Dodi Alon is known in the Eshkol Regional Council as someone who conquers goals by doing, without unnecessary talk. His announcement of his candidacy for the position of head of the Eshkol regional council was accompanied by sensational news – Alon signed a memorandum of understanding in front of Sapir College to establish an academic center of the branded college in Eshkol.
Those who know Dodi’s activities in the last two decades were not surprised. His business resume speaks for itself. Between the years 2001-2011, Dodi stood out as an entrepreneur who founded and managed Baral-Alon Ltd., a retail company in the food sector. The company was one of the pioneers of parallel imports to Israel and engaged in the establishment of logistics systems in Northern Europe. The scope of the company’s activity is measured in tens of millions of shekels.
Dodi Alon focused on locating companies and suppliers from all over the world. My uncle is gifted with crazy drive and reliable-quiet charisma. He is a master of building personal relationships with a diverse audience. At the same time as the business growth, he completed two degrees and was trained to be a consultant and business coach.
In the years 2011-2021, he founded and operated the business-strategic consulting company “Yad Yoitzim”, which helped hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses to manage outsourced funds and accompanied them. The company was officially recognized by the leading banks in Israel, as an approved and recommended consulting company.
Many of the local businesses came to hear lectures and participate in the trainings that Dodi Alon conducted at the Ashkelon Academic College and at various bank branches in the south of the country. For the past two years, my uncle has served as the deputy head of the Eshkol Regional Council. Much of his time is devoted to regular meetings with the residents. He is available and answers every request.
The issues of security and agricultural crime are close to his heart, as the son of a father who owns a very successful agricultural business. In the army he served as a fighter in a patrol and in the “Tzuk Eitan” war he served in the reserves and functioned in HML Southern Brigade Gaza Division for about two months.
Alongside this activity, Dodi was included in the founding team of the “Business Association” association that worked to regulate the rights of the self-employed in Israel, while obtaining compensation for the restoration of the businesses damaged by the war. Dodi served as the CEO of the association on a full volunteer basis and worked with government officials in the various Knesset committees, with the tax authorities and more.
“We fought for recognition of the importance of the independent sector in Israel, which led to the protest of the “Shulmans”, according to Dodi Alon.
He completed his security training as a graduate of the Israeli Resilience College training, of the Home Front Command, for the purpose of managing a local authority in the emergency. My uncle managed the emergency procedure in operations “Wall Guard” and “Dawn”.
Dodi began his activity in the local council, as always, by volunteering. He initiated an activity to strengthen the assistance system at the local kindergarten and served as chairman of the reception committee in the locality where he lives. Always aspired to influence issues close to his heart.
“My baptism of fire took place in 2018. I contested the elections for the position of plenum member on behalf of my settlement. After I was elected, I joined the Plenary Board and together we decided on a regular and broad schedule of activities. I entered the local leadership with all my heart.”
About two years ago he was elected to fill the position of deputy and acting head of the council. My uncle devoted his time to studying the problems that require urgent treatment.
“I built an orderly work plan for each field and this with the cooperation of the managers of the relevant departments. I performed a refresher in the positions where I identified a weakness. I found out, for example, that although it is the largest agricultural council in Israel, no official has been appointed for this field. With my help, an advanced agriculture department was established that takes care of agricultural education, on the subject of agritech and puts before its eyes the treatment of the agricultural waste that bothers the residents who suffered from waste fires in the area.”
Dodi Alon entered the public consciousness in a big way with the establishment of a plant in Sufa, which turns agricultural plastic waste into work surfaces. All the products the factory produces are 100% recycled for industrial and agricultural use.
“We have drawn up an agreement to establish a council cleaning fund, to which funds that will come from the factory’s revenues will be set aside. We will clean up the council, which is hugely behind in clearing the waste. We will take care of plant cuttings that will become a resource and thus we will build a sustainable local circular economy”.
Dodi Alon’s program will connect startups and farmers.
For this purpose, a directorate was established with partners in the Western Negev region. Eshkol was chosen to be a “Beta Sight” center and received dedicated budgets in the government plan for the 2023-2024 envelope.
Dodi Alon’s desk is organized to handle many tasks in the near and distant future. On his lists is the topic of agritech education from kindergarten age, development of smart systems for growing vegetables in kindergartens, cultivation of an educational agricultural farm in Kiryat HaHachanun, and more.
Dodi Alon, who lives and breathes agriculture, is about to carry out plans that have been discussed in the council for many years. It aims to strengthen the trend of agriculture, while connecting to the Volcanic Institute, and to add a technological educational center in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy.
