Ruach Arava

Who We Are Founded in 2009 by the second generation of Arava pioneers, Ruach Arava is a nonprofit based in Hatzeva, on Israel’s southeastern frontier. Our programs span the agricultural communities of the Arava, which thrive despite the challenges of the desert. We invest in young people, fostering personal growth, communal bonds, and a deep connection to the land and one another. By combining education, agricultural work, and community involvement, we aim to build resilient, interconnected communities that will shape Israel’s future. Employing over 70 educators, lecturers, managers, and support staff, Ruach Arava is the second-largest employer in Central Arava. Our Vision We strive to educate and inspire young people, by fostering a profound connection to the land, Zionist values, and a shared, diverse Israeli identity that aspires to establish an exemplary 21st-century Israeli society. By bringing together youth from all backgrounds for immersive experiences and hands-on agricultural work, we cultivate a generation deeply rooted in their heritage, proud of their identity, and committed to a sustainable, inclusive Israel. We instill in them an enduring respect, understanding, and appreciation for all facets of Israeli society. Our Programs 1. Mechinat Arava A unique pre-army preparatory program where young men and women—secular, religious, native Israelis, and Jews from the diaspora—come together for 10 transformative months. Through rigorous physical training, hands-on agricultural work, and in-depth exploration of Jewish identity, the program fosters resilience, mutual respect, and a profound sense of purpose. With a commitment to inclusivity and supported by scholarships, the Mechina empowers participants to embrace their heritage, understand diverse perspectives, and prepare to contribute meaningfully to Israel’s future. Mechinat Arava has four campuses (in Hatzeva, Ein Yahav, Tzofar and Paran), with 160 participants every year. 2. Avoda Ivrit Avoda Ivrit offers young Israelis a transformative post-army experience that combines the rewards of hard work with the restorative power of nature and community. Set in the serene Arava desert, this unique time provides participants with meaningful agricultural work that strengthens Israel’s farming sector and enhances their own sense of purpose. With hands in the soil, they find a nurturing rhythm that supports emotional healing and offers a powerful reset after military service. Alongside peers who share similar journeys, they engage in workshops, build community bonds, and connect deeply with the Arava, a region that often becomes a place they wish to call home. Avoda Ivrit is more than a year of work; it’s a journey of renewal, connection, and contribution to Israel’s food security. Each year, 200 young people participate in the program in five Moshavim, working on 40 farms in the Arava. 3. Midreshet Ha’Arava Midreshet Ha’Arava is a unique 3- to 4-month post-army program that combines community living, hands-on agricultural work, and a thoughtful curriculum in Jewish-Israeli studies, philosophy, history, and spirituality. Tailored as a transitional experience, the program offers participants—particularly those who missed the chance to join the Mechina a space to explore Jewish identity and philosophy, with connections to contemporary realities. Set in the serene and isolated Arava, Midreshet Ha’Arava fosters the values of agricultural community life, providing a rare opportunity to pause, reflect, and gain perspective before the next steps in life. 4. Bein Hashitin Farm Bein Hashitin Farm is an educational, agricultural, and tourism initiative that brings the Arava’s diverse produce together in one facility. The farm hosts elementary students, offers programs for at-risk youth and youth on the autism spectrum, and provides immersive one-day activities for families and groups. Visitors connect with the land, experiencing agriculture firsthand and enjoying fresh meals at the on-site café. By blending education and tourism, Bein Hashitin bridges rural Arava life with urban Israeli society, fostering a deeper appreciation for Israel’s agricultural heart. Our farm welcomes over 6,000 visitors each year. Why the Arava? Central Arava, Israel’s most isolated region, is a resilient desert landscape with seven agricultural communities along the Jordanian border, receiving only an inch of rainfall each year. Home to 4,000 residents and 500 family farms the Arava is Israel’s agricultural pride, built on strong community ties, solidarity, and a pioneering spirit. This unique environment offers Israelis and the Jewish diaspora a meaningful setting for transformative educational journeys, where they can connect deeply with the land, each other, and a way of life that thrives against the odds. Ruach Arava's programs harness this remarkable landscape to foster growth, sustainability, and unity. Our Impact Each year, Ruach Arava programs inspire more than 500 hundred young people, instilling a strong sense of purpose, belonging, and commitment to resilience, community, and hard work. Thirty-five percent of our Mechina preparation program alumni advance to key officer roles in the army, where their leadership is highly valued. With over 3,000 graduates, many go on to become influential leaders across public and private sectors. Through