Meet the second-generation Israeli farmer and reservist who grows tomatoes on the Egyptian border

Noam Efrat, 33, a second-generation farmer and IDF reservist, chose to return to his roots in Kadesh Barnea, a remote moshav 300 meters from the Egyptian border. He grows cherry tomatoes on his family's farm, balancing agricultural work with over 300 days of reserve duty since October 7. The article profiles his daily routine, the community's history, and a digital archive project documenting the Nitzana region.

Noam Efrat, 33, a second-generation farmer and IDF reservist, chose to return to his roots in Kadesh Barnea, a remote moshav of 87 families located 300 meters from the Egyptian border. He grows cherry tomatoes on his family's farm, balancing agricultural work with over 300 days of reserve duty since October 7. The article profiles his daily routine, the community's history, and a digital archive project documenting the Nitzana region. Efrat's parents, Iftach and Celia, moved to the area in 1995 with no farming background. The region depends on brackish geothermal groundwater for agriculture. Efrat also helps run Gesher L'Dorot, a project documenting the history of the Nitzana region through interviews and archival materials.