American Cowboy Jesse Slade Inspires Founding of Israel’s Shde Boker Desert Settlement

Jesse Slade, an American half-Irish, half-Navajo soldier from Texas, played a pivotal role in inspiring the establishment of the Israeli desert settlement Shde Boker. Born in Arizona in 1925, Slade served as an armored and machine gunner soldier in the U.S. military during World War II before volunteering to fight in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. Known for his cowboy attire and carrying a Colt revolver, Slade fought in key operations across the Negev and northern Israel, earning a legendary reputation among English-speaking volunteers in the anti-tank unit he joined.

Slade’s deep friendship with a Jewish American soldier and his fascination with the Negev’s landscape, which reminded him of Texas, fueled his dream to establish a large cattle ranch in the desert. Despite enthusiasm and initial planning with a group of young volunteers and local intelligence officers, bureaucratic obstacles delayed land approvals and funding. Frustrated, Slade disappeared around 1950, with rumors suggesting he either smuggled cattle across the Jordanian border or returned to Texas.

Undeterred, Hagai Avriel, an intelligence officer and friend of Slade, revived the project in 1951 with support from his diplomat brother and agronomist Yaakov Orev. They founded the cooperative "Shde Boker" in 1952, named after the nearby mountain Jebel Bakar. The early years were harsh and dangerous, with security threats and fatalities among settlers. The settlement gained national prominence when Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion visited in 1953, praising the pioneering spirit and later choosing to retire there, calling the settlers "crazy people" he admired.

Though Slade’s personal story faded from local memory, early reports credited him as the visionary who sparked the creation of Shde Boker. His unique blend of American cowboy culture and dedication to Israel’s independence left a lasting legacy in the Negev desert.