אוירא דארץ ישראל Avira DEretz Yisroel

Tzefas Is Not Just for Visiting…

No Reason to Go Back

Eli Mendel, Tzefas

I grew up in Manchester, attended school in Yeshiva Ketana Chayei Olam in London, and then the Yeshiva of Gateshead. Afterwards, I went to Eretz Yisroel to learn by R’ Tzvi Kushelevsky for two years, just because that’s what people were doing.

A shidduch was suggested for me with an American Israeli from Tzefas, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to live here or in Manchester because of the extremely different mentalities. Because I wanted to leave the door open to go back to Manchester, the shidduch was finalized without my commitment to living here in Eretz Yisroel. My wife suggested we first try living here for a year, and I felt secure doing so as I had “pas besalo“—that if I ever wanted, we could move back to Manchester. We have been here for nine years already and are very happy here. I see no reason to go back. In fact, we can’t even see ourselves living in chutz la’Aretz anymore.

We started out in Yerushalayim. It was quite ridiculous to pay a whole month’s salary for renting a basement, so we moved to Tzefas where the housing is much more affordable. You can even buy a private villa here—including a small unit to rent out to others—for less than a small apartment in Yerushalayim.

We came to Tzefas several years ago as part of the first major wave of young Chareidi families to move in. Back then there were four dogs in my building, which is not a common sight in your typical Chareidi neighborhood. Today there are none, and instead, you get to see lots of frum kids crossing the street to cheider or to school, just like in any other Chareidi city. If your impression of Tzefas is based on what you saw when you came here for vacation—even if it was only a few short years ago—I suggest you come to check it out again.

Here in Tzefas there is an atmosphere of peace and simplicity—you can be your real self here, as there is no need to show off. People here are friendly. In a way it’s like a shtetl [little village], but it’s also like a city. Besides for being beautiful and peaceful, Tzefas has everything we need. There are all kinds of mosdos and shuls here. Though I send my kids to a good Chassidish school, I am learning in a Litvish kollel. There are good Litvish and Chassidish chadorim and schools through high school. The Chassidish are united here and not sectored. We feel we all need each other, so there can be a kana’i, a Belzer chossid and a Rachmastrivka chossid all joined, putting their personal yichus aside to make things happen in the community.

There are shops of every kind here and none of them are open on Shabbos. Though there are many Jews here who are traditional, they are nonetheless connected to and have respect for Yiddishkeit. Neighborhoods are becoming more Chareidi as the non-religious are not really moving in. There aren’t any churches or mosques here either.

There are also interesting job opportunities here. I get paid by someone to drive down every day to nearby Amuka to daven by the kever of the holy Tanna, Rabbi Yonasan Ben Uziel. I am also an agent for vacation apartments up north, for groups, yeshivos, and families. There are jobs specifically suitable for English speakers to engage in because of so many English-speaking tourists, including in the field of tourism and kiruv.

Tzefas has a very large English-speaking community, though they mostly are those who have come here to Eretz Yisroel at a young age and are therefore completely integrated with the Israelis. There are many Jews from France as well.

The calm atmosphere and the comfortable weather here have an appeal no less than places in chutz la’Aretz like where I grew up, while there is also the additional kedushas Eretz Yisroel. Being the highest city in Eretz Yisroel at nine-hundred meters above sea level, the breeze makes it comfortable even in the summer heat. The cold of the winter is something I’m used to from back in England. Being so elevated it often snows here. Magnificent views include the close-by Kinneret to the southeast and the snow-capped Hermon mountain to the north. On a clear day you can see all the way to Haifa on the west coast.

From here I can also easily and quickly get to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meiron whenever I want to. Some people from chutz la’Aretz pay thousands of dollars to come just for Lag Ba’omer, and for me it’s almost free.

After all is said, I don’t know where people get the notion that Tzefas is all about old mekubalim and broken-down houses. With such misconceptions, many people would not dare to live here. If they’d come for just a few weeks they’d be shocked to find it’s such a beautiful and livable place, modern, yet with a lot of “character.” If they would know how it really is here, they would wish they would have the opportunity to join us. Though maybe not for people who would really miss hectic city life, those who are looking for quiet would really enjoy it here, living in “vacation land” the whole year round.

