Despite all odds, a small town of 29 families in Israel’s south is poised for major transformation.
Located in the Negev desert, the town of Sheizaf plans to expand to 100 families in the coming years. With strategic investment through its Housing Development Fund, Jewish National Fund–USA is helping address the infrastructure gaps that often prevent communities in Israel’s periphery from reaching their full potential — funding housing construction, public buildings and long-term planning to support sustainable growth. As a result, Sheizaf is emerging as a uniquely diverse population center, uniting religious and secular families as well as professionals who seek community life in the Negev without sacrificing career opportunities.
Redefining Life in the Negev
Since its founding in 2012, Sheizaf has had a distinct identity, one that its residents are determined to preserve even as the town expands. A mixed religious-secular community, Sheizaf attracts families of different religious backgrounds as well as young professionals across a wide range of fields — from lawyers and doctors to engineers, educators and social workers. All are drawn by a quality of life that balances professional fulfillment with tight-knit community bonds.
Among them are Noga Musnikow Ben Or and her husband, Dr. Nigun Ben Or, who moved to Sheizaf in 2019. Noga is a lawyer with a background in social work; Nigun is a physician whose practice serves residents in and around Israel’s border with Gaza. Their decision to settle in Sheizaf reflects a growing trend of professionals choosing the Negev over Israel’s crowded center.
“We have teachers, social workers, engineers,” Noga said of her neighbors. “The Negev is not just for farmers, and that’s what we want to show.”
Both Noga and Nigun describe themselves as “desert people.” Noga grew up on Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava desert, while Nigun hails from Emek Hefer in central Israel. After meeting in Jerusalem and living in the southern city of Be’er Sheva, they heard about Sheizaf from a friend who was among its founding families. When they came to visit and their friend was running late, they climbed a nearby hill to take in the view.
“We both looked at each other and said, ‘This is where we want to be,’” Noga recalled.
Noga Musnikow Ben Or and Nigun Ben Or with their children, Ahinoam, Gideon and Eilon (Courtesy)
Where Community Comes First
What the Ben Ors discovered went far beyond stunning desert vistas. In Sheizaf, daily life is shaped by closeness and trust. With so few families, everyone knows everyone, creating an informal support system that feels like an extended family.
“It is very common to go ‘shopping’ at a neighbor’s house and then return things later,” Noga said. “It is a very quaint lifestyle, and we’re building something new together, which is so special.”
In Sheizaf, children enjoy a level of independence that has largely disappeared from modern Israeli life. They play freely outdoors, often moving with ease from house to house. “I can start with just my daughter outside and end up with seven girls in my house,” Noga said. “Kids here start using cellphones much later.”
Community life is marked by shared and mutual support. When a woman gives birth, for example, the community rallies to cook meals for the family for an entire month.
Strength in Times of Crisis
That sense of togetherness proved crucial during the Gaza War, when 18 of the town’s families had men drafted into military service at the outset, and more joined over the months that followed.
“Nigun works in some of the kibbutzim and communities that were hit hard by the war, so he feels it,” Noga said. “Children from the Gaza periphery who were evacuated came to stay in our regional council and were in school with our children.”
Like so many others in Israel, Sheizaf community members were directly exposed to and challenged by the ongoing conflict. “It was really tough,” Noga said, “but we came together as a community and made it through the war.”
A Community of Differences Built on Dialogue
From the start, Sheizaf’s founders envisioned a mixed community where both religious and secular residents build friendships through dialogue and mutual respect. Children participate in a local youth group that is a unique combination of the religious Zionist movement Bnei Akiva and the secular Zionist movement HaShomer HaChadash. They learn to celebrate a spectrum of religious identities, attending field trips with each movement and maintaining friendships across organizational and ideological lines.
“People respect each other, interact with one another, and learn about each other’s beliefs,” Noga said. “Sheizaf is a symbol of dialogue and coexistence in a culture of respectful disagreement, like when we disagree about the synagogue seating or our tradition to fly kites for Rosh Hashanah together.”
She added: “It would be good for our society to have more of that — the ability to discuss our disagreements and still stay friends and neighbors.”
Residents take a stroll through the community (Virginia Khalifa)
Growing Together with JNF-USA
Now, Sheizaf stands at a critical juncture. Jewish National Fund-USA, which supported the town’s first expansion in 2019 by funding new housing, tree planting and key infrastructure including the kindergarten and synagogue, is backing the next phase of growth with plans to add up to 100 housing units.
“JNF-USA played a very big part in helping this community grow,” Noga said. “Many of the things that exist here are in place because of JNF-USA, and now they are helping the next wave of expansion.”
This next stage reflects Jewish National Fund–USA’s broader commitment to building sustainable, thriving communities in Israel’s South. Through its Housing Development Fund, Jewish National Fund-USA invests strategically in infrastructure, quality of life and long-term planning, ensuring that growth strengthens communities rather than diluting what makes them unique.
In Sheizaf, that approach is creating a model for responsible development in the Negev.
Alon Badihi, executive director of Jewish National Fund-USA and co-founder of the organization’s Housing Development Fund, emphasized that growth must go hand in hand with preservation.
“We are working now toward increasing the size of the town, and doing it in a way where the town won’t lose its unique character,” Badihi said. Jewish National Fund-USA’s approach is to employ multiple rounds of development interspersed with periods of community solidification. “Sheizaf is already in its second round of expansion after its initial creation. We are hopeful that within a few years, Sheizaf will grow to become one of the biggest towns in the Negev.”
Strategically located along the main road from Be’er Sheva to Nitsana, near the regional municipality of Ramat HaNegev, Sheizaf provides access to schools, healthcare and municipal services while maintaining its intimate atmosphere. A medical clinic operates nearby and major grocery delivery is available.
For Noga, Nigun and their three children — Ahinoam (9), Gideon (7) and Eilon (4) — life in Sheizaf offers something increasingly rare.
“There is something simpler and more down to earth here,” Noga said. “People are not close geographically to their parents, so the community becomes meaningful and helpful, almost a larger family unit. This was extremely important to us, and we look forward to helping build and sustain it for many years.”
An Enduring Circle of Impact
From its earliest days to its next phase of growth, Sheizaf embodies Jewish National Fund–USA’s circle of impact — where strategic investment in Israel’s periphery leads to thriving communities, and thriving communities in turn strengthen the future of Israel. By supporting housing, infrastructure and quality of life in the Negev, Jewish National Fund-USA is helping ensure that professionals and families can plant roots and build meaningful lives, inching closer to the ambitious goal of attracting 500,000 new residents to Israel’s south. Each stage of development in Sheizaf fuels the next, creating a lasting cycle of connection and opportunity that will continue to flourish, generation after generation.
To support Jewish National Fund-USA’s Housing Development Fund, visit jnf.org/hdf.
This is a paid post. (JEWISH REVIEW)’s editorial team had no role in its production.
