A number of chareidi-dominated towns are, boruch
Hashem, seeing surges in their population and offering
expanded opportunities for reasonably-priced housing with all
the benefits that have come to be associated with large
concentrations of like-minded religious residents. These
include Telz Stone, Beitar Illit, Elad and Modi'in Illit-
Achuzat Brachfeld.
Telz Stone
Kiryat Yearim Telz Stone is undergoing a building and
expansion boom. The Judean hills community is well known to
the chareidi community as the home of numerous Torah and
educational institutions as well as a place for summer
vacationers. Kiryat Yearim is also known for its maternity
convalescent home (beit hachlama), the largest in the
world. Many gedolei Yisroel and admorim spend
their summer breaks in this chareidi settlement founded some
thirty years ago. Many of them have made Kiryat Yearim their
official "summer home" in the last few years.
The settlement is attractive and well cared for, and the
residents enjoy quality municipal services. Local officials
have received certificates of commendation from several
government ministries for the exemplary administration of
local services. Many local councils -- even some that are
larger and/or wealthier -- can well be envious of the
efficient execution of a myriad of services handled by the
local authorities.
Rabbi Avraham Rosental, dynamic head of Kiryat Yearim's local
council, does not rest on his laurels and has many plans for
expansion. He is exploring the possibility of setting up
additional Torah institutions and places of employment for
local residents.
The local council's pride and joy are its unique summer
programs for residents. The dedicated workers of the Education
and Welfare Department conducted many different recreational
activities this summer.
A highlight of the summer was the Yeshivas Bein Hazmanim
organized by HaRav Bukovzah's Dvar Eliyahu NPO. More than one
hundred bnei yeshiva and avreichim attended and
received special stipends from the local council, which
organized the project and supplied most of its funding.
Beitar Illit
When OC Central Division Maj.-Gen. Yitzhak Eitan signed orders
recently changing the status of Beitar Illit from a local
council to a municipality, Beitar Illit joined the ranks of
the country's other chareidi cities. Overall, Beitar Illit is
now the third largest city in Yehudah and Shomron, following
only Maaleh Adumin and Ariel.
The change in status was announced following discussions in a
committee headed by Uri Amit, former mayor of Ramat Gan, along
with Rabbi Mordechai Karelitz, mayor of Bnei Brak and others
who had recommended the change.
The chief reason for this change in status is the size of the
city's population, now standing at 17,000 people, along with
the fact that, since its founding eleven years ago,
development of the city has proceeded rapidly and the
population has been steadily growing. Beitar Illit expects to
absorb another 8,000 residents in the coming months.
A municipality is generally reclassified as a city once it has
more than 15,000 residents. The designation is more than an
honor for the city, says Rabbi Akiva Horowitz. "Now," he
explains, "the city can attract more investors, Torah
institutions and residents. In addition, government ministries
are more sympathetic to the needs of cities, as opposed to
municipal councils."
Mayor of Beitar Rabbi Yehudah Gerlitz praised the decision,
and said that it honors the chareidi population in general and
the Beitar residents in particular. He said that, in his
opinion, Beitar's upgrade to municipal status will enable it
to receive support from governmental offices beyond what it
had received as a local council, advancing and developing the
needs of all city residents.
Residents of Beitar have expressed their satisfaction with the
decision, voicing hope that the change will manifest itself in
further development of the city.
Beitar is preparing for elections to take place on 20 Cheshvan
5762. Rabbi Yitzchok Zeev Pindrus, veteran prominent Beitar
activist now serving as deputy mayor, may present his
candidacy then against incumbent mayor Rabbi Gerlitz.
Elad
Another town seeing surging numbers of Torah faithful
residents is Elad. Several hundred families have begun
occupying their new apartments in Kiryat Sha'arei Ha'ir, the
first of 1,500 apartments being built by the Housing Solution
Group headed by Rav Yehuda Silman. The project's tremendous
success is the result of very affordable pricing. Many of the
apartment buyers, bnei Torah families, have expressed
their appreciation for the opportunity to purchase an
apartment in Elad, located in the center of the country.
The Housing Solution Project has faithfully lived up to all of
its demands. In addition to prices previously unheard of in
the chareidi community, the project offers high building
standards and exceptional public areas suited to accommodate
Elad's unique beauty. The partially occupied buildings now
provide a general impression of the high quality of life the
apartments offer.
Apartment buyers said that the apartments they had received
exceeded the promises made to them by the Housing Solution
Group, despite the low price quoted to them at the time of
purchase. They also lauded Rav Yehuda Silman, who invested his
time and extensive experience in order to find housing
solutions for the chareidi public, and whose efforts were met
with great success, besiyata deShmaya.