It’s All in the Mind

Among the countless great Tzaddikim buried in Tzefas there is one known as R’ Leib Ba’al Yissurim [the afflicted one]. According to legend, he promised that he would help anyone who needed a yeshua who would come to his kever and say the whole Tehillim on Erev Shabbos after chatzos.

He was one of the first Ashkenazim to settle in Chevron, moving in his later years to Tzefas. Although it is not known what yissurim he went through to acquire this title, all of the early pioneers here in Eretz Yisroel went through substantial yissurim to be zoche to live here.

In these times, the yissurim for us to be zoche to live in Eretz Yisroel sometimes just amounts to changing our mindset.

Reprinted with permission from Avira D’Eretz Yisroel.

Live the Life You Always Wanted In IMMANUEL!

Jumping Right In — To Live the Life We Wanted

Avraham Pollack, Immanuel

Ten years ago, when I was forty-five years old, we decided we’re just going to jump in and make the move. For many years, we knew that we were headed to live in Eretz Yisroel, but for practical reasons it just hadn’t happened. If we would have continued taking into consideration every one of the practicalities, we might have ended up staying in the US indefinitely. So, with just six thousand dollars in cash and without any work planned, we packed up our house and got ready to go. We received funding to transport a container of our goods and joined a Nefesh B’Nefesh charter flight.

I was already learning half-days with chavrusos, but in the small community of Charleston, South Carolina, which we lived in at the time, there was no kollel setup for those like me who would be interested in learning with a group. We looked into other communities that had such options, but we instead decided that if we were already going to move, what we really wanted was to be in Eretz Yisroel. My wife constantly said, “For two thousand years we have davened and cried for the ability to live in Eretz Yisroel, and now we can just get on a plane, and in a few hours’ time, we’ll be there — and even the ticket is paid for….” Though our two older children were teenagers already, they had grown up with the idea that Eretz Yisroel is the place for us to be.

As part of our preparations, I did my research and found a kollel in Yerushalayim that would be suitable for me. For the first seven years in Eretz Yisroel, I was learning in kollel full-time. Half of the funds we needed for our eight-thousand-shekel monthly budget (to cover all expenses including rent for our family of five), came in the form of financial support from abroad. During this time, people were coming to me in order to help sort out their conflicts, which I would do on a volunteer basis. I had experience in the field, as I was doing negotiations for my business when we had lived in the US. My wife suggested I study to become certified and turn this hobby into a parnassah. I am now practicing as a certified mediator, mostly working in the evenings.

We first lived in Cheftsiba, a neighborhood of Modi’in Illit near Kiryat Sefer, for about nine years. Though my wife is an engineer by training, she hadn’t worked in the field for many years. Originally from Switzerland but having lived in the US, she spoke both German and English. One day she saw an advertisement in one of the local bulletins looking for a German or English speaker for a kitchen-design company. She said, if they are looking for an English or German speaker, they really want a German speaker but will take someone who speaks English. That turned out to be the case. Now, for almost eight years B”H, my wife has been running a successful kitchen design business.

About two years ago we moved to the rapidly growing community of Immanuel. Today there are over a thousand families spanning all age groups, though most of the newcomers are young couples. They include Ashkenazim, Sephardim, and Teimanim — both those who identify as mainstream Chareidi as well as some Charda”l. The Ashkenazim in Immanuel are predominantly Chassidish, but there is a small and growing Litvish kehilla as well. A sizable percentage of the residents are English speakers. There is an acceptance committee under the auspices of the community rabbonim to assure that newcomers are suitable for the community and that the community is fitting for them.

Residents place tremendous emphasis on educating their children, and there are a number of different schools. Lately, there has been talk about opening a Litvish yeshiva ketana (high school), which would take advantage of the quieter small-town setting more conducive to learning. People here are constantly working on enhancing their spiritual growth, and they value a pure and idealistic life. The community is known for its warmth, for excelling in chessed, and for emunah.

City Hall works together with rabbonim from all the kehillos. There are special activities and chugim for the benefit of the children and all residents, as well as a community library and swimming pool. There is a small shopping center and many small home-run businesses.

