When people think of young entrepreneurs in Israel, they usually picture the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv or the bustling hi-tech areas, or “Silcon Wadi,” Israel’s very own Silicon Valley sprawling across its coastal plain. However, nowadays, this image is going through some radical changes - and for the better.
In the past, cities located in the southern part of Israel, such as Beersheva, Ofakim, Netivot, Sderot, and other small towns in the Negev region, were just seen as a rocket’s destination. Now they can be considered areas where entrepreneurial initiatives are feasible and have a greater chance of success than in overcrowded metropolises such as Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.
While the Negev accounts for 60% of the area of Israel, it contains only 10% of Israel’s population. The Negev is still considered an uncommon destination for living, especially for people who were not born in one of its cities or in the many kibbutzim throughout the desert. With the recent wars and operations in Gaza (2009, 2012, 2014), these places became even less desired. According to Ofra Malka, a 26 year-old current student of Sapir College located in Sderot, when she announced her move to the South, her family and friends from her hometown of Beit Shemesh thought she was crazy: “Everybody told me it was very risky to live here and also that I would never find a job. The first one proved to be half true. It is true that missiles fell here, but nothing has happened to me, since the security system is very effective. The second is also a lie: I now work in two places besides studying. I live well here in Sderot,” Ofra affirms.
It is not only peoples’ perceptions of the South that have been changing. New entrepreneurial initiatives are definitely altering the lives of the over 1 million Negev residents. In Sderot, for example, new businesses and the increasing cultural outlets are transforming the city that some years ago was avoided due to security issues and the high levels of poverty and unemployment.
It has been already five years since Ori Sharabi, 29 years old, left his house in Netanya to study communications at Sapir. As time passed, he realized that there was actually nothing to do in Sderot and no options for the students who live in the area. Two years ago, he and another partner, Ben Grafi, 28 years old and originally from Jerusalem, decided to open Pub Sderot, the first bar in the city. The place grew into much more than just a local watering hole: currently, it hosts all kinds of cultural events, from music concerts and parties to markets and lectures. “The idea is that the pub is an open and free space and whoever wants to do something interesting here is more than welcome,” states Ben. “I think we managed to create a leisure option not only for the students in Sderot, but also for the city,” Ori continues, affirming that the long-term residents of the area also go frequently to the pub. Both Ben and Ori have already finished their respective degrees at Sapir, but neither considers moving back to the Center.
In Beersheva, the most populated town of the Negev and home to Ben Gurion University, entrepreneurs found a “home” to discuss their ideas about projects aiming towards sustainable development in the Negev. BETA is a shared office for entrepreneurs where the most varied populations, Bedouins to Ultra-Orthodox Jews and students to seasoned social workers, can exchange ideas in order to determine what can be done in terms of social innovation in southern Israel. According to Ibrahim al Tzariya, a local entrepreneur who is using BETA to promote his ideas, the place was a perfect option for him: “The rent is affordable and I have all the help I need to develop my initiative.”
Local Sustainable Economic Development (LSED), is a systematic approach that encourages regional economic development by promoting local creative industries and entrepreneurial ventures. Focusing on the “local” and demanding that resources be directed toward the local economy and population, the LSED approach serves as an alternative to the dominant development approach utilized for over a century by the Israeli government, which has focused almost entirely on “importing” financial and human capital from the center to the periphery. Rooted in these concepts, the Start South festival, which occurred in the last week of December in a numerous cities and kibbutzim in the Negev, promoted activities bringing local talents and external actors together. The sessions spanned from workshops with kids to street theater, and climaxed in a big concert that united stars such as the band Hadag Nahash and the singer Berry Sakharof with local bands. According to Yair Eyal, one of the festival’s producers, the success of the event stems from its use of local capacities and talent: “This festival had something unique, [bringing] big Israeli stars to play for free, but without forgetting the more local social aspect of it, meaning involving the local community in every step of the process.”
If it depends on the will of some entrepreneurs that are shaking the Negev up, Tel Aviv will be an old fashioned cultural option very soon.
Deborah Malheiro
