On Sunday, December 1, the Fellows embarked on their second field trip, visiting the Negev desert region. Traveling south from Tel Aviv, they first enjoyed some time at Makhtesh Ramon, where they heard a brief lecture on how this rare and unique crater was formed naturally by erosion over hundreds of millions of years. The largest of its kind in the world, the Fellows also got to see the local wildlife, the famous ibex (wild goats) that inhabit the area. Cotler Fellow Antonio Pena Monsalve said that “visiting Makhtesh Ramon highlighted the magnificence of the Negev desert. It felt like being on another planet.”

After the Makhtesh, the group made its way north to Sde Boker, the site of David Ben Gurion’s desert home. There, they learned about the history of the Negev and how Ben Gurion, the leader of the Zionist movement in the 1930s and 1940s and Israel’s first prime minister, dreamed of settling, populating, and making the desert bloom. It was in Negev, he believed, that the Jewish people’s innovation would be truly tested.

The day’s final stop was Beersheba, the “Capital of the Negev.” Having read the biblical verses in Genesis 21 relating to Abraham’s dwelling in the area, the Fellows learned of Beersheba’s significance in Jewish history, how the modern city was established during the Ottoman era, and the important role the city played in the War of Independence. In the city, the Fellows visited the old city of Beersheba and the brand-new Negev Zoo (Midbarium).