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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Peace With Egypt Spurs Desert Development
By-HARRY WALL
Features From Jerusalem
BEERSHEBA — The
first dividends of peace be-
tween Israel and Egypt are
most likely to be felt in the
desert regions of the two na-
tions.
"The Negev will be the
focal point for Israel's na-
tion building programs dur-
ing the next decade. We now
have the opportunity to
turn the desert into one of
the most productive and at-
tractive regions in the Mid-
, I He East," says Prof. Amos
`•-.__-/Richmond, director of the
Desert Research Institute
at Sde Boker.
The institute, a division
of the Ben-Gurion Univer-
sity, was established by the
government of Israel to
steer the development pro-
grams for Israel's desert
region.
Richmond's optimism
is based on the diversity
of natural resources
found in the Negev —
phosphates, magnesium,
potash and bromine, to
name a few. But the
major resources of the
Negev are an abundance
of land and year round
sunshine. •
In addition to $3 billion
worth of roads, water and
communication lines to
service new military instal-
lations, experts estimate
that there will be 100 new
agricultural villages, 20 of
them to contain the settlers
evacuated from their homes
with the withdrawal of Is-
rael from the Sinai.
The key to the revitaliza-
tion of the desert lies in in-
creasing water resources.
One possibility under con-
sideration is the construc-
tion of a trans-Negev canal,
transporting more than a
billion tons of water, an-
nually from the Mediterra-
nean to the Dead Sea, which
is evaporating at an alarm-
ing rate.
The "grand canal" would
also, say its proponents,
provide cooling water for
local industry and desali-
nated water for farmers.
As planners debate the
efficacy of a grand canal
venture, desert resear-
chers are trying to solve
the immediate problem of
increasing water for the
Negev. We will have to
step up our efforts in tap-
ping groundwater re-
sources, recycling waste
water, and desalinating
seawater," says Prof.
Richmond. As a result of
advanced irrigation and
soil management tech-
niques, Negev farmers
are growing export crops
directly with brackish
(moderately saline)
water, tapped from sub-
terranean aquifers.
Desalination of seawater
is already under way in
Eilat, where a large-scale
plant is providing the Red
Sea port with nearly one-
half of its water needs.
Another pathfinding
technique is that of "closed
systems agriculture," a sys-
tem used in hothouses.
Here, water that condenses
from plants during the
process of transpiration is
trapped in the hothouse roof
and recycled for use in irri-
gation.
Desert researchers are
also keen on tapping an-
Orthodox Condemn Attack
on Release Time School Plan
IJ
NEW YORK — A lawsuit
seeking to curtail New York
State's released time pro-
gram was denounced as "ill
conceived" and a "danger-
ous threat to religious in-
struction for public school
students" by Julius Be-
rman, president of the
Union of Orthodox Jewish
Congregations of America.
The suit, prepared by Leo
Pfeffer, special counsel of
the American Jewish Con-
gress, on behalf of the
Committee for Public Edu-
cation and Religious Lib-
erty (PEARL), seeks to have
the released time program
- declared unconstitutional.
It claims the program,
which allows public school
students to leave school dur-
ing class hours for religious
instruction, is an estab-
lishment of religions by the
state and granting of credit
from such instruction is
therefore unconstitutional.
Berman said that
"aside from being an ill
conceived attempt to
place religion and the
state at odds, the suit, if
successful, could have
unfortunate effects upon
religious instruction. The
purpose of the First
Amendment separation
of church and state is to
create an atmosphere in
which free thought and
action — including, of
course, religious
thoughts and actions —
may propser. The effect
of this lawsuit would be
to limit such free thought
and action."
"There are public school
students who receive no
religious instruction other
than through the released
time program. The thrust of
this suit is to deny these
students their only actual
opportunity to study reli-
gion. We fear and deplore
the possible effect the suit
may have of denying stu-
dents access to the study of
their religions."
Berman said he has asked
COLPA to investigate the
matter — particularly its
legal and constitutional
claims and ramifications —
for possible involvement in
the case by the Orthodox
community.
We came to Eretz Yis-
rael to revive the people and
the Land. But the main
thing is the people. The re-
naissance of the people pre-
ceded the redemption of the
Land."
—Aharon David
(A.D.) Gordon
other abundant resource —
the sun. At the Sde Boker
institute architects are test-
ing model structures which
will rely entirely upon solar
energy for year round cool-
ing and heating. More effi-
cient and less expensive
solar collectors, made of
plastic, are being developed
for heating domestic water
supply. (Israel already leads
the world in this field, with
20 percent of the nation's
homes outfitted with solar
systems.)
Another solar powered
breakthrough involves
growing protein rich
algae in saline water
ponds. Current research
is focused upon using the
water plant as a supple-
ment in animal feed.
Israeli knowhow in turn-
ing the once barren Negev
into verdant oases can, in an
era of peace. help its Arab
neighbors in reclaiming
their barren land. "We
understand their problems
and, through mutual coop-
eration programs, could
help solve them," says Joel
Schechter, director of the
Applied Research Institute
in Beersheba and a leading
authority on the practical
solutions to the problems of
the desert.
"We can, in an exchange
of ideas, offer assistance in
establishing cooperative
settlements based upon in-
tensive farming techniques,
so that human and natural
resources can be more effi-
ciently managed," explains
Schechter.
Another water conser-
vation scheme, this more
suited to developing na-
tions, is that of runoff
farming. Conceived more
than 2,000 years ago by
the Nabateans, the sys-
tem utilizes hillside can-
als and catchment basins
to trap sparse rainfall in
the desert.
Scientists have recon-
structed runoff farms on
their original Negev sites
and, like the ancient desert
farmers, are growing lush
orchards of almond and pis-
tachios and fields of fruits
and vegetables on less than
four inches of rainfall per
year.
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