Heritage
A
few weeks ago,
during Sukkot, we did a show in a place that is very sentimental for us
– the beautiful
Kibbutz
Ruhama in the Negev. The moadon at
Kibbutz Ruhama was the first
place that we ever performed together way back when - on February 10th,
2006. It
was wonderful to return and perform for the members of Ruhama once
again. We
were also happy to see that their moadon has undergone a lovely
renovation.
But
Ruhama is
more than just a nostalgic place for us personally – it is also a
kibbutz with
a fascinating history. The original settlement, established in 1911, is
considered the first modern Jewish settlement in the Negev. An artesian
well
was dug in
1912, and a rather plentiful supply of water was found at a depth of
fifty
meters. The initial settlers were expelled by the Ottoman Empire in
1917, but the
artesian well prompted the Allied forces under General Allenby to
select Ruhama
as their headquarters from which base the British Army conquered
Palestine.
Two
subsequent
attempts to re-establish the settlement during the period of the
British
Mandate were curtailed by the Arab riots in 1929 and 1936. The kibbutz
was
eventually successfully re-established in 1944 and grew to a population
of 399.
Between 1949 and 1950 a
group of young
immigrants from Italy joined the kibbutz. In 1956, the settlement was
connected
to the national electricity grid!
In
1983, a
small museum was opened in the remains of the first original building,
with
exhibits on the history of Ruhama. Next to the building is a display of
farm
tools. Near Ruhama there was also an Arab village called Gama, which
was
abandoned during the War of Independence. In 1958, an archaeological
excavation
uncovered the remains of a Byzantine monastery with a mosaic floor
there.
In
2006, a
group of the older, diehard communist ideologues blocked an attempt by
the
younger, more liberal members of Ruhama to establish a synagogue. Later
on, in
2012 a synagogue was indeed established in Ruhama to commemorate a boy
who was
killed by a missile attack near Gaza.
So
on your next
trip to the Negev, consider visiting the delightful – and we think
romantic –
Kibbutz Ruhama.