“Netivot Is On Its Way to Becoming the Torah City of the Negev”

Dozens of Community Leaders from Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, and Modiin Illit Tour the Sites of Thousands of New Homes for the Chareidi Tzibbur 

*Community leaders visited kollelim where hundreds of avreichim are already learning in Netivot, toured the magnificent mosdos chinuch, and were shown the massive construction sites adjacent to the existing kehilla, where work has begun on thousands of housing units for the chareidi public. *500 families from the finest yeshivos have already purchased homes in Ramat Meir, and 150 outstanding avreichim, talmidei chachomim from leading yeshivos, have bought homes in Kiryat Beit HaLevi. *The Housing Committee expressed tremendous satisfaction with the unprecedented scale of construction designated for bnei Torah and held an extended practical discussion about the future of these large and distinguished kehillos set to flourish in the city over the coming years, with the construction’s completion.

Dozens of leaders from chareidi communities across the country toured Kiryat Beit HaLevi and Ramat Meir in Netivot, witnessing firsthand the areas where, in the coming month, construction will begin on thousands of new homes designated for bnei Torah.

As previously reported in ‘Yated Ne’eman,’ the cornerstone laying event for them new kehillos took place several weeks ago, attended by Maran HaRav HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlit”a, HaRav HaGaon HaGadol Reb Aryeh Levi, shlit”a, HaRav HaGaon HaGadol Reb Aviezer Piltz, shlit”a, and Roshei Yeshivos and Rabbonim, shlit”a, who strongly encouraged their talmidim to establish their homes in these new neighborhoods.

36,000 New Housing Units Underway

The kinus was opened by Reb Aharon Asayag, shlit”a, the visionary behind the Yadir Torah mosdos in Netivot, who has led and built the Torah revolution in the south. Acting as the trusted emissary of the Gedolei Yisroel, shlit”a, Reb Asayag has spearheaded the initiative to establish kehillos for distinguished avreichim in the city, going so far as to enlist support from philanthropists from around the world to assist avreichim in purchasing apartments.

In his remarks, Reb Asayag presented the vision of expanding Torah in Netivot—a vision initiated by HaRav HaGaon HaGadol Rav Yissachar Meir, zt”l, and now continuing to unfold. He detailed the decades of Torah growth in the region, recalling the remarkable history of how the spiritual landscape of the south was transformed over the past twenty years, with the establishment of mosdos Torah, kollelim, and chinuch.

“Now, b’siyata d’Shmaya, the opportunity has come,” he said. “Government policies have created an unprecedented window for avreichim to purchase a home in a place that is entirely built on Torah and chinuch.”

36,000 housing units are currently being built in Netivot, all under fully approved government budgets.

“To grasp the scale of this development,” it was noted at the kinus, “all of Kiryat Sefer (Modiin Illit), across its many neighborhoods, contains just 11,500 apartments. Here, in Netivot, the cost of a home is 700,000 shekel less than in the four largest chareidi communities. The goal is for Netivot to become the Torah city of the entire south. There are already strong kehillos in the South—in Netivot, Tifrach, and Ofakim—but building an entire city of Torah is on a different level.”

A 25-Minute Train from Israel’s Center to its South

It was also reported at the kinus that 70% of the government’s housing plans are designated for development in the south, with hundreds of thousands of new housing units being built across Kasif, Tila, Kiryat Gat, Ofakim, Yerucham, and 36 thousand in Netivot alone.

Additionally, the government has approved a major national investment to eliminate the concept of Eretz Yisroel’s geographic periphery through a high-speed rail line that will connect Haifa to the center of the country and another that will connect Be’er Sheva to the center—both in just 25 minutes. This project has been fully approved, with train service expected to begin within three years.

Thousands of New Sources of Parnassah for Wives of Avreichim

Another critical development for bnei Torah considering a move south is the availability of parnassah for wives of avreichim. Netivot is developing the largest industrial zone in the country, Noam Industrial Park, where entire national and military high-tech sector divisions are relocating.

