Sde Boker represents the unfinished dream of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, to populate and develop the Negev Desert (50% of Israel’s territory) by the Jewish people’s as a”vital element of our renaissance in Israel.” Equidistant between the southern vacation port of Eilat and cosmopolitan Tel Aviv in the center of the country, Sde Boker grabbed Ben Gurion’s attention one day as he was driven past the tiny kibbutz. He admired the pioneering spirit of the young farmers there and asked, after he retired the first time from the Premiership, to be made a member. He was granted his wish but his membership was hotly contested and only passed by one vote! Ben Gurion and his wife Paula are buried at Sde Boker, overlooking the Nahal Tsin nature reserve.