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...
Time flies when you're having fun. Hmmm...that's not exactly the case. Like everyone around the world, we have found ourselves being mommy, daddy, teacher, professionals, bakers, cleaners, all at the same time. It is both rewarding but exhausting and every day poses its own challenges (or successes). We've received surges of new work, been hit by salary cuts only to be told (thank goodness) later that the amount wouldn't be as bad as projected. For a family that just made aliyah, we feel rather stuck. The real estate market is at a standstill, making it hard to see new communities or let alone, find something to move to within your current community. Our children, who were just getting a hang of the Hebrew language are finding themselves now saying "um, um" and grasping for words. We've survived (we think) a shortage of eggs, followed by yeast and bread flour. Grocery shopping has become a spectacle with using gloves, masks. And there's the co...
Today we mixed family and business by visiting Meitar. This neighborhood boasts unique (affordable) houses, a Shupersal, pizza/falafel store, schools all in the same migrash (including ganim), a community shopping center with a judaica store, produce market and klalit/Macabi (Meuchedet is not as popular here - - take note - - though you can change your provider every 6 months). There are three pools within the town, offering separate hours for men and women's swim. A dedicated library and lots of space for strolling. The closest hospital is Saroka, about 20 minutes away. The roads of the yeshuv-city are flat, on a grid and easy to get around. The community is proud of its diversity. The mamlachti dati school, Chemdat, has boys and girls of all religious (and non religious) levels learning in harmony. The school goes through 8th grade and splits the genders in 6th grade. Many also choose to send their children to schools in Arad, Susya or Sansena. It is customary in Isr...
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