The housing crisis in Charedi neighborhoods is viewed by many as being one of the major failures of the Charedi community in Israel. Many people within the Charedi world are looking for solutions to the problem and recently some have left major cities such as Jerusalem and Bnei Brak and headed to Charedi communities in the Judea and Samaria such as Modi’in Illit and Beitar Illit.

In the most recent of such initiatives, the Biala Rebbe, Rabbi Tzvi Rabinowicz, the leader of the central rabbinic council of Agudas Yisroel, has called upon his followers to purchase apartments and houses in Ma’aleh Amos.

Ma’ale Amos is a Charedi community Israeli town in Judea located 20 km southeast of Jerusalem. The town falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council and is one of a number of Charedi towns in the area.

In a letter that he wrote to his followers, the Rebbe wrote: “I am writing to you about a worthwhile offer to purchase apartments in the developing town of Ma’ale Amos which is located near the holy city of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt speedily in our days. I personally visited the town and check out the conditions there. Without any doubt, and with God’s divine help, the town will continue to grow and develop and will turn into a large and prosperous place.

In the current state of the real estate market in Israel and the current economic situation, both with regards to the size of the homes as well as the option to immediately expand those lots, there is currently no better place to purchase a home. This holds especially true for young newlywed couples,” the Rebbe said.

The Rebbe promised that all of the necessary institutions for a proper community life for his Chassidim will be built there. He also said that one can fulfill the commandment of Yishuv Ha’aretz acording to all opinions there.

“Praised will be the people who will head my voice and purchase homes there. It is also very clear to me that those who invest now will gain so much more. Therefore, it is even the right thing to do financially.”

Yoel Silver, Deputy Head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council said that: “We welcome the members of this new and important community and we bless them for joining us. We see this as another large step in the development and the continued push to make Ma’aleh Amos a city and a mother in Israel for the Charedi Community.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)