A house with yard for an avrech –for less than a thousand dollars per month.  

The City of Torah, located in Mexico, is presided over by Maran Rosh HaYeshiva HaGaon Guershon Edelshtein shlit”a. Ubicated in one of the world’s best locations in terms of climate and weather, it will be an ecological city as well.  

The developers undertake to meet all the physical needs and essential Torah institutions –already for the first newcomers.  

Laying of the cornerstone: 10 Tamuz, 5781 

A house with yard for an avrech –for less than a thousand dollars per month, without interests. 

Torah is respected in Mexico –soon you will hear up to what extent: 

The entrepreneurs of “The City of Torah” in South America, offer avrechim a home purchase, without interest, for less than a thousand dollars per month. 

At the same time, they present a grandiose and ambitious plan for Torah life.  

Located in one of the best places in the world, it will provide a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. It will also meet all the family and children’s needs.  

Their goal is clear and explicit: less business, more Torah –in a relaxed atmosphere. They are ready for everything in order to achieve that goal.   

“We are not playing nor joking”, affirms Moshe Shemaria, one of the entrepreneurs, with a smile. “We intend to give all the necessary support and assistance to the avrechim. Therefore, the conditions will be very favorable –the payments will be without interests. We want to increase the Torah in Mexico.  We want the bnei Torah to have a better quality of life. We want them to engage in Torah with perseverance and diligence, and with peace of mind. That’s our goal”, tells us Moshe Shemaria, in his first interview for the Israeli media.  

Moshe Shemaria (54 years old) is a businessman and philanthropist from Mexico City. He is a real estate entrepreneur and owner of a well-known restaurant chain among the Jewish community in Mexico. He comes from a family of chesed, founders of the Mexican project “Torah to Your House”. It is a local organization that has achieved 20,000 hours of Torah so far. Avrechim go to different houses in order to teach Torah and provide Jewish coaching. 

Together with other partners, such as Mr. Yitzchak Hilu, a Torah student and respected businessman, and other visionaries with a Torah background, their goal is to glorify the future City of Torah of Latin America.   

More than one and a half million square meters have been purchased near the city “Ixtapan de la Sal”, which is about 100 km from the center of Jewish life in Mexico City. It is one of the most beautiful places in Mexico, which many tourists flock to all year round. Due to the wonders of creations discovered within the city limits, the whole area is immersed in vegetation, and provides a pleasant weather, hot springs, stalactite caves in different colors and unique salt effects. The green color dominates every nook: there are striking fields, gardens and breathtaking views. And the city itself is absolutely stunning.  

“The area provides the most comfortable weather in the world”, emphasizes Shemaria, in an exclusive interview conducted from his home in Mexico. “The City of Torah of South America that we are establishing, will be the most beautiful in the world”, he says happily. “It will be a green and ecological city. Every single house will have its own yard. This is essential for us”.  

“The construction of the city will take place in stages. Within 3 years we hope and long for the inauguration of the city, already with the settlement of 120 families of bnei Torah. We commit ourselves to build synagogues (both Sepharadi and Ashkenazi), a yeshiva, kindergartens, an elementary school and some kollelim. All this, already in the first stage. We also undertake here in advance: any kollel that decides to establish a branch in our city, will receive the necessary area from us, absolutely free of charge.  

Although Mexico is the model for Torah life for all South America, the city is intended not only for people from Mexico, but from other countries as well, such as Panama and Argentina. Actually, from everywhere. The need of such a special place for bnei Torah, is a necessity for Jews all around the world.  

We want to establish something similar to Lakewood, in even better material conditions. The avrechim will be able to dedicate their lives to Torah, and live in the best place to achieve that goal. They will also have the best opportunity for Jewish education and Jewish life”.  

Who is Moshe Shemaria? 

“I am a person who, first of all, admires and appreciates Torah sages. They represent an example and a goal. Rich people are not a model for me, the Torah sages are. I am convinced that the world stands and exists thanks to the Torah, and for the Torah. Therefore, I make an effort to be an oved Hashem, and learn Torah every day. I believe that every success takes place thanks to the chochomim that learn Torah every day. My goal is to increase Torah in the world and bring Mashiach”, he says with a happy smile. Then, he adds “I am sure that when Mashiach comes, he will take this city to Jerusalem, exactly as it is”. 

Shemaria will be 55 years old soon iy’H, has five married children and eleven grandchildren, bli ayin hara. “I was born in a city about four hours drive from Mexico City. There wasn’t a sufficiently established Jewish community. So, after we became baalei teshuva, my wife and I realized that we had no option for a Jewish future there for our children, so we decided to move to Mexico City. It provides Torah institutions and Jewish education for children”. 

Shemaria adheres to an agenda that includes Torah study both in the morning and in the evening. It took us a week to successfully coordinate with him this interview, due to the businessman’s busy schedule. He has also agreed to tell us about his family’s Torah initiatives. “We set up an organization called TAD, which means Torah to the House (in Spanish). This means that the Torah goes to people’s homes. The purpose is to deliver Torah lessons at the homes or offices of Jews. We trained nineteen avrechim. They go to each house not only to teach Torah, but also to aid as personal coachers, in order to help people, grow. Until the Coronavirus appeared, we delivered more than 20,000 hours of Torah, boruch Hashem”, tells Shemaria, his eyes sparkling. “My brother Rabbi Yaakov Shemaria is the head of the program, and we, the family, help him, along with other acts of kindness. We all believe that the main thing in life is Torah”. 

