It Begins: A New Chareidi Settlement Near Modi'in Illit
As we enter the month of Elul, we look back at Bein Hazmanim, when many families had the zchut of traveling through parts of Eretz Yisroel that we rarely see day-to-day. Many saw barren mountains, while others passed village after village occupied by those who wish for our destruction. Yet at times, we saw a different story: hills dotted with caravans or simple homes—a new sign declaring a community of Jews who decided it is time to renew Jewish presence after thousands of years.
We all ask why we have not been part of this movement. Year after year, the situation for the Chareidi tzibbur worsens regarding overcrowded housing and the lack of options to expand and bring Torah to places lacking it.
Hityashvut Chareidit is here to make this question disappear. No longer will Bein Hazmanim trips pass through land without any Chareidi presence. The days when our tzibbur is confined to overcrowded cities of towers, or forced into cities where we are unwanted, must come to an end—and it can happen with your support.
Announcement
The question we receive most is what options exist for joining the growing Hityashvut Chareidit movement. While we do not regularly share every detail, most ideas and Yishuvim we work on do not come to fruition despite the endless hours spent by our volunteers. People falsely believe building a new town is as easy as buying an apartment or building a neighborhood in an established area. The tzibbur must internalize that building where nothing has existed for centuries is like breaking a concrete wall with a plastic spoon. Baruch Hashem, we have done it and will do it again, but only if the tzibbur gets involved and supports the effort instead of waiting for a finished invitation.
Filling Out Applications
Baruch Hashem, something is starting to take shape within a reasonable drive from Modi'in Illit. To ensure success, information must remain strictly minimal. Those who wish to take part, are willing to move in the very near future, and do not want to be overlooked should immediately fill out the application form and specify interest in the Modi'in Illit project. Please do not send questions regarding this, as we cannot respond. Those who fit the criteria for the core group of families will be contacted directly, and all others' information will be kept in our database for the future.
Volunteers Wanted
To spread the word, Hityashvut Chareidit has a phone line with vital information. The gap between updates sent by email/website and our phone line is becoming more evident. Since many Chareidim do not have regular email access, it is necessary to regularly update the phone line. We are looking for someone willing to make this happen and gain the zchut of reaching thousands more. Please contact the office at [email protected].
Call to Action
If you know people—especially young couples—who dream of something different than what is advertised in the Chareidi weeklies, or those who thought they needed to bury their dream, please tell them about the growing Hityashvut Chareidit database made for those waiting for this opportunity.
Q & A
Baruch Hashem, day by day and week by week, more and more people are hearing about Hityashvut Chareidit and the ideas surrounding it. Many questions are being asked, beautiful and wonderful ideas are being sent in, and people are starting to understand the need to volunteer, promote, and support a movement that gives Chareidim from all kehillot a chance that was not given to them until this very day.
In the hope of creating a better understanding of what the movement is about, we are answering the questions that we see repeated, hoping this gives everyone clarity. Please feel free to send your questions, and we will try to answer them over time.
Is Hityashvut Chareidit another money-making nadlan company?
While truth has it that in the past, small projects in the Yishuvim or the periphery would start off advertised at a reasonable price, after getting more and more interest, they would become overpriced because of those who saw an opportunity to make a quick and large profit. Sadly, this is exactly what quickly put an end to the idea that this could be a viable path for young Chareidi families.
Our goal is not to sell properties, sell homes, or open another real-estate firm—it is much greater than that. We are attempting to change the attitude in the Chareidi community and show that this option of building, which for far too long was negated, is a reality. We are here to promote, harness, and unify those who see building new Yishuvim for Chareidim not as something strange, but as something natural that should have been done years ago by the masses, not just a few.
Hityashvut Chareidit hopes to be the engine that allows all those who dream today of a better future to see a light at the end of the tunnel. To those who don't find themselves fitting into what the Chareidi world currently offers in terms of small, overcrowded apartments in high-rise buildings, or to those who don't believe that moving into a Chiloni city by force is a good idea—we are here for you. Join us and help us so we can help you and your family achieve that dream.
Is the push for Yishuvim a quality-of-life factor or a religious issue?
The truth is that there are hundreds of reasons one can think of when deciding why to support the movement. To state them all, or even a few, would take much longer than we have at this moment. What we can say is that every reason is a good reason in our eyes and is valid for those who make the move because of it.
Whether it is the fact that living in more spacious, open areas is a necessity in our generation—as can be seen in the sad results of youth living in overcrowded homes when they are in need of much more room; whether it is the fact that in a Yishuv one can live a Jewish life lechatchila, with the shul being the tallest building rather than having to rely on kulas as we must in the cities; or whether one wants to factor in the closeness of a tight-knit community and how much it adds to each and every person—all these ideas are great, not to mention the big factor of the lack of affordable housing.
Yet, the primary idea that should be at the top of our minds—even if the other hundred reasons are more tachlis-oriented—is that building up Eretz Yisrael b'Kedushah v'Tahara by Chareidim is the Ratzon Hashem. Anything else we add is just the icing on the cake, not the essence. Hashem wants His land inhabited by Jews who are mkayem His Ratzon. Hashem wants chessed and Torah in every parcel of land, and Hashem wants His children to walk the streets of Eretz Yisrael. This is what we aim to accomplish in Hityashvut Chareidit.
We reached out several times to Hityashvut Chareidit, signed up for updates, and sent in questions, but we still feel we are not being responded to. Why?
As we tried to explain in the past and will explain again: Hityashvut Chareidit is a group of individuals who give up hours of their time without being paid a single shekel. It is a group of volunteers that amazingly has accomplished so much with so little. Because of this, many believe it is a large operation with big offices and staff, leading them to ask: "Why am I being ignored?" Once one understands the reality, the mere fact that you received an email reply, a phone call, or any response should be truly appreciated.
The truth is that we try to answer everyone, whether by email, WhatsApp, or phone. Obviously, at times people get upset thinking we are ignoring them, but it must be made clear that because of the small number of people behind this movement and the massive amount of interest in it, it takes much longer than anticipated to get back to everyone.
We try as hard as we can, but at the end of the day, our resources and time are limited. This is why we make a plea: reach out again, be clear and precise about what you want and how you would like to help if you feel it is urgent and we have not reached you yet. As always, we encourage those who believe in this mission to help us reach others—and, of course, to donate so we can open an office that is better equipped to respond to everyone in due time.
