Building in the beginning

Der Schweizer Bus in Nazareth.	Die Familie Vetterli wenige Tage nach der Fahrt nach Nes Ammim.

The very first “building” in Nes Ammim was – of course – the now famous old bus: an old Arab bus from Nazareth brought on Easter Monday 1963, “illegally”, without brakes (!) all the way down to Nes Ammim. In Nes Ammim the wheels were immediately removed from it, so it could not be taken away anymore. Hans and Ella Vetterli, a newly married couple from Switzerland, lived in it until the birth of their daughter Christine in August. Then the family Robert, who had finished their Ulpan, took their place. Their daughter Mary-Jeanne (13) went to school in Regba.

With the placing of this bus Nes Ammim had become a tangible reality. No road, no water, no telephone, no electricity. So, there was only the bus with one family: Nes Ammim, banner of the nations.

1963: Oster-Essen am Tag der Gründung von Nes Ammim neben dem Schweizer Bus.	Knapp 50 Jahre später auf der Wiese vor dem Village Center.

Just before the rains started in 1963, the materials for the erection of three barracks were delivered. The walls were erected. But then the District intervened: no building permit. So construction came to a halt. If they had left us just one other day, the roofs would have been placed. For an old Turkish law still in effect rules that one is not allowed to break down the roof above someone’s head. After the usual bickering however the permit was given and the barracks could be completed during spring 1964.
Hans and Ella Vetterli had left the bus as they had been offered refuge for the winter in Regba and the Roberts had taken their place.
Pioneering during that winter of 1963/64 was real pioneering. They did have a water pipe bringing water from the fields of Regba to the bus, but Nes Ammim was accessible only by tractor or by foot wearing high boots. For when the soil gets wet, it becomes incredibly sticky.

So the construction of a road was vital. This started on June 10, 1964. Just over seven weeks later the road was opened for traffic. It was constructed by Yogveh HaGalil from Kibbutz Evron. After that, Nes Ammim could be reached both during summer and winter. The costs: Israeli Lira 139,671 (approx. $ 46,550).

Die Straße kommt nach Nes Ammim - Baubeginn am Ortseingang.

Soon after the road followed the telephone connection. But connection of electricity was much more of a problem. The telephone connection came from the West, the electricity had to be from the East by way of Kafr Yassif, then crossing dozens of small parcels of land, which often were not broader than a couple of meters – Arab land which most of the time was owned by more than one Arab per parcel; in total more than a hundred owners. All of those owners had to agree with the construction in writing. So I made a map with on it the names of all the owners. An endless job. At least seven cups of coffee for one signature, impossible for even the strongest stomach. Then the Sheik of Abu Snan, the one who had sold us the land in 1962, helped us out. With great speed he collected all the signatures.