The late 1960’s was a tumultuous time in the history of the Middle East. In the fall of 1967, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan mobilized troops near the Israeli boarders. In addition, the Arab states began broadcasting anti-Israeli propaganda over regional radio and television. Tensions began escalating between the Jewish and Arab states. Instigated by the threats of war, Israel invaded Egypt, Syria, Jordan on the hot summer day of June 5th, 1967. In six days, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) pushed its aggressors back, capturing the desert Sinai peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the lush Golan Heights from Syria, and Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan. After the war ended Israel remained in occupation of captured land to ensure a buffer zone from its unfriendly neighbors. The U.N. and other Israeli allies condemned Israel’s occupation its newly gained land.
After the Six Day War, Israel commenced a policy of setting up frontier settlements along hot borders and in desolate regions of the South. New settlements were set up five to ten kilometers apart and took form as army bases and agricultural communities. These settlements acted as a political indicator of Israel’s occupation and control of the land and promoted future development in the surrounding regions.
In the North, new kibbutzim were started in the newly acquired Golan Heights. These kibbutzim were built in highly controversial areas as Syria still considered the Golan as its land. As a result, these kibbutzim were often shelled and bombed by the Syrian army. In the Southwest, kibbutzim were built along borders of the Gaza strip. These kibbutz were particularly prone to violence from infuriated refugees of the Israeli controlled Gaza strip. In the South, many settlements were set up in the Arava Valley along the Israeli-Jordanian border. These settlements were susceptible to raids from Jordanian desert bandits.
In January of 1969, the IDF broke ground, and formed an army base on where now stands Kibbutz Arava. This base acted as an entity in the network of above mentioned settlements along the Israeli-Jordanian border. It was named Heachzut Nachal Arava. This new base became a temporary depot for the army housing a rotation eighty soldiers. Men and women soldiers lived together and enjoyed a coed army experience; a rarity in IDF life. Several years passed, and peace and tranquillity grew in the area. Soon the need for an agricultural community on this particular spot of land superseded the need for an army base. The Israeli government felt that by converting the army base into a community, it would hasten population growth and bring economic productivity in the region.
In the early 1970’s, a group of young American Zionists moved to Israel, made aliya,11 and became citizens of the country. In 1973, after serving their mandatory army service, the Israeli-American immigrants were free to fulfill their utmost dream of forming a farming community in the State of Israel. One founding member recalls the initial idea behind the creation of their community. “We came to Israel to try and form a community, a utopia of sorts. I wanted a family, and I was looking for a smaller community where people looked after each other and cared for others.” These dedicated men and women formed the nucleus of their future community, calling themselves Garin Hashachar, and began a land search for their prospected community.12
It was soon discovered that an army base in the Arava valley was waiting for conversion to become an agricultural community. Inquiries were made and a deal was set. The land where rested Heachzut Nachal Arava was granted to the Israeli-American garin to build their anticipated farming community. In September of 1973, the IDF began to pull its troops out of Heachzut Nachal Arava and the Garin Hashachar started to move in. The following weeks, however, brought unpredicted events in Israeli history which caused a further delay in the creation of the farming community. Israel, again, went to war.
On October 7th, 1973, the holy Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur fell. On this day, Israel experienced a surprise attack from all sides. Egypt, Syria, and Jordan invaded Israel with the goal to regain their lost land and crush the Jewish State. The men of Garin Hashachar were recalled back into army service to protect their endangered country. The dreamed community would have to wait a little longer. One member of Garin Hashachar recalled his experiences of going back to war. “I was stationed in the Sinai peninsula. It was the only time in my life that I had ever been truly shot at.” The Yom Kippur War eventually came to end. Israel maintained occupation of all its land, but the costs were great. There had been bloodshed and death.
On November 24, 1974, after returning from war, the Garin Hashachar was ready to build their long awaited community. And so the few structures and several small trees that stood on this barren piece of land in the middle of a desert, in the middle of the East became known Kibbutz Arava.
