The Negev
While much of the Negev is a brown and dusty desert many aspects of the Negev are
truly beautiful and fascinating. Its population is only 20% of the country, despite the
fact that it covers half of Israel's land mass.
Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion firmly believed that Israel's future
remained in the Negev. Towards the end of his life, he resided in the Negev town of Sde
Boker. He is one of few Israeli politicians that is not buried at Har Herzl, but rather
in the territory he loved and hoped would develop.
The most wonderful part of the Negev is just south of the city of Beer Sheva, the
Machtesh Ramon. While the phrase has no real English meaning, it has been interpreted as
a crater, though its creation was not from a meteorite. It is unique to the world, and
contains steep walls within its valley.
The Machtesh Ramon is a geologists' paridise, with many fossils, rock formations and
volcanic and magmatic phenomenon dating back up to 220 million years.
USY Pilgrimage groups always spend time by the Machtesh. Because of the clear skies
and unpopulated areas, you can see every star in the sky - which is why many USYers
spend their nights there star-gazing.
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