Yosi's farm, the crater and army base

Another experience I had over the eight days I spent in Israel was at a place called Yosi's farm which is literally in the middle of nowhere in the Negev Desert. First we met the man that owned the farm and he explained to us how the only people who are there are him, his family and 1 volunteer. Must be a ton of work to take care of the land with so few people but he told us he didn't have the money to employ people yet. They are hoping that as more people come to this area, the tourism will bring them income. We started working on his olive trees around 9, and pulled out weeds, raked, and put stones around the tree in a circle. He said that the weeds take water away from the trees and by raking the soil around them we were helping more air get in. After helping prep the land on his farm, which will over time bring more people to visit the Negev, we saw one of the worlds biggest crater in the world. It was massive and I have never seen anything like it and after went to the israeli army base camp for people who are training to become officers. Basically what this means is that they are extending their time in the army (women are required 2 years, men 3). We had a girl show us around and also met the rabbi on the base. He showed us their synagogue that was funded by JNF when there was a need for a bigger one to fit all the soldiers. The architecture was inspired by the burning bush, and the building resembles flames of fire. He told us that the meaning behind this is that even though the bush was on fire, it did not burn- it stayed strong and held its ground, just like israel. It was also a very simple building, no painting or color just concrete. The reason for this is that israeli people feel people should just be simple and not flashy and take off their outer "mask". He told us this is what israeli leaders in the army are like- they sacrifice their wants for the good of the country. We went inside of their work room first which is a place with a long table and chairs with a lot of hebrew books. This is a place for the soldiers to come during their free time to read and learn since to traditionally religious israelis, learning is a necessity in everyday life. Then we went upstairs to see the synagogue which was also very simple for the same reason as I mentioned above. There were 2 floors because the men and women pray separately- men on the floor, women upstairs. He also showed us the torahs which were absolutely gorgeous. They have 3 different ones so that when people have to leave the base and go elsewhere they can bring the torah as they travel. After this we walked around a little more and then met some of the soldiers. First we had a more formal kind of question and answer but then were able to interact with them on a more personal level. It was so humbling to see these people, some were even younger then me. They ranged from ages 18-21 and it was really unbelievable to here them talk about their experience and why they do what they do. They said that in the army if you are still capable of giving you must, its not a choice or a thought but an instinct. They all spoke so highly of their experience and said that although it is very hard they feel that the army gives back even more that they give to israel. A few of them said they wanted to make this into their career and they only get to see their family 1 time in 90 days! They get no days off beside shabbat and have days from 520 am to 11 pm! The people were just so nice and sincere, you could tell how passionate they are about israel, something you do not always see in the US.