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 David
Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, prophesied in the
early 1950's that if the State did not put an end to the desert,
the desert would likely put an end to the State. Yet, despite
his cautioning words, the Negev, comprising some 66% of the land,
was largely left a backwater area, with a population of less
than 12% of the country's total inhabitants.
In 1982, following
several visits to the region, Richard J. Bogomolny
of Cleveland, Ohio, retired CEO
of First National Supermarkets, Inc., acknowledged the
potential of Israel's "remaining
frontier", and decided to rekindle the pioneering spirit
of David Ben-Gurion. Together with Sam Hoenig,
former head of the Jewish National Fund's Ohio region, they
convened an informal group to discuss promotion of the Negev.
In
keeping with the philosophy of
12th century Spanish rabbinical
scholar, Moses Maimonides, that the highest form of charity
enabled self-sufficiency, The Negev Foundation was initially
formed as a fund-raising organization to help develop
the Negev into a flourishing, economically productive
region. Incorporated as a 501(C) (3) not-for-profit in
1992, The Negev Foundation soon expanded its mission
to promote innovative business ventures and the transfer
of successful Israeli applied desert agri-technology
abroad.
Since then, through
the efficient use of grants and
donations, The Negev Foundation has channeled over $5
million, at minimum administrative cost, into a variety
of projects in the Negev. The Negev Foundation-supported
institutions include the Ramat Negev Desert AgroResearch
Center, Institute for Applied Research at Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev, Arava R & D Stations,
and the Faculty
of Agriculture at the Hebrew University. Capital projects
sponsored by The Negev Foundation range from state of
the art hothouses and laboratories to farm equipment
and computer hardware.
Intense fundraising
efforts are currently underway
toward the construction of a new 12,000 square foot Ramat
Negev Desert AgroResearch and
Business Center, to advance
the work of the center into the new century. Estimated
to cost $2.5 million, this multi-faceted, modern structure
will expand the scope of research, assist in generating
agribusiness ventures and accommodate sophisticated equipment
to answer the increasing demands for services.
Continuing
to
work closely with a comprehensive
network of Israeli
scientists and researchers, The
Negev Foundation is currently considering new innovations
presented
by Negev farmers in the fields
of aquaculture, organic agriculture and bioagrigenetics.
The
Negev Foundation is the only
foundation exclusively
devoted to the development of
the Negev and the fulfillment of David Ben-Gurion’s
vision.
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