Housing is affordable with prices starting at about 600,000 shekels for a 2-bedroom apartment and there are many other options available including private villas. There is considerable construction underway.

A little more than an hour drive to Yerushalayim and under an hour from Bnei Brak, we have here in Immanuel a city full of fresh air and breathtaking views. There is also a walkway surrounding the entire city with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and the neighboring communities nestled within them, the streams, waterfalls and the wildlife.

The future is here! Come join us!

Affordable Housing—with Yerushalayim Still Within Reach

There was no way you could have convinced me that we weren’t going to live in Yerushalayim, but after we went every day for the first two weeks there to look for apartments within our budget, we realized that it would be just impossible for us.

We had heard from an acquaintance that their daughter was living in Modi’in Illit and paying only 1400 shekels a month for rent. (Now ten years later, as Modi’in Illit has developed to a full-fledged and bustling city, rent has gone up almost threefold!) We figured we could do the same, and with the money saved on rent, we could buy a car, which would get me to kollel in Yerushalayim, about a half-hour commute. Now, from Immanuel, it’s just a bit over an hour drive (if I don’t want to stay and learn in Immanuel).

P.S. More information about Immanuel is available on the website I have put together at http://emanuelcity.home.blog.

Reprinted with permission from Avira D’Eretz Yisroel.

Don’t Bash Your Children’s Schools!

Valuing Yishuv Eretz Yisroel

Leib K., Yerushalayim

My parents had lived in Eretz Yisroel for a short time after they got married. They bought an apartment in the Matersdorf neighborhood of Yerushalayim as they apparently intended to stay here long-term. They went back to the U.S. to be with my grandparents for Yom Tov and ended up staying in America. My mother always told me, “This was the biggest mistake that I ever made.”

I grew up in Lakewood, New Jersey. As a child, I frequently heard my mother asking my father, “Can we move to Eretz Yisroel?” My father would respond that we could only realistically make such a move after the youngest child graduates from high school to avoid chinuch issues such a move would involve.

I came to Eretz Yisroel for summer vacation after tenth grade and stayed by my married sibling who was living in Yerushalayim. I traveled around the country touring and sightseeing. This was beneficial to me when I came back a year later for yeshiva — I was not distracted from my learning unlike many others to whom the country was new and exciting.

As a bochur, I had once heard a shiur by Rav Asher Zelig Rubinstein, zatza”l, in which he mentioned a statement made by the Chofetz Chaim about Eretz Yisroel being the safest place in the world. This had a profound impact on me and is part of what made me comfortable with living here.

Several years later, when I was a chosson, a family in the Sorotzkin neighborhood hosted me for the night of Shemini Atzeres. My host asked me if I was keeping one or two days of Yom Tov. I didn’t know what to answer as I hadn’t thought about it. My host mentioned that one of the biggest poskim, HaRav Yisroel Belsky, zatza”l, was staying by one of his children just downstairs and I could ask him for a p’sak. I found him sitting and learning in the sukkah. I told him that my kallah and I were planning to start out in Eretz Yisroel, but with no commitment for the future. I also mentioned that we did indeed want to live here as long as possible. He said that if my kallah would agree to me accepting a shteller (paid rabbinic position) here in Eretz Yisroel, then I should keep one day. I had no idea and no way of finding out, as my kallah was in America and it was Yom Tov, but when I did have a chance to ask afterward, she gave a positive response.

After getting married in the U.S., we came to Eretz Yisroel a short while before Pesach. Since we had just arrived, we stayed in Eretz Yisroel for Pesach. In retrospect, I wouldn’t advise newly married couples to make their own Pesach away from family. Life continued and it began to get difficult from a financial standpoint. After Pesach, we rethought the issue of settling in Eretz Yisroel. We believed it really wasn’t financially possible for us to stay here long-term. We asked HaRav Belsky, through a cousin who was learning in Torah Vo’daas at the time, if this would mean we should revert to keeping two days of Yom Tov. He answered in the affirmative, and that’s what we did for the following Yomim Tovim.