our programs, participants gain the tools to contribute meaningfully to Israeli society and to build lasting connections across all sectors, within and beyond the Arava. Many graduates return to the Arava to build their homes and families, strengthening their ties to the land and community. Our long-term vision is for these graduates to become the ‘garin’ (core) of Ir Ovot, the future Central Arava’s new community, contributing not only to demographic growth but also to a vibrant and sustainable future for the Arava. In 2009, the fiftieth anniversary of settling the Arava, Arava Spirit was founded by members of the region’s second generation of pioneers. Arava Spirit’s mission is “to be a leading organization in the process of developing and strengthening the settlement in the Central Arava for the purpose of invigorating Israeli society and the State of Israel by developing and operating Zionist educational programming for young people in the Arava.” Since its founding eleven years ago, Arava Spirit has created one trailblazing educational project after another, attracting more and more young people from throughout Israel to live in the Arava, experience it, and settle there. Arava Spirit founded and operates the Arava Mechinot at four locations, in the moshavim of Hatzeva (established 2009), Paran (2013), Ein Yahav (2017) and zofar (2021), with yearly attendance of 150 students. The mechinot educate idealistic teens to serve in the IDF with meaning and to make the mission to give back to Israeli society a core part of their lives. Program graduates set out on their way filled with values and motivation. Many choose to become commanders in the army (35% of alumni become officers, double the average at other mechinot), and to pursue studies and work with a social or educational orientation after their military service. Avoda Ivrit, established by Arava Spirit in 2011, provides young Israelis who have completed their army service with a seven-month program of agricultural work, study, group living, and community engagement. The program operates in seven locations in Central Arava communities and in Kibbutz Yahel in the Southern Arava. The coronavirus crisis brought about an impressive increase in program enrollment, with a current total of 250 participants. In 2017, Arava Spirit established Bein Hashitin Farm, an agricultural and educational initiative that lets groups from Israel and abroad experience agricultural work firsthand and learn the story of how the Arava was settled and cultivated. In 2019, the farm hosted 6,000 visitors. In 2019, Arava Spirit created Midreshet HaArava, an umbrella project for in-depth adult programming. The first program launched was Year 2, which serves graduates of mechina and service year programs. Now in its second year, with 25 participants, this program brings together ongoing agricultural work, in-depth beit midrash study, acquisition of spoken Arabic, one day a week at Ben-Gurion University, and more. In addition, Midreshet HaArava established the Community Beit Midrash, a program in which dozens of local men and women study together on a regular basis. A third initiative is expected to launch this March. Arava Spirit strives to create programs and projects that will change Israeli society and life in Israel for the better. In keeping with this mission, in 2019 Arava Spirit launched SOS Wi-Fi—Connectivity That Saves Lives, in which small systems that enable Wi-Fi communications are stationed on hiking trails across Israel where there is no cell phone reception. So far, nearly 20 systems have been put in place, and they’ve already proven critical in emergencies. Over the next year, another 50 systems are expected to be deployed. The project is conducted in collaboration with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. At the beginning of 2020, Arava Spirit made its entrance into a new field of activities: Settling the Arava in collaboration with the Central Arava Regional Council, the Hevel Eilot Regional Council, and KKL. Eleven years after its founding, Arava Spirit brings more than 400 young people to the Arava every year to take part in its programs. This revolution, taking place right before our eyes, is multiplying the number of young people in the region. They bring with them a new spirit that attracts even more young people, some of them originally from the Arava, to come home. Arava Spirit’s many values-driven activities, lectures, and leaders are cultivating an ethical conversation in the Arava that can be powerfully heard outside the region’s borders. Every year, Arava Spirit’s activities introduce hundreds and hundreds of young people to theappr unfamiliar Arava, where they fall in love with the region and become an ideal potential audience for future settlement of the Arava, where dozens of our graduates already live. The activities of Arava Spirit bring 60 full-time and part-time positions to the region in the fields of education, administration, and other services. Arava Spirit works in close collaboration with the Central Arava Regional Council, and has gained enormous eciation as a key driver of regional growth. We offer our heartfelt thanks to all our partners for the faith and support they’ve given us. From here, we’re looking ahead at new areas of educational action in the Arava. You’re invited to join us.