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صفحة: 73
Beersheva has come a long way . Today , Beersheva is one of the largest cities in Israel and the largest in the Negev . Its growth has been helped along by the arrival of thousands of new immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union . Beersheva’s frontier image has given way to that of a city with modern conveniences and institutions . For example , the Soroka Hospital provides the finest modern medical care . David Ben- Gurion , Pioneer of the Negev David Ben-Gurion was a leader in the War of Independence . On May 14 , 1948 , he proclaimed the founding of the modern State of Israel and became Israel’s first prime minister . Ben-Gurion knew that Israel needed to make the best use of all its land—including the desert . He also thought that it was possible to turn the Negev into blooming fields of green . After retiring from politics , Ben-Gurion and his wife , Paula , joined Kibbutz Sde Boker about 20 miles from Beersheva , becoming living examples of how to pioneer the desert . In his diary , Ben-Gurion copied inspiring words from the Bible : “ I will even make a way in the wilderness , and rivers in the desert … to give drink to my people” ( Isaiah 43 : 19–20 ) . Ben-Gurion University , also called the University of the Negev , is located in Beersheva . Among its many facilities , it has a medical school , animal research center , and computer science program . At the school’s desert research center , students continue Ben-Gurion’s important work by studying the area’s ecology and plant and animal life .
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