I think it is very hard for young couples to live here if the wife does not have a job. There is also a psychological difficulty for women who can earn dollars back in the U.S. and instead work here at a job that pays that same number—only in shekels! Though the alternative of staying at home is worse because it leads to homesickness, which is a sure way to get right back on the plane. I know of someone who came here as a newlywed without his wife having a job, and to make matters worse, he stayed in yeshiva during lunch break. Although he really wanted to stay, they didn’t last here too long.

The following Pesach we went back to the U.S. for Yom Tov. After coming back to Eretz Yisroel, we realized that we were much happier being in Eretz Yisroel. We felt that the level of simplicity and ruchniyus here really suited us more. After asking another shaylah, we were back to keeping one day of Yom Tov.

We first lived in Yerushalayim’s Romeima neighborhood, but I was looking for a neighborhood where there was a shul in which the rav would give the derashos in English. We now rent in an area where there are several such shuls nearby (Ramat Eshkol, Sanhedriya and Sanhedriya Murchevet). Though financial struggles are definitely not exclusive to avreichim in Eretz Yisroel—and I don’t think that finances here must entail being somech al haness any more than in chutz la’Aretz—I feel that at least here in Eretz Yisroel we have a big consolation that while we are emptying out our pockets and paying our rent, we have the added value of paying for our fulfillment of the mitzvah of yishuv Eretz Yisroel.

When my youngest sibling graduated from high school, my father was in extremely poor health. We did our research and found that all the advanced medical equipment and services he required were also available in Eretz Yisroel. This enabled my parents to move here, and my father was zoche for the last ten months of his life to live here in Eretz Yisroel and to be buried here. Our parents’ love for Eretz Yisroel definitely made an impression on us children, and most of my siblings now live here.

Children and Eretz Yisroel

My rebbi, R’ Yosef Stern, zatza”l, once told me that if I have a choice, it is better to raise children here in Eretz Yisroel, since they will need a lot less gashmiyus compared to what is needed for an average family in chutz la’Aretz.

I once asked my mashgiach why there were certain neighborhoods with a lot of kids from an American background “off the derech.” He said that in his opinion, in many instances, it was because the parents were bashing the same local chinuch system they were sending their children to. If you’re going to move here, you have to back the system you are going to send your children to.

An acquaintance moved here with teenage children. Although they had a tough time adjusting, having mentors from Yedidim—an organization which deals with such issues—significantly eased the transition.

Reprinted with permission from Avira D’Eretz Yisroel.

‘Nisyonos UPLIFT Us’ – Rabbi Yosef Sholom Rabin of Kedushas Tzion

From America to HaShem’s Backyard

Yosef Sholom Rabin, Sha’arei Chesed, Yerushalayim

I was born and raised in the “Goldene Medinah” (lehavdil!), America, and spent most of my years in Passaic, NJ. For seven years I was zoche to absorb myself in the amazing Torah environment of Yeshivas Talmidei Telz in Riverdale, NY, after which I came to learn in Eretz Yisroel by R’ Meir Soloveitchik, zt”l. Toras Brisk and an emphasis on “tiffeh [deep] lomdus” were definitely a big part of my day back then, playing a significant role in my “Eretz Yisroel Yeshiva experience.” Today I am married with two kids, bli ayin hara, studying Israeli law, and also koveia itim laTorah to the best of my ability, happily living in Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh.

My family had been coming to Eretz Yisroel for the Shalosh Regalim for a number of years and the decision for me to live permanently in Eretz Yisroel was somewhat natural. B”H I met my wonderful wife here and have been married and living here happily ever since. Obviously, it takes time getting used to the somewhat aggressive (and what can sometimes appear as obnoxious) Israeli culture, but I feel that there’s nothing more special than having the opportunity to live “B’Eretz asher Einei HaShem Elokecha bah meireishis hashanah v’ad acharis shanah,” or in other words, “HaShem’s backyard.” For thousands of years Yidden from all corners of the world davened to return to Eretz Yisroel, and B”H we have merited to see these tefillos come to fruition in our times. The Seven Nevu’os of Nechama take on a new and more palpable meaning as we witness the growth and tremendous hatzlacha of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisroel with our very own eyes.

