How did it happen that the largest and most complex settlement operation until then took place in one day, with 11 new settlements established in the Negev? The answer is vision, faith and meticulous planning. At night, after the end of Yom Kippur in 1946, a convoy of trucks travelled the dirt roads of the Negev in complete secrecy. The following morning, the Jewish Yishuv awoke in amazement: 11 new settlements had been established in an impossible region, under almost impossible conditions. But the challenge did not end there. The new settlements, which were established with the support of Keren Hayesod, had to survive for a while without a source of water or a means of livelihood. Within a year, however, they were connected to the first water pipeline to the Negev – and the rest is history. Today, too, Keren Hayesod continues to help strengthen communities in the Negev, such as Dimona, Yeruham, Beersheba, Netivot, Sderot and the Gaza border communities.
