Lior Zluf

What community do you live in?

We live in K’mehin, located in the Nitzana cluster right next to the border with Egypt.

Why did you move here and not to a big city?

When I participated in a one-year National Voluntary Service Program in Nitzana, I fell in love with the Negev and with the area and it was then that I realized I wanted to live and raise my children right here, where I would also be able to afford building our family home.

How long do you plan to stay here?

This is our home. I intend to stay here forever.

What part of living in the Negev has had the biggest impact on you and your family?

It is here where I met my husband, got married and gave birth to our 3 children, whom we raise in a high quality atmosphere which one can find only in the Negev. We have established here our agricultural business, and obtained land for practicing hi-tech agriculture.

The Negev is an inseparable part of our lives.

What is your favorite part about the Negev?

What I especially like about the Negev is the calm way of living, enabling you to raise your children in a relaxed/calm wide-natural surroundings, with love and security.

What is something most people don’t know about the Negev?

Most people do not know that in the Negev we are enjoying truly perfect climate and weather conditions!

How does the Negev contribute to your identity?

The Negev forces me to be more creative when it comes to deciding on which is the most suitable business for me and my family to get involved in so that it will enable us to both make a living, build our home and in the same token create a unique and smart business venture.

How do you envision the Negev’s future?

We need to develop sources and tools to encourage agriculture and entrepreneurship. We need to immediately find a solution to overcome the huge shortage of housing and find a way to provide temporary housing for young families waiting to join us. With Israel’s expected population growth, it is inevitable that the Negev will change its face in the future, and so will we.  More people will make their lives in the Negev, and there will be more agriculture and more businesses. I am a great believer that the Negev is the Future of Israel.