Dodi: “Initiating the establishment of an academic center of an international agricultural college in Eshkol is an important step to strengthen the R&D operating in the region and in order to create employment opportunities. We will create a center of attraction that will strengthen the community and bring here business minds and entrepreneurs. We will turn from an agricultural council into an agricultural powerhouse.”
In the detailed tour that Dodi Alon gave us in the areas of the council, he talked about the development of advanced commercial areas in the spirit of the times.
“We are committed to helping small businesses and are planning a development plan for a 300 dunam complex in the heart of the council – the “Hoshur Complex” in Gush Tzohar. Commercial and touristic business activity will be opened there, along with activities of education, culture, art, welfare, sports and leisure. We will build a real anchor for the local economy.
At the same time, we will establish an aid system for the success of small businesses that are not farmers. In order to move forward, we need to establish small business complexes in the kibbutzim.”
A fire burns in Dodi Alon’s bones. He says, means and does. He recently completed a representative sample of difficulties raised by residents in all settlements in Eshkol. This is divided into areas such as industry, employment, trade, crafts, farm buildings and tourism. He intends to match the local businesses with entrepreneurs as happened in the factory in Kibbutz Sofa.
“I greatly strengthened the environmental department by making a significant organizational change around the awareness of service to the public. I was involved in establishing a business licensing department with a regular policy to help the business sector. We increased supervision and enforcement and dramatically reduced the environmental damage.”
Dodi Alon gave up a business activity that yielded him a high income, out of a strong desire to help the Eshkol settlements. He built an action plan to deal with the climate crisis and established an array of environmental loyalists, the wing’s long arm in the settlements. “I will work to build a local, local and regional tourism story, in order to bring domestic tourism beyond the heyday of the “Red South”.
Dodi Alon intends to connect with the tourist brand “Negev” and turn Mitzpe Glotov into a local and international festival complex. “As a direct continuation of the “Indingev” festival, a series of small events will be created throughout the year and thus local businesses will benefit from a large influx of visitors.
What transportation plan do you offer?
“I conducted a comprehensive inspection regarding the overall transportation options in the area of the council. I shared the results of the investigation with the Ministry of Transportation and asked to harness the “Dan” transportation company. I plan to operate in an improved way bus lines and shuttles that will go to the train stations. I am examining the establishment of a regional taxi station along with the operation of a service minibus that will operate adjacent to the Hashour complex, the heart of the council, in order to strengthen the school transportation system. We will allow movement between settlements to clinics, supermarkets, youth centers and veterans’ clubs.”
Dodi Alon is also working on a health revolution. In his vision, he establishes a central clinic in the council complex, one that will create competition between the health funds.
“We examined the subject of the emergency center and the night center. We have a regular program that will receive recognition from the Ministry of Health in order to obtain funding from the health funds, which will significantly upgrade the service. A jump-off point for another ambulance will be built in the south of the council, adjacent to the clinic in Avshalom. We strengthened the support system for volunteers, including the reinforcement of settlement ambulances. We recently worked to strengthen the array of psychiatry services. It is important for us to organize proactive preventive medicine for veterans, including remote monitoring and activating an alert for a family member.”
Personal security and agricultural crime in the south are topics that my uncle discussed with the commander of the Negev region and the commander of the Ofakim station, a resident of the area. A joint team has been established that will be subject to the council’s CBT, and the issue of grazing in the territories and woods will receive preferential treatment.
“We will not allow agricultural crime squads to operate in our space. I was one of the only ones who publicly supported the protest of the Rabbis who are responsible for personal security. Action must be taken to grant extensive policing powers, along with the establishment of a council policing system. The security in Eshkol is based on 200 “permanent” volunteers, this is not enough in a council that is next to the fences of Gaza and Egypt.”
Dodi Alon’s election platform presents a detailed plan with a clear goal: to transform Eshkol from a regional council into a regional power. He intends to develop multidisciplinary anchors – agrotech and cleantech. It aims to create increased employment and maintain an adequate wage level for residents. “A combination of advanced agriculture alongside high-quality employment and commercial complexes will allow money to be brought in for the benefit of advanced education systems, including academies that support Eco System. All of these will work together to allow traditional agriculture and rural-agricultural tourism to develop. I will integrate all the settlements in the council as full partners.
The business-tourism aspect will be enhanced alongside a system of quality municipal and community services. We will emphasize health and updated medicine. We will build a wild medical center that will include communication clinics, occupational therapy and clinics.”
We accompanied Dodi Alon to several talks he held as part of home circles throughout the local council. We got the impression that he has many enthusiastic supporters and even a headquarters with dozens of activists who are considered to have a decisive influence on the council. His words show the need to create a mechanism according to which a strong resident equals a strong settlement and a strong council. It has a growth plan tailored to the entire council and each locality separately.
Submitted by Sapir College, Eshkol branch
