for Russian lessons. This absorption center is a truly fascinating place. It is a uniquely Israeli concept. Nowhere else in the world are there such internationally integrated facilities that offer a complete linguistic/cultural introduction for new immigrants and refugees. Nearly every apartment represents a different nationality, but all have a common Jewish lineage and communicate with varying masteries of Hebrew. As an added bonus, the Merkaz Klita is the longest building in the Middle-East. Take that, Dubai.

For the first week here, we essentially ran around the country with the goal of exploring the area and getting a sense of the volunteer opportunities. As part of Be’er Sheva orientation, we did a volunteer day in the developing town of Dimona. The project was led by a group called Ayalim, which is possibly the coolest organization I have ever encountered. The Negev Desert covers 60% of Israel’s land mass, but holds only 10% of the population and has the highest unemployment rate in the country. Accordingly, a bunch of college students got together and decided that to continue Ben Gurion’s legacy, the next generation of pioneers must look to the Negev for population development. To realize this expansion, the students are creating communes in arid landscapes directly outside of developing communities. When they’re not attending class, they volunteer to enhance the communities both structurally and socially, hoping over time to settle a young, attractive population right in the heart of the desert, where Israeli’s security could use it most. We spent the day building a garden, oiling wood planks, and tiling floors. Perhaps I could fall back on a career in carpentry...