Baruchim Habaim l'Beersheba!

five housemates and i have arrived at one of the four immigrant absorption centers in beersheba. beersheba--'seven wells'-- is a small desert city of 200,000, about 2 hours south of jerusalem in the northern negev desert. yesterday my group, 30 chaverim from north america and britain, put on a carnival for the 40 children who are presently living in the center. the new immigrants hail from 28 countries, so there is much spanish, russian, and hindi being spoken in the halls. there's a lot of controversy here about russian non-jews assuming a jewish identity in order to claim the right of return.

identity place observance prayer raising children helping parents loving a home shalom bayit terror terrain track 2 netivot leaving learning living one breath at a time deep breaths in the airport wiping tears at the wall at the scorpion ascent at ben-gurion airport the wailing wall climbing in the wadi camels chewing horizontal cud walking wailing wind in acacias and sand like flour fluttering in the tunnel darkness in desert night is darkness like fear of the immigrant's might

our first week was an exhausting orientation at a hostel in jerusalem, across the street from hebrew university's botanical gardens. workshop upon workshop. we arrived on a historic day, nearly the moment every settler had been evacuated from gaza in peace.

the tension was high, israelis fearing civil unrest and violence. but we heard stories of soldiers arriving in gaza and welcomed into settlers' houses for tea and coffee. the settlers and soldiers prayed together inside synagogues for the last time. one settler was pouring cement for a new house when the soldiers arrived to evacuate his family. last night my roommate was asked by an evacuee if he could borrow some money to use the internet. he was being put up by the government at the paradise hotel in beersheba. he had made aliyah 15 years ago from new jersey, and now will move with many of the settlers to start a new town nearby in the desert.

until there is more free time,
signing off from ben-gurion university of the negev.