Our departure day went flawlessly. All 12 CAARI participants were on time for our 8:30 departure after loading up the minibus. We heard from Mark Weiss and Barbara Kuhn about their experiences in Petra on Saturday. We arrived at Zukim an exceptional community the only community that is not a Moshav in the Central Arava Regional council where there are 6 communities and about 3000 people. in the first 3 pictures we meet Shlomo Heller who is the deputy mayor of Zukim. He gave us background on the 11 years of Zukims development and the JNF KKL support.
This is the present artists studios that are being made in the older abandoned buildings from the IDF Nahal brigade that tried to build and settle this area in the 1980's and 1990's. Thanks to the Safir Society the Major Women Donors of the JNF of America Zukim was blessed with support that became sustainable and created the community.
Here is a picture of the CAARI group on the playgroud and dediction stone where the first picture was taken in 2002 that appears in American Independence Park whcih was the dedication ceremony.
Here are some pictures of the artist quarters being fixed up from the bandodned buolding from 20 years ago
Our last 3 pictures are of the original 50 houses build in Zukim taken to the north and to the south
Our next stop was an hour drive to Mitzpeh Ramon overlooking the Machtesh(Erosive Crater)
Pictured below are a guitar player and singer that seranaded us while an explanation was given on the Mt Gamal overlook pictured below.