The recently completed apartment buildings were built by the
Freedman Chachshuri Company and among the new residents are
mature avreichim talmidei chachomim with large
families, who have chosen to join Elad's many recently-married
couples. The apartment purchasers have set up a rental
committee to preserve the character of the apartment block.
The town's largest beis medrash, Yeshivas HaRan, is
located opposite Sha'arei Ha'ir and recently underwent
expansion. Many benches were added to the beis medrash,
which serves as a lighthouse for Torah and tefillah for
the entire area, with the sounds of learning emanating from it
day and night. A chanukas habayis ceremony is slated to
be held soon and gedolei hador shlita have promised to
attend.
The gabboim of the beis medrash have offered
their many thanks to the council head, Rav Yaakov Asher, who
has been working day and night to develop Torah and
educational institutions, and who has received extensive
financial support from the local council to expand the beis
medrash, in addition to obtaining support and securing
plots for botei knesses still in the planning
stages.
With the recent wave of arriving families, the heads of the
town's educational institutions have been preparing for the
new school year. At the Kehillos Yaakov Talmud Torah, headed
by Rav Avraham Maklev, who manages the cheder wisely,
additional classes have been opened to meet the demand. A
cheder for Sephardic avreichim, headed by Rav
Shmuel Cohen, rav and moreh tzedek of Elad's Sephardic
bnei Torah community, has been opened with the help of
Rav Avraham Maklev through the town's leading
avreichim. The Bais Yaakov School, where Rabbanit
Weinberg serves as principal, has also opened several
supplementary classes, and a high school seminary is about to
open as well, im yirtze Hashem. New kollelim
have also been opened.
As the town's Kiryat Chassidei Vishnitz prepares to receive
its first families from among the hundreds who have purchased
apartments in the town, a yeshiva ketana and a
shteibel for these families are expected to open.
Elad's Vishnitz institutions have applauded Rav Yaakov Asher's
extensive help in building various institutions in the town
from kindergartens to talmudei Torah, yeshivas,
kollelim, mikvas and more.
Elad's major yeshivos have been highly successful. Yeshivas
Sha'arei Ha'ir, headed by Rav Yaakov Markovitz, and Yeshivas
Ohel Torah, headed by Rav Boruch Mordechai Ettinger, have
enrolled dozens of new bochurim for Elul zman in
shiur alef as well as shiur beis and shiur
gimmel. Through the help of Rav Asher the yeshivos are
moving into spacious temporary structures to allow their
smooth operation, both in terms of gashmiyus and
ruchniyus.
The Maccabbim Road from Elad to Bnei Brak is in very advanced
stages of construction. The first phase, connecting Elad to
Petach Tikva, is scheduled to open next month, im yirtzeh
Hashem. The proximity to Bnei Brak and the central area
promises to offer simple solutions for female employment.
Elad's existing Torah community has expressed great
satisfaction with the first phase of the Housing Solution
project, which they say has brought a variegated, high-caliber
population to this small town, as it develops in leaps and
bounds.
Achuzat Brachfeld--Modi'in Illit
In Achuzat Brachfeld-Modi'in Illit, apartments in Phase I of
Kiryat Bnei Torah are being handed over to their new owners.
The block of buildings, set up by a group of avreichim
and rabbonim, joins the many other apartment blocks housing
bnei Torah families in Achuzat Brachfeld.
Tzifchah International, Inc., the company in charge of all
construction in Achuzat Brachfeld, built Kiryat Bnei Torah
based on the company's standard for excellence, maintaining
timetables and meeting all of its promises to buyers. Achuzat
Brachfeld stands out as an ideal place for quality living in a
true Torah environment.
Thousands of families already living here have been enjoying
the benefits of a town unsurpassed in the chareidi sector. The
many Torah institutions, yeshivos and kollelim in the
town, crowned by Yeshivas Mir, have led to increased demand
for apartments among young couples. Kiryat Bnei Torah is built
near Kiryat Yeshivas Mir -- where apartments have recently
been made available through sales offices -- and is noted for
its outstanding population.
Achuzat Brachfeld houses a range of different population
groups -- yeshivaleit, Chassidim, Sephardim, young
couples and large families, all of whom are faithful to Hashem
and His Torah. The general planning is particularly suited to
this population, offering roominess and open space, a large
number of playgrounds, crisp mountain air and a spectacular
view from its hilltop location.
The organizers of Kiryat Bnei Torah note the high demand for
apartments. The approval of increased grants and special
contractors' benefits recently has brought significant growth
in apartment purchases in Achuzat Brachfeld, the gemstone of
Modi'in Illit, which is slated to be the country's largest
chareidi city, one day, be'eizer Hashem.