“Three conditions are necessary for a makom Torah to be a viable place of dwelling for bnei Torah,” explained Rav Aharon Asayag, shlit”a: affordable housing, parnassah for wives of avreichim, and strong system of kollelim. With tremendous siyata d’Shmaya, I have been zoche to have close ties to leading supporters of Torah in America, all of whom are committed to this initiative. Their goal is to support a large network of kollelim established here—on a level unmatched anywhere else—providing the necessary infrastructure for bnei Torah to thrive in this new makom Torah.”

He further shared, “So far, 500 young couples from the finest yeshivos have purchased homes in the area known as Ramat Meir. There is no so-called ‘periphery’ in the entire country that comes close to these numbers. The potential here for the future and what is already happening on the ground is unfolding at an astonishing pace, b’siyata d’Shmaya.

Phase 1 of Kiryat Beit HaLevi consists of 200 apartments, and even before the first stone was laid, 150 apartments were already sold, all to bnei Torah from the top yeshivos. Not a single unit was sold for investment purposes.

Every avreich who purchased a home was personally approved by the an admissions committee, established under the leadership of HaRav HaGaon HaRav Chaim Peretz Berman, shlit”a.”

Hundreds of Avreichim Learning in the Kollelim

The delegation of community leaders toured the thriving kollelim already established in Netivot. They visited Kollel Tiferes Dovid, where elite avreichim from the finest yeshivos immerse themselves in limud; Kollel Ritzufos, where over one hundred avreichim, all olim are learning b’hasmadah; Kollel Mishkan HaTorah, and several others. At each location, they were met with hundreds of distinguished avreichim, deeply engrossed in the sugiyos of Abaye and Rava, their dedication to Torah evident in their every word and action. The very atmosphere of these kollelim testifies to the nature of the community, a city saturated with Torah and avodas Hashem.

The community leaders spoke with local avreichim about life in Netivot. The avreichim shared, with great simcha, how they are zoche to live in a true makom Torah, raising their families in an environment of ruchniyus and tranquility, and how this has an immeasurable impact on the peace and stability of a true Torah home.

They also met with groups of young yeshiva bochurim, who spoke enthusiastically about their simchas limud and their deep love for the community, with a sense of menuchas hanefesh clearly visible on their faces.

The visit continued to Kiryat Beit HaLevi, where the community leaders were shown detailed blueprints mapping out the massive scope of development, all tailored exclusively for the chareidi community, with the new neighborhoods featuring expansive areas designated for mosdos chinuch and community buildings, including over 100 dunams (100,000 square meters) set aside for the construction of a Hadassah hospital to serve the region.

From there, they proceeded to Park HaAgam, an incredible scenic development overlooking the city, on par with Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, featuring a lake, vast green lawns, and spacious open areas. The group then continued through the commercial centers, which include a full range of stores catering to the chareidi tzibbur, from major kosher food chains to clothing stores and essential household goods. The community leaders expressed their amazement at the vibrancy and rapid growth of the city, noting how families are zoche to raise their children in a shamur, Torahdik environment.

“Beit Shemesh is Here”

Following the tour, the delegation held an in-depth practical discussion about building strong kehillos in the coming years, as the housing projects near completion.

HaRav Shalom Koldetzky, one of the leading community leaders in Ramot, Yerushalayim, and a founding member of the Housing Committee, spoke about the tremendous support from Gedolei Yisroel for the new neighborhoods in Netivot and the city’s extraordinary growth, with Roshei Yeshivos already traveling to deliver regular shiurim in the kollelim and sending their talmidim to live here. He also emphasized the crucial need for unified efforts among Roshei Kehillos to create centralized housing solutions for our tzibbur, explaining:

“We are dealing with a very large Litvish tzibbur that needs housing and community solutions. It is our achrayus as Roshei Kehillos to work together to establish kehillos throughout Eretz Yisroel, so that the families who move into these new developments will have all the necessary community infrastructure in place from day one.”