The truth is that I had “life easy” with regards to some of the challenges chutznikim face when coming to Eretz Yisroel, but I can still relate to some of them on various levels and have B”H been active in helping to find solutions. The main problems everyone talks about is the lack of “normal chinuch,” finding jobs (especially for the women with regards to kollel yungerleit), and affordable housing within a warm kehillah.

As for housing, we’ve recently been looking seriously into moving to a Chareidi Yishuv and have been specifically interested in a place called Meitzad, which is about forty minutes from Yerushalayim by car and twenty minutes from Beitar. There is a wonderful cheider and developing Bais Yaakov there, but what attracted us most was the feeling of being in a somewhat “remote location” (not really, just feels like it), far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the large and spacious geographical setting, and the amazing views of Midbar Yehudah [the Judean Desert]. Furthermore, unless you go two or three hours up north or down south, nothing can beat the prices there and the size of the properties as well.

The language barrier can make everything exceedingly more difficult, but from my experience, once you’ve decided to “jump in” and “become Israeli,” conquering Ivrit is somewhat less terrifying. The fact that for many, their immediate family is almost three thousand miles away is also very challenging, but B”H with technology today, connecting overseas has become a lot easier. Still, nothing can replace having your shver and shvigger around the corner or spending a family Shabbos together without having to think twice. Baruch HaShem, I’m zoche to have both (almost), but I have many friends who suffer from this issue daily. When asked about these problems I often respond that chazal say “Eretz Yisroel nikneis beyissurim” and halevay that these are my only yissurim. Yes, coming to Eretz Yisroel to PERMANENTLY LIVE HERE—not for a vacation, not for yarchei kallah, and not even for a year or two of yeshiva—is definitely a nisayon. But while nisyonos can be difficult, aggravating and very taxing, they also help us grow and inspire us to achieve more. The word nisayon shares the same shoresh as the word nes [miracle] and lehisnoses—to “lift up.” When we rise to the occasion and exert our “superhuman” kochos, HaShem makes miracles for us as well and shows us the path to hatzlachah.

Of course, there is so much to see and experience in Eretz Yisroel from a geographical and historical perspective as well. From the beautiful Golan Heights down to the sun scorched Eilat, Eretz Yisroel is filled with breathtaking views, Jewish history and archeology soaked into its very essence. The mesirus nefesh of our ancestors and Jewish brethren is firmly planted in the Land and serves as a powerful source of inspiration to help us understand our unique tafkid here.

Whether it’s the taxi driver who mentions Shem HaShem every third word, the receipts that say chag sameach, and just the overall experience of seeing Jews from all backgrounds coming home after so many years in galus, something about Eretz Yisroel continues to tickle my neshamah and demand ever higher levels of Avodas HaShem, bonding with Klal Yisroel and true Tikkun Olam beMalchus Shakai. May it be the Will of HaShem that all of Klal Yisroel merit to fulfill this wonderous mitzvah of living and truly thriving in Eretz Yisroel, and may we then merit the coming of Moshiach and the geulah sheleimah bekarov!

Creating a Voice for Chutznikim

One confusing “headache” for chutznikim is understanding the political scene (or mess) here in Eretz Yisroel…. In contrast to America, politics could actually have a direct impact on people’s day-to-day lives, so it is somewhat more important to pay attention to things. I think that American Chareidim in Eretz Yisroel could definitely help advance the general agenda of the Chareidi tzibbur here. They can also help create a voice for the unique needs of the slightly different chutznik mentality.

As a member of an organization called Kedushas Tzion, working towards bringing the government closer to Torah values and halachah is, to me, a particularly meaningful part of our goal. The more we can strengthen and broaden the influence of the Chareidi community here, the closer it will be to becoming a reality.

Reprinted with permission from Avira D’Eretz Yisroel.

Israel: The Mundane and the Spirit

Nature and Ruchniyus

I love nature and I’m also attracted to ruchniyus. It was only natural that I made Eretz Yisroel my home, being the place where ruchniyus is natural and where nature is ruchniyus.

From the Teveria apartment building I live in, there are views of the beautiful Kinneret and its green surroundings. I enjoy looking at the scenery and connecting to the kedusha. It’s not just a big and beautiful lake—all other lakes in the world get their chiyus from HaShem “personally” keeping His “eyes” on this one. This is true as well for all the other elements that make up nature—the mountains, valleys, plains, skies, oceans, and everything else you can think of. The kedusha root of all of it is in Eretz Yisroel.