Rabbinical support from around the world 

Regarding the building of the city, Moshe Shemaria applied his principal conception in relation to guedolei haTorah. The City of Torah has the blessing of the elder yeshiva head in America, Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetzky shlit’a, who has been accompanying the Jewish community in Mexico for decades. He is familiar with the struggles of Jewish life in the big city, and enthusiastically supported the initiative. Even more, he turned to the Maran Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Gershon Edelshtein shlita who, after checking, inquiring and demanding details, accepted the request and was officialy declared as the president of the City of Torah.  

“It is our greatest honor that Rabbi Edelshtein has agreed to hold the presidency. It is a direct connection to the most famous yeshiva in the world, the one that we admire so much. We will also have a great yeshiva, under the presidency of guedolei Yisrael. The best bachurim and avrechim of South America will learn in this special place”. 

“The Guedolei HaTorah are the ones who stand in the presidency of the city. It is our goal that everyone, all the residents of the city, will strive to grow like them. We will provide the material needs, so that they can transcend in Torah without interruption. The strengthening we receive from talmidei chochomim from all over the world, and the members of the councils of the great Torah scholars who joined the blessing of Rabbi Edelshtein, motivates us very much. We receive great reinforcement from Mexico too. The rabanim were enthusiastic about the idea. Dozens of rabbis and presidents from different communities in Mexico encourage us. They have been excited and interested in the details, even before we published the full program. Some of the already asked to book houses for their children. Everyone understands that this is a very large venture, and a huge chance to transcend in Torah”. 

A spacious house of Torah 

Technically, the houses planned for The City of Torah sound like a real dream to the Israeli ear.  

We present 5 different sizes of houses in the first phase. Each house will be spacious and, as mentioned above, will have a big private yard, as well as many areas specifically designed for the children’s development.  

The size of the houses ranges from 140 m² (the smallest one), to 270 m².  

The prices, adapted for avrechim, are less than one hundred thousand dollars for the small house, and up to 220 thousand dollars for the large house. 

Shemaria is surprising in his vision for helping avrechim, and declares convenient means of purchase like a Gemach. “The first 55 families that announce their purchase of a home for immediate housing, will get a very convenient purchase option, payments of less than a thousand dollars a month, for 120 months, without interest. Within ten years, the house will be totally theirs. As easy as it sounds. We believe that Torah learning in peace is the key to transcend in Torah life”.  

How will you persuade avrechim to leave the kind of life they are used to, in the big city? 

“Moving to The City of Torah will not be a great sacrifice, because the chosen location (Ixtapan de la Sal) is one of the most beautiful and comfortable places in the world, also in terms of health. It has a very special climate. Not particularly hot, with an average of 20 degrees almost all year round. Even during cold days, the temperature is 10 degrees. Without air pollution, The City of Torah is located within a spectacular and breathtaking green lung. The road to its location is like a wonderful tourist journey. It is also important to note that within 10 minutes’ drive, there is a large city called Ixtapan de la Sal, so every need required beyond The City of Torah, is within reach. Another extremely important point: in view of the Jewish life in Mexico City, which suffers from insecurity, we must take into account that the conditions in The City of Torah will be completely different. The place will be safe and secure. What’s more, it will be so spacious that children will be able to ride their bikes through the paths around the city. In designated areas, we will build a large supermarket, parks, separated pools, playrooms, and everything needed to improve the quality of life, which does not exist in the big city. The workers in The City of Torah will be mostly Jews, and the others, will be tested. There will be only decent people. Jews will be able to live in security and peace, which is an extremely important fact”. 

Beautiful but not luxurious 

“It is important for me to note that the city is intended primary for avrechim, but not exclusively. Baale batim are also welcomed, as well as anyone who is a ben Torah and conducts his life and family according to the Torah way of life. This will not be a luxurious city. From the outside, all houses will be similar. It will be a beautiful, high-quality and spacious Torah city”. 

The business that will accompany me to the Olam Abah 

“I deal with a lot of things in my life, but I think this is the venture that will accompany me to my olam abah. This city, which is intended solely for the purpose of allowing the Torah followers to grow up without interruptions, and under the most appropriate conditions, will be managed by the Holy One. So, I am sure that we have and will have blessing and success. 

Success? Tov lehodot la Hashem. 

I’m already saying “Tov lehodot la Hashem”. I’m sure the city will be a success. There is enough room for 3000 houses. At the moment our vision is about a thousand houses within ten years. It seems to me that this is the need of the people of the Diaspora. In case of necessary, we will build more. 

I also know that the most important place to live is the Land of Yisrael. But we need to provide the best alternative in the Diaspora, so that every Torah student who already lives in the Diaspora, will have the right to live and own his own house in the City of the Torah. 

Laying the cornerstone –next summer 

On the 10th of Tammuz (June 20th) iy”h, there will be a cornerstone laying event, with a very large production, after a long period of time without major events. We will be happy of doing it in honor of the Torah, from Mexico to the whole Jewish world. We intend to invite great Torah scholars from all over the world, together with the rabbis of Mexico, to the territory we have acquired. 

We rented a huge auditorium, where all the great chassidic singers of the world will perform, along with a choir of 120 children from the Talmud Torah of Mexico. Everything will be impressive and honorable in honor of the Torah, and even gedolei Yisrael will participate. 

From noon onwards, we will broadcast live from the City of the Torah the ceremony of laying the cornerstone, which will be combined with the takeoffs and landings of helicopters that will bring the rabbis. 

Many guests of honor and journalists will come especially to the cornerstone laying celebrations. 

We are planning a huge event in honor of the Torah. We pray that we may increase the Torah learning in the world as well as its way of life.