THE NEGEV – PIONEERING INTO THE FUTURE
By Galia Walsh
Israel Bonds Correspondent

"It is in the Negev that the creativity and the pioneering vigor of Israel shall be tested."  -- David Ben-Gurion                                             

As we celebrate Israel's 60^th anniversary, we can also celebrate the fact that David Ben-Gurion's dreams for the Negev are coming to fruition.  Throughout the years, the Negev has continued to evolve, thanks to Israeli brainpower and determination.

 It was there that the sophisticated drip irrigation system was created, making Israel internationally renowned for agricultural technology in arid lands.  As a result, kibbutzim and other settlements successfully made the desert bloom.  

The Negev is also a center of higher learning.  Ben-Gurion University, established in 1969, has become a world leader in many fields, including bio-and hi-tech research, solar power and water technologies.  

  And now the Negev is on the fast track for extensive development and population growth.  The region is receiving substantial funding and benefiting from coordinated planning.  Government ministries are working together, industrialists are moving their factories to the Negev, and key institutions like Israel Railways are committed to the region’s development.

 Israel Bonds continues to play a substantive role in these developments, helping to transform a vast desert area that at one time was considered uninhabitable. Now, an entire infrastructure is being built to create new towns while improving existing communities.  This includes areas in the western Negev where former residents of Gaza settlements are creating new lives.  In addition to community and employment infrastructure, laying the groundwork for increased tourism is a top priority.

 Menachem Perlmutter, 80, fondly known as "Mr. Negev," has devoted his life to the development of this vast southern region.  Perlmutter, a survivor of Auschwitz, arrived in Israel in 1948 at the age of 20.  Over the years, he has witnessed every stage of the Negev's evolution.

 Recalling the one dirt road to Beersheva, the water shortages and settlements that were constantly under attack, Perlmutter says, "If you had told me then what would exist now, I would have said, 'Sorry, but you are probably mad'."

 When asked to envision the next 60 years, he says, "With the Jewish people nothing is impossible.  We have accomplished so much because of our brain power and dedication. There is no limit to the Zionist imagination.”

ISRAEL PORTS – PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
By Galia Walsh
Israel Bonds Correspondent

Prior to the War of Independence, Israel’s entire coast was essentially a makeshift port bringing "illegal" immigrants to what was then Mandatory Palestine.  Many immigrants were Holocaust victims, and while some made it to safety, large numbers were caught by the British and returned to displaced persons camps in Europe.

Then, in 1948, after Israel declared independence, waves of new immigrants entered the country at Haifa Port.  Built in the early 1930s, Haifa Port is Israel's oldest port.  It has also become, along with Ashdod and Eilat ports, a high-tech business that is absolutely critical to Israel's economy.  Ninety-eight percent of all international trade comes and goes through Israel's seaports. Israel Bonds investment funds help the continuing improvement and development of these vital maritime trade centers.

Since 2005, the three ports have become individual, competitive companies, all constantly working to improve their structural and operational infrastructure, such as breakwaters to facilitate off-loading when seas are choppy.  This decreases expensive off-shore wait time for the international flotilla of tankers and cargo ships. 

Recent years have also seen Israel Bonds dollars help with the construction of improved grain terminals, as well as mineral transport from the Dead Sea Works.

It is this kind of vital development – helping to create essential infrastructure – that has defined the Israel Bonds mission since 1951.  Israel Bonds provides a means for individuals to support Israel while simultaneously acquiring a useful investment.  The Bonds organization has raised more than $25 billion in investment capital for Israel, making it an essential component of the nation’s impressive economic growth.        

A new 50-year plan addresses the expansion of Haifa and Ashdod ports, two new container terminals at a cost of approximately $900 million, a continuation of technological advancements and a new terminal capable of handling the largest vessels in the world. 

As always, Israel Bonds will continue to play a prominent and decisive role in strengthening Israel’s economy.

ISRAEL—THEN… NOW… TOMORROW
By Galia Walsh
Israel Bonds Correspondent

"There can be no higher Jewish ideal than creating from this bare, besieged little land…a model to inspire humanity everywhere."    David Ben-Gurion

Jerusalem--Battered, bullet-riddled buses, a treacherous war-blocked highway ,which isolated

Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and a bombed- out electrical station symbolized the Israeli infrastructure of 1948.  Daily life meant food and gasoline shortages, attacks on settlements and on those bold enough to travel by vehicle.

And yet the mood of the country was not grim.  People were excited and full of hope.  They had re-established the Jewish state and looked forward to welcoming the many Jews throughout the world who would make aliyah.

