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By Ulla Hadar
 KFAR AZA, Israel—Having been born on November 4th, I've always considered it an important day. History has corroborated this idea, unfortunately and fortunately. In 1995,
it was the day that Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by an extremist Orthodox Israeli. In 2008, it was the day that Barack Obama was elected as President of the United States.
And this year, it was the occasion of a visit to Sha'ar Hanegev by a delegation of women from the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County.
The UJF Women's Division delegation of 35 initially visited the student village of Ibim, which San Diego UJF helps to underwrite. After being briefed by Sony Singer, director of the village, the group met up with newly arrived immigrants from Russia who are part of one of the new programs called Nitzanim (flowerbuds).
Singer told the women that this new project started after The Cast Lead operation.
As a result of the constant missile attacks from Gaza, all the houses in the village had added at least one fortified room, making the houses eligible as dwellings for families.
Singer said that with the war and with the missiles, she had feared no one would join this project. But in August the first family arrived and today 36 new families including 20 children are now living and studying Hebrew in the Ulpan in Ibim.
The San Diego women participated in a small ceremony at the Marla Bennett Memorial situated in the Ibim Village to remember the young San Diegan who was killed in a terrorist bombing of the cafeteria at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
They also were greeted by Mayor Alon Schuster before they toured the campus of the Sha'ar Hanegev educational complex, which San Diego UJF has also agreed to help underwrite as a rocket-resistant high school is constructed. Just this last
August, a rocket-resistant elementary school was completed, enabling pupils to return to the site after spending two years in temporary and cramped caravan buildings in my home of Kibbutz Ruhama, which has been beyond the range of rocket fire.
The women were briefed by head masters Anat Regev for the elementary School and Aharale Rothstein for the High School before touring the premises with chances to ask questions to teachers and students.
Next the group took a short drive to the western side of Kibbutz Aza to an overlook from which Gaza Strip can be seen clearly. VardaGoldstein, who is the allocation director of Sha'ar Hanegev and a member resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, explained what it's like to live so close to danger, and explained the Zionistic spirit that motivates people to live and stay in this area.
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 From the vantage point, one can clearly see the city of Gaza and also the fields of the kibbutz stretching to the border.
Noting that it had been seven years since the last women's division mission had visited Sha'ar Hanegev, the director, Debi Kempinsky, commented that "it was long ago overdue and time to go again. For us it is an outreach opportunity, to bring women in and educate about the Federation ... and to create an incredible bonding experience in the land of Israel. It is something unique and phenomenal-- to educate the women about the connection with Israel, with the key focus on the ongoing relationship with the Sha'ar Hanegev community. The relationship is of great Importance to both communities."
Kempinski said that she would like to see a women's mission to Israel every three years.
Another participant, Alexandra Hirschhorn, said although she has visited Israel three times, the last time was 17 years ago. A native of Mexico City who relocated to San Diego three years ago, Hirschhorn said the visit to Sha'ar Hanegev "was very special. I think we are so privileged to be here, to see a school that in spite of the fact that missiles drop there, is beautiful and continues to work as a school. Life goes on -- not just life, but a good life!"
Looking over the crop-laden Kfar Aza fields that stretch to the Gaza border, she added: "The people of Sha'ar Hanegev are making the desert blossom.I know that for me the rest of our trip is going to be very interesting, but today has just been very special.
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