IR YAMIM
Ir Yamim is a large area in the southwestern part of Netanya, built with the sea as its focal point. Proximity to the sea assures its success, according to real estate developers. Netanya is the favorite destination for many overseas residents who want a holiday home in Israel; it is located in the center of the country and is a seaside town. In relation to the total population, Netanya has the largest number of overseas residents. According to rough estimates, it has an overseas population of nearly 9 percent, most of whom have a house or an apartment that they use as a holiday home. Ir Yamim was designed with these people in mind. Its high-standard design and construction has much in common with the modern architectural motifs of Mediterranean seaside towns. Ir Yamim has nature on three sides: to the west, the Mediterranean Sea; to the south, the Poleg Nature Reserve; and to the east, the Irusim Nature Reserve. The buildings are designed so that the maximum number of apartments have sea views. As is typical of a quality development near the sea, the dwellings are not cheap – and they’re not meant to be. The closer an apartment in Ir Yamim is to the seashore, the more it costs.
Ramot Bet
In addition to being one of the biggest neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Ramot (Hebrew for “heights”) is also one of the most diverse. The six sections of Ramot differ wildly from one another, just as the 40,000 people who live there come from a wide variety of backgrounds. What they share is the panoramic view, because Ramot was built hundreds of meters above sea level. Ramot is one of the newer Jerusalem neighborhoods, as construction first began in the 1970s. The different sections of Ramot were built by different architects and for differing purposes. Ramot Aleph (or Ramot One) was built for families of moderate income. The result is an area of attached, tiered apartment buildings, which together resemble a giant beehive.
Residents of these apartments tend to be Orthodox Jews with large families, even though the apartments themselves are not that big. In sharp contrast, Ramot Bet (Ramot Two) boasts rows of spacious private homes. Living in a private house, and in particular an unattached house, is a luxury in Jerusalem, where the majority of people live in apartments.
Ramot Bet is therefore known as a prosperous neighborhood, populated mainly with a mix of Modern Orthodox and secular Jews. Many English-speaking immigrants choose to live in Ramot Bet, since the lifestyle is similar to that which they left behind. The remaining four neighborhoods of Ramot present variations of the spectrum between these two extremes.
Ramot Six, for example, is comprised of private homes, but most of these are attached and not as large as the houses in Ramot Bet.
Hashmonaim
Hashmonaim is a beautiful and friendly Orthodox yishuv with a population over 900 families located north of Jerusalem just outside of Modiin. The yishuv began to grow in 1987 and has been the choice of many American olim over the past 20 years. Hasmonaim’s central location (25-minute drive from Jerusalem, 40-minute drive from Tel Aviv, 25-minute drive from Ben Gurion Airport, 10 minute drive from Modiin) makes this yishuv a perfect location for families who want to live right next to Israel’s main metropolitan areas. There is a nice mix of Sfardi and Ashkenazi families from Israel and all over the diaspora with good schools, shuls and community events. Join Kim Bash to meet Anglos living in all areas of Hashmonaim.
Efrat
Considered the capital of Gush Etzion, it had a population of 10,806 in 2019. Modern Efrat was established in 1983 by Moshe Moskovits, who became the first mayor of Efrat and Shlomo Riskin, an Orthodox rabbi from New York City who settled in Efrat and became its Chief rabbi.
Efrat’s population are mainly religious Zionist, with a small number of ultra-orthodox and of non-observant residents. There are more than twenty Orthodox synagogues, mainly Ashkenazi, but a Sephardi and a Yemenite synagogue also exist and there are several Yeshivot, and Kollelim. The population includes native-born Israelis, and immigrants who have made aliyah from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, South Africa, Argentina, The Netherlands, Canada, and Russia.
Efrat is made up of seven neighborhoods named for the Seven Species: Rimon (pomegranate), Te’ena (fig), Gefen (grapevine), Dekel (date palm), Zayit (olive), Tamar (date), and Dagan (grain – symbolizing both wheat and barley).
Karmiel
The city of Karmiel lies on the road between Acre and Safed, in the Beit Hakerem Valley. To its north are the mountains of the Upper Galilee and to the south the mountains of the Lower Galilee. The city is 35 kilometers from Tiberias, 22 kilometers from Acre and 45 kilometers from Haifa, and covers an area of about 24,000 dunams. Karmiel is 250 meters above sea level and is located in the heart of a spectacular and captivating landscape. Today, the city numbers about 50,000 people, who constitute 15,000 households. According to the outline plan, Karmiel will be home to about 120,000 residents in the future. The city gradually developed, in accordance with its master plan: the founders’ neighborhood was built in the years 1964-1978, the southern neighborhood – 1970-1978, the western neighborhood – 1980-1983, the Galilee neighborhood – 1992-1995, Sagi neighborhood – 1990-1993 Givat Ram – From 1991 to 1998, Ramat Rabin was founded in 1996, the neighborhoods of B’ne Beitcha, Giv’at Makush and the Irises -in the years 1984-1998. These days we started breaking ground to the new neighborhood on Mount Karmi, the Rehav’ham neighborhood. The structure of the city is special and modern, and there are constant activities to nurture and keep it clean. The city residents enjoy a high level of services. In Karmiel there is a complete separation between the residential and industrial areas. Each neighborhood operates a separate system of services, which include: nurseries for infants, kindergartens, schools, synagogues, educational institutions and more. This structure ensures the tranquility of the residents and pedestrians in the various neighborhoods. Construction in Karmiel is modern and diverse. The city has about 1700 dunams of intensive gardening (high level gardening) in about 70 parks. Lawns, tree boulevards, playground and sports facilities. The city also has spacious parking lots, wide roads and good lighting. populationKarmiel today numbers about 50,000 people, which are about 15,000 households. The average age in Karmiel is 39, which indicates a relatively young population.Since the beginning of the 1990s Karmiel has absorbed 20,000 immigrants, most of them from the former Soviet Union. At the same time, in similar numbers, residents from various parts of the country have also been absorbed; families who come to Karmiel to improve their quality of life. Many members of the “founding generation” live in Karmiel, which teaches about Deep roots and a love of the place. About 60% of Karmiel residents are veteran Israelis. About 40% of the city’s residents are immigrants from 75 different countries around the world.
Neve Daniel
Neve Daniel is located about 18 kilometers (11 miles) southwest of Jerusalem. It is situated atop one of the highest points in the area, and offers views as far as Tel Aviv to the west and the mountains of Jordan to the east. The settlement is under the administration of the Gush Etzion Regional Council. The population has grown rapidly, and includes Olim from a variety of countries, including a significant percentage of English speakers. The majority of residents are Orthodox, and English speakers generally show a high level of interest in integrating with greater Israeli society.
Elezar
Elazar is a town located near Efrat in the Judean Mountains with a population of 350 families.