One thing I love about Eretz Yisroel is that I can find a place where I can be a frum Yid and also ride a horse. (Maybe not really in the city, but not too far out.) I need access to nature, and here I have all of that as a frum Yid who is part of a normal kehillah.

Within the small area of Eretz Yisroel, there are plains, deserts, an alpine mountain (the Hermon), forests, a coastal region, and more. I try to go around as much as I can, exploring both my immediate surroundings and the wider area.

It used to be that we had to be in golus to collect the nitzotzos of kedusha from all around, but now many are making their way straight to us in Eretz Yisroel. Those coffee beans from Costa Rica don’t need us to be anywhere outside of Eretz Yisroel for us to make a brachah on them and thus be metaken them. We can find them in the coffee corner in our local shtiebel, and that’s just one small example.

I originally came to Eretz Yisroel from the U.S. on a tour, but while on the bus from the airport I was already sure this was the place I wanted to call home. My wife had been here for seminary, so she also knew what Eretz Yisroel was like. We lived in Milwaukee for the first two years of our marriage, which is I think a great community to be part of if you must live in chutz la’Aretz. We then had the zechus of pursuing opportunities in ruchniyus here in Eretz Yisroel, eventually ending up in Teveria.

We came about two years ago to join a small kehillah in Teveria Illit. We were previously living in Ramat Beit Shemesh, but the rising prices forced us out. The warm family-oriented feel of the small kehillah and the slower pace of life here in Teveria was a welcome change from the larger communities we had lived in before. My wife and children quickly made many friends, as might be expected in a new community.

We are now part of the unbroken chain of frum Yidden who have had a long and ancient presence here in Teveria, sanctifying this place with their Torah and mitzvos. Though there recently has been a renaissance of Chareidi life here, their presence has always existed. Since the days of Rav Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, talmid of the Mezritcher Maggid, who lived here in Teveria about 250 years ago, many chassidim have called this place home, infusing the city with a spirit of Torah and avodas HaShem.

More recently, there has been a steady growth in the frum community here, which includes many different sects of Chareidim. I sighted a busload of Toldos Aharon chassidim returning from Rosh HaShana in Yerushalayim. Karlin has an impressive representation and so does Sanz. The Litvish also have recently started a community here, and Sephardi bnei-Torah have always been around. There are some Slonimers and Lelovers as well.

Every week, more people arrive here in Teveria. New schools open and new batei midrash are built. One of the kehillos had built a new and beautiful beis medrash which was filled beyond capacity just two weeks after its inauguration, as they had not anticipated such quick growth.

The communities are primarily Israeli; though, there are a few English-speakers spread around, and even an English-speaking Rebbe (Lizhensk). I would be happy if other English speakers would join me in my community to take advantage of the opportunities Teveria affords.

Just a short few years ago, when I would have occasion to visit Ramat Beit Shemesh and people would hear that I live in Teveria, they would react incredulously as if I was living on the moon. Now, people are asking me about what’s happening here, as it’s becoming a more mainstream option for many.

The heimish infrastructure is well-developed and getting better all the time. There is also the wonderful pleasant feeling of the city—warm and inviting, quiet and relaxed. Cars stop for pedestrians with a smile.

 

Respect for the Land

Several years ago, we were operating a small vegetable farm in Yish’i, a small moshav near Beit Shemesh. After moving to Teveria, we restarted as a compost manufacturer.

Eretz Yisroel has a relatively dense population and there are not enough places to handle the waste produced. By turning food waste into compost, we are not only making a parnassah, we are also minimizing the amount of garbage piling up on the Land. If this is an important thing to do anywhere we live, it is all the more so in Eretz HaKodesh.

– Binyamin Klempner, Teveria Illit, Teveria

This article is part of our Eretz Chemdah series featuring Anglo-Chareidim living in, settling, and building up Eretz Yisroel. A joint project of Avira D’Eretz Yisroel, Kedushas Tzion and Naava Kodesh, coordinated by Yoel Berman – info@naavakodesh.org.

Reprinted with permission from Naava Kodesh.