Far Beyond the Rockets: Southern Israel Starts to Bloom with New Initiatives

 

 

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