It was shortly thereafter, in1951, that the Israel Bonds organization, at David Ben-Gurion's initiative, entered the scene.  Israel Bonds gave Israel’s supporters the world over an historic role to play, becoming – and remaining – an essential means of building Israel’s economic infrastructure.

Since its founding, Israel Bonds has raised over $25 billion in investment capital for Israel.                                                 

As the country’s economy evolved, so too did the need for Israel Bonds.  One area where Bonds played a significant part was telecommunications.  When Shlomo Errell, 88, chief of the Navy from 1965 to1969, is asked about the telephone system during the early days of the state, he laughs and says, "What telephones?"  Errell goes on to explain that almost all phones were public, often attracting lines of people.

Today, with the assistance of Israel Bonds, Israel has become one of the most networked and connected nations in the world.                                                

The heights that have been reached in telecommunications are no less than phenomenal. Israel is a leader and a major source of global innovation in mobile phones, high-speed internet and multi-channel television.

The first internet-wide instant-messaging system was invented by four young Israelis. Israel is an important exporter of telecommunications technology and has also attracted investments from leading multinational telecommunication companies.

Israelis love anything high-tech, but they also place a high value on quick and efficient travel.  Utilizing funding provided by Israel Bonds, Israel has turned the narrow roads and byways of yesterday into highways and sophisticated transportation networks that criss-cross the country.

Supporting all of this is Israel Bonds capital that is aiding in the creation of housing infrastructure from north to south, east to west.

Not just a bond – a bond with Israel.

RAILWAYS – ZOOMING INTO THE FUTURE
By Galia Walsh
Israel Bonds Israel Correspondent

Tel-Aviv--Sixty years ago, the few people who rode Israel’s trains rambled along at 50 miles per hour, often sharing hard wooden benches not only with fellow travelers, but with animals as well.

Although subsequent years brought significant improvements and additional lines, it wasn't until the 1990s that priority was placed on passengers as well as cargo.

The shift was prompted by concerns about traffic congestion, road accidents, environmental pollution and a desire to bring outlying regions closer to the center of the country. The government was able to initiate this much-needed action with the help of Israel Bonds.  Israel Bonds was created in 1951 by David Ben-Gurion in an effort to sustain the country's fledgling economy.  Since its founding, Israel Bonds has raised over $25 billion in investment capital.

The results of this influx of capital can be seen in today’s comfortable, air-conditioned high-speed trains, which were utilized by three million people last January alone.  By comparison, in 1990, there were fewer than three million passengers for the entire year.  Harel Even, vice president of operations for Israel Railways, comments, "Today, rail travel has become part of the daily life of the average Israeli."

Travel by train has definitely been a boon for commuters.  It’s also an increasingly pleasant means of travel for those enjoying leisure time.  Sasha Levy of Modi'in, where a new train line was inaugurated in 2007, says, "I traveled with my mother, who was visiting from the UK, and my teenage daughter.  We went to Nahariya for a vacation.  We were impressed by the Modi'in station, the train itself, the punctuality of service and the helpfulness of the staff." 

An excellent example of the way in which railways can change the complexion of a region is the 90-minute Tel Aviv –Beersheva line, which allows commuters, students and soldiers to reach these major cities with ease.  It has linked the once relatively isolated Beersheba to the nation’s hubs.

Future plans project increasing numbers of users and many new routes, including suburban lines. Already, trains travel as far north as Nahariya and as far south as Dimona.  Many cities and towns are being connected to the center of the country as well as to each other and key points such as Ben-Gurion Airport.

The agenda for the future envisions that by 2012, all towns with populations over 50,000 will be connected by rail.  A Jerusalem light rail line is currently under construction and a Tel Aviv light rail line is in the planning stages.                                

Also being planned is a new north-south railroad in the east for the transportation of cargo that will greatly increase the eight million tons of freight currently shipped by rail each year.

The future will also see government and private businesses working together to create train stations offering attractive shops, cafes and other amenities.

While the original trains were run by steam, today's trains run by diesel, and future plans call for the entire railway system to be electrically operated, starting with commuter trains.  Safety systems will be electronic and computerized.  Electrically generated trains will run more smoothly, reduce operating costs and be better for the environment.                                     

As for Israel Railways’ next 60 years, Vice President of Operations Even predicts rail lines that will eventually link all countries of the Middle East.

Searching for peace, building and dreaming:  Israel at 60 with the help of Israel Bonds.