Pardes Hanna


This shabbat we visited our beautiful friends who made aliyah from Sharon, MA to Pardes Hana. Established in 1929, this charming 40,000+ family town was funded by the Rothchilds and named after Chana Rothchild. Walking to the large shul (Beit chneset hagadol) on shabbat day, a display of bulletin boards explained the history of the town, how it was mapped out and was embracing to teymanim that made aliyah pre the establishment of the State of Israel.

Friday night we went to a pop up minyan led by the famous Yonina (Yoni) and Yitzchak Meir, who live in the neighborhood. The carlebach tunes were uplifting and much needed after a long week. The week prior members of this kid friendly minyan davened in a local park. This seemed to confuse members where to go. 

Pardes Hana is increasing in real estate value thanks to the train station that connects the area to Tel Aviv within 40 minutes. There's a direct bus to Jerusalem that takes over an hour and 15 minutes. The flat houses (purposeful), dirt along the roads, and sidewalks in some but not all areas reminded us of Boca Raton, Florida. The nighttime was chilly and the air crisp. 

The neighborhood has in the center of town health food stores, doctors offices, a sushi store, a burger bar (not to be confused as burgers bar), supermarkets, toy stores, hair salons, post office and many other things. What surprised us was that we thought Pardes Hana would be small but it is actually very spread out. High risers are slowly being added due to increasing demand. The next nearest (more affordable) town is Harish, though we learned it might be this way due to air pollution.

Given front, side or back yards, many have trampolines and there weren't too many public parks. The overall vibe felt rustic, slightly hippie, and chilonim who drive on shabbat. 

Whereas in some cases Josh speaks Hebrew only to be answered in English, Pardes Hana has a lower Anglo community in which the Israelis really do not know how to answer in English. It was refreshing to see this cross pollination. 

We enjoyed seeing a little porcupine under a car, the bright orange chicken crossing the street and fruit trees (oranges, clementine, blueberries, kumkwats, lemons). Beautiful flowers and greenery. The main road, הדקלים is adorned with beautiful palm trees on both sides. Some so old that have been there for a long time and eucoliptous trees.

If your are looking for a suburb connected to public transportation, and don't mind being a little distance away from Jerusalem, and have money, Pardes Hana can be a wonderful landing spot for pioneers ready to skip the soft American landings available in Israel. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unemployment in Israel

Finally thought we had things together. Bought an apartment, employed in Israel, kids in school. What could possibly rock the boat? Well, these days loyalty and job retention isn't easy - - perhaps even a generational shift that's gotten out of hand. But that's a conversation for another time.  Today we will discuss the unemployment process in Israel and the very fascinating experience that it is.  First, your employer by law must call you in for a shimua. You have every right to hire a lawyer and ask for a document of all the claims. Just understand that a lawyer isn't a magic wand that'll keep you the job. In most cases there's some type of management problem or toxic work environment - - or maybe you simply were not the right fit. Know that you will receive and invoice. The shimua in Israel is supposed to be a fair hearing where the employee can listen to feedback from their employer and then go about to improve themselves. Unfortunately this isn't always...
Read more

Carmei Gat

Image
Drive 30 minutes south of Beit Shemesh, pass the hills of the Rama (short for Ramat Beit Shemesh), and you will find flat meadows that appear endless. Kind of like a scene of the Little House on the Prairie. The terraine is so green, while listening to Shabbat music on the radio you can't help but think "wow, זוהי ארץ נהדרת" (this is an amazing land). We spent shabbat in Carmei Gat, a newly developed town under the municipality of Kiryat Gat (kind of like what Washington DC is to Silver Spring - - especially when Woodside started and there wasn't a dedicated building). The government is investing efforts in this new community as the next hub of the South, that it will be approximately the size of Moddiin.  To give directions, this literally is yashar yashar yashar ve smola.  A mix of Anglo families and Israelis, there is a very nice balance of culture, out of town vibe where people ask where you are from, streets that make sense, quiet a...
Read more

Employed

Image
In total, 28 places interviewed at till finding the place that Goldy Locks would say is "just right." There are a variety of work spaces in Israel. Some shared rooms with 4 people packed into it. Others completely remote and from home, but no benefits. The list was pretty specific.  1) Keren Hishtalmut 2) Pension 3) Increased vacation days 4) Sick days paid from the first day 5) Private office (a plus) 6) 10 bis 7) Laptop and cell phone 8) Flexible hours 9) Not 8.5 hour workdays 10) One or more days a week from home 11) Respectful salary 12) Amazing people and honorable place  Luckily, and a blessing, all the above was checked off.
Read more