Circles of Impact

Every Jewish National Fund-USA initiative is strategically crafted to create circles of impact whose benefits ripple outwards to attract families to the North and South of Israel. The Hendel, Tubi, and Sarig Rappaport families perfectly illustrate the magic that happens when our vision comes to life. 

By design, every Jewish National Fund-USA initiative strategically forms a circle of impact. At the center of each circle may be a single building, family, or program, but the effect of each radiates out and magnifies the others. Four of Jewish National Fund-USA’s major achievements in the Arava are the medical center, the aquatic center, the Adam v’Adama school, and affordable housing. Each of these on its own has an outsized effect, but together they are changing the face and the future of the entire region.

Located between the cities of Eilat and Beersheva, on the border with Jordan, the Arava is home to seven different communities and is best known for its impressive agriculture despite desert conditions.

One of these communities is Moshav Paran. At the edge of the Moshav is a little orange house owned by Mor and Nir Hendel who have made their home in this new expansion of the community. The expansion, supported by Jewish National Fund-USA’s Housing Development Fund, stands at the center of a circle of impact in Paran that allowed the Hendel family to live, work, and thrive in the region.

“The desert is a special place. The energy is different. It’s calmer,” said Mor Hendel.

Mor grew up in Moshav Paran, surrounded by family and agriculture. Her husband, Nir, grew up in the city of Haifa. From entirely different geographic upbringings, the couple met in the army in 2008 and eventually decided to return to the Arava.

Today Nir is the Principal at the Jewish National Fund USA-supported school Adam V’Adama. Mor works as the Health and Emergency Director for the Central Arava Regional Council and helps oversee the Jewish National Fund USA-Arava Medical Center in the town of Sapir.

“Everything here is connected to Jewish National Fund-USA,” said Mor.

“If we didn’t have that project of the community expansion, she wouldn’t be able to come and live here because there was no more room to put houses in the community,” said Noa Zer, a close friend of Mor’s who lives in Paran and is the Central Arava Regional Council’s fomer Director of Resource Development. “So it’s amazing to see her and Nir join the community and bring new spirit,” said Zer. “I don’t think that would’ve been possible without all the progress we made together with Jewish National Fund-USA.”

Zer says she and others in the region have extensively worked with the organization for years on a strategic plan to bring more people to the Arava, focusing on three elements: improving the quality of life, providing job opportunities, and developing infrastructure.

“Jewish National Fund-USA built a medical center, an aquatics center, a sports arena, kindergartens, and emergency response center, and all of a sudden the question of ‘why move to the Arava’ had an answer,” said Zer. Today, the medical center is in the process of expanding to meet the region’s increased population needs, and to continue to serve as the center of a circle of impact, attracting new residents through services and employment opportunities.

Mor says that the region’s residents feel the impact of this long-term investment on their daily lives. She knows her children will grow up to experience the love for the Arava the same way she did.

“It’s a very simple way of living,” said Mor. “You have this special connection with the people of this small community.”

Next door, the Tubi family, who were the first to purchase a home in Paran’s new neighborhood, also benefit from the intersecting circles of impact. Tzlil, a talented baker, and her husband Rotem, known for cultivating Israel’s hottest peppers, are pioneering the community’s newest chapter with their young children, Libi (4) and Raz (2).

Tzlil grew up in Moshav Paran. Her mother still lives there, and her brother and his family joined the community as well. By the time Tzlil started her own family, there were no available housing lots left. That is, until Jewish National Fund-USA’s Housing Development Fund stepped in and made the neighborhood expansion possible. Thanks to this, Libi and Raz are now able to grow up surrounded by the love of their family.

The Tubis embody the future of this desert community. Their story is more than just about a young family putting down roots—it’s about the strategic growth of Israel’s frontier. Because of limited housing and the complex system in Israel for purchasing new lots, in the past the best that Moshav residents could hope for was that one of their kids might able to buy a house nearby. Now, new families can see a multi-generational future ahead—a game changer as the Moshav and others like it hope to grow.

The expansion will increase Paran’s capacity from 130 to 195 families, marking a significant milestone in the community’s development. As more Israelis in the center of the country seek space, calm, and new opportunities, thanks to the circles of impact, places like Paran become viable.

“Living in the Arava is good for my body and soul,” says Maya Sarig Rappaport. She and her partner, Hadas, and their 4 children have been living in Moshav Tzofar, about 20 minutes north of Paran, since Covid shut down the world and left them searching for a place with more living space that was closer to nature. Originally from central Israel, the family has flourished in the Arava. Maya works at the Jewish National Fund-USA-supported aquatic center, where she teaches classes for seniors. “I fell in love with them,” she said, “the Arava’s seniors are such special people, they are real pioneers, and the pool is a blessing for them.”

Maya describes how the indoor center offers residents of all ages the opportunity to swim year-round, hosts competitions, and serves as a nexus for sport and recreation locally. The pool’s circle of impact is already having real-world results; recently, a new coffee shop opened nearby. Maya says that after their classes, the seniors love to walk there and spend some time together, sipping coffee and socializing.

Originally trained as a physical therapist, Maya is excited that the aquatic center is now working towards building a hydrotherapy pool, which will allow them to offer innovative treatments for injuries and illnesses of all kinds. The Sarig Rappaport family is constantly hosting friends and family from the center of the country who are eager to get a taste of the fresh air and natural beauty that surrounds them.

“We have guests here right now!” she exclaimed, “We just got back from a hike. It’s a different lifestyle here.” Families like Maya’s see the incredible possibilities in the region, and Jewish National Fund-USA’s support brings dreams like theirs to life.

To learn more, visit jnf.org/supportisrael