Since the first residents moved into Ramat Givat Zeev 18 months ago, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

It’s been a year and a half since the first residents moved into RGZ and the excitement of living in Ramat Givat Zeev is genuine and constantly growing to all those who enjoy it as residents, guests and future owners.

According to members of this brand-new upscale community, the reason is clear. Never before has an entire neighborhood been built to such a high standard with many of the founder’s proposed goals fulfilled in the initial stages of occupancy.

Already in the beginning stages, Ramat Givat Zeev gained publicity by virtue of the quality residents who purchased there – doctors, lawyers, Rabbis, businessmen, university professors, and hundreds of families from abroad. It was the first frum neighborhood built in Israel to such a high standard, and word spread across the Jewish world. 

Since the first group of residents moved in, the achdus, positivity, friendship and unity among community members has attracted more and more families. The community feel, the friendly neighbors and the peaceful atmosphere have resulted in a quality of life above and beyond accepted norms in most chareidi communities.

The infrastructure is also built to a standard previously unheard of, with shuls, schools, gardens and greenery all around, plenty of parks and a huge community center to open later this year.

Avi Weinstock, a well-known figure in the community and one of the first residents, recommends Ramat Givat Zeev for families interested in a quality life style with proximity to Yerushalayim. “I came here because I wanted an upscale neighborhood without having to compromise.” Weinstock, a long time Yerushalayim resident who previously lived in Ramot and Givat Zeev, says he and his family couldn’t be happier.

“After purchasing, I remember thinking that if they’d give me everything they promised, I’d be in great shape. Practically speaking, I found, and I know I’m speaking for most of the other residents, that I received much, much more!”

Beautiful, spacious apartments – a rarity among apartments built for the chareidi sector – with large rooms, an above-average technical standard, as well as quality of life. “There is room for the kids to run around, parks, basketball courts, a tennis court and tended gardens. My son can go out and play or ride his bike with friends, and my wife and I feel completely at ease that he’s safe.” 

Weinstock has only words of praise for his neighbors. “The neighborhood has attracted the finest frum families, creating a sense of community that you don’t find in many other places. I know of families who came here specifically because of the Talmud Torah.” 

On Vacation All Year Round 

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, head of the ZAKA rescue and recovery organization, moved into Ramat Givat Zeev several months ago. “As far as I’m concerned, where I live is Greater Yerushalayim,” he explains with a smile. “We’re just 15 minutes away from the center of town, and can get anywhere with ease.” 

“Ever since I moved into my new apartment, wherever I go, I start making comparisons. And I can tell you that my home is always nicer. The standards are much higher than you’ll find in other neighborhoods, the prices are affordable, and we enjoy a quality of life that you have to experience to believe. 

“I feel as if I’m on holiday all year round. The kids too – they have many more parks than in most other places, with big, open green spaces and special playground equipment.” 

Meshi-Zahav notes with satisfaction the special feeling that exists in the community. “Everyone feels at home here. It’s something rare that is not to be taken for granted. We have Americans, Europeans and Israelis all learning together. 

There are Tehillim groups and lectures for the women, avos uvanim for fathers and sons and many inspirational community events. On Simchas Torah, over 300 families held a communal seudah! Where would you find such a thing?!” 

‘Israel’s Most Beautiful Neighborhood’ 

The Chish Nofei Israel company succeeded in creating a precedent in real estate in Israel, when it built an entire neighborhood, including all necessary services, prior to occupancy. Reporters and senior real estate professionals who toured the site in the course of construction expressed their amazement at the luxurious standards, praising Ramat Givat Zeev as “the most beautiful neighborhood in Israel.” 

From the outset, the marketing campaign for Ramat Givat Zeev attracted many residents from abroad who had been thinking about Aliyah, but were concerned they wouldn’t find a place that would meet their basic requirements. 

Because of the Chinuch and warmth of Rabbi Horowitz

When the neighborhood was still in the planning stage, one of the first questions potential purchasers asked was about the chinuch. In this respect, too, the developers invested uncompromising efforts to find the right fit. 

Ramat Givat Zeev’s schools are headed by Rabbi Avraham Horowitz, one of the community leaders, and formerly the principal of the largest Jewish school in Chile. Rabbi Horowitz agreed to leave the educational empire he’d built up over 25 years, making Aliyah with the express purpose of creating an outstanding, nurturing chinuch environment that would be uniquely suited to the residents of the new neighborhood. 

“Our community is made up of those who affiliate themselves primarily with the chareidi world because they themselves attended chareidi institutions in their formative years, but who are looking for the benefits of community life, something sorely missing in the Israeli Chareidi society,” Rabbi Horowitz observes. 

“B’ezrat Hashem, we opened the doors to our school, Torat Chessed, at the beginning of this year. It is indeed shaping up to be a community school, in part due to our demographics, but mainly because of the overwhelmingly positive attitude towards the school. The families hail from Ramat Givat Zeev and from the surrounding areas of Givat Zeev, Har Shmuel, and Ramot, and they have been tremendously supportive of our initiatives and of the school in general. Our experienced staff feels incredibly blessed with the positive feedback from our parents, and constantly rave to me about the unparalleled level of parent participation.

“Due to these initial reactions to our efforts and the general demand for schools such as ours (mamlachti chareidi), we’ve already opened next year’s admission process, from kindergarten through 4th grade, for both boys and girls. Indeed, these are auspicious beginnings for our community school!”

The recently increasing Aliyah wave brings along an extreme increase in prices. For that reason, many families are taking advantage of this tremendous opportunity, and are now making Aliyah, a decision which is not easy, but one that these families know is so right at this time.