HaRav Tzvi Rabinsky, menahel of the Torat HaBayis Talmud Torah network in Beit Shemesh and a member of the Housing Committee, explained:

“Today, it is simply not feasible for young families to purchase homes in established chareidi cities in the center. Even if the parents contribute a million shekels, the couple still has to take on a second million in debt. That means paying between 5,500 and 10,000 shekel per month. Who can afford that?

There are various options in places like Tzfas and Yerucham, but Netivot is on an entirely different level. Here, not only is there an established chareidi kehilla with all the necessary mosdos for boys and girls, kollelim, and community services (just like in any charedi city in the center), but tremendous focus is being placed on the future.

Kiryat Beit HaLevi is being built within walking distance of the existing chareidi center of Netivot. It is transforming the city into the newest chareidi Torah city of the south. Unlike other places I’ve toured in the so-called ‘periphery,’ where I meet with real estate developers and community leaders, in Netivot, I met with avreichim from the center, serious bnei Torah looking to secure a true Torahdik future for their families. Avreichim who came not just to find an affordable home and a strong kehilla, but a brand-new, spacious home with a sukkah balcony, built for a growing chareidi family. And most importantly, they found it within a thriving kehilla. 500 families have already committed to moving here—and this is just the beginning.

What makes this place special is the integrated planning of mosdos, parnassah, and housing—something that is practically unheard of anywhere else.

When I moved to Beit Shemesh 30 years ago, it was a brand-new development of just 1,150 homes. Only 250 of them were for Litvishe families. There were no mosdos chinuch, no shuls, and no direct transportation to the major chareidi cities. And still, at the time, people saw it as an incredible opportunity. Look where Beit Shemesh is today!

There is no question that the hundreds of bnei Torah who are moving to Netivot and joining the existing kehilla will completely transform the city into a chareidi Netivot centered around the Yeshivish kehilla—just as Beit Shemesh grew into one of the largest Torah communities in Eretz Yisroel. The only difference is that here, in Netivot, the development is moving at a much faster pace.

One thing is certain—once the first 500 families move in, housing prices here will skyrocket. The wise person sees ahead.”

“It Feels Like I’m Walking Through Kiryat Sefer or Yerushalayim”

HaRav Shlomo Koldetzky, leader of the Beis Hashem kehilla in Bnei Brak, expressed his impression of the flourishing kehilla and the outstanding bnei Torah from the finest yeshivos who have already purchased homes in the new neighborhoods. He emphasized the urgent need to establish a broad infrastructure of kollelim and to immediately begin large-scale efforts to provide for the thousands of avreichim expected to settle in these areas in the coming years, b’ezras Hashem.

HaRav Menachem Vershauer, leader of one of the kehillos in Beit Shemesh, spoke about key communal foundations that must be put in place to establish a true makom Torah.

HaRav Moshe Chazanovitz, one of the kehilla leaders in Ramot, Yerushalayim, presented practical ideas for implementation as the first few hundred families move in and the kehillos take shape.

HaRav Avinoam Shifman, leader of a kehilla in Modiin Illit and a key figure in the city’s tzedakah initiatives, shared: “For years, I assumed that Netivot was just a small town in the periphery, with a working-class kehilla of about 50 families. I never imagined that today, hundreds of families of bnei Torah are already living in a thriving community. As we walked through the neighborhoods, visiting one kollel after another, from one mosad chinuch to the next, it truly felt as if I were walking through Kiryat Sefer or Yerushalayim. I saw cheder children returning home in large groups, passionately discussing their limud. I saw Bnos Yaakov—refined, tzniusdik, and dignified—on par with the finest families of Modiin Illit. These children are all in premier Torahdik mosdos, and the fathers—avreichim—are fully immersed in Torah and avodas Hashem. It was a heartwarming and astonishing sight. This is how a true Torah city in the south is being built, with tremendous momentum.”

The Rav added: “I was also taken aback by the vast open spaces, completely different from the crowded conditions of Bnei Brak or Kiryat Sefer. This is truly the chareidi city of the future and an unparalleled opportunity for the chareidi tzibbur: a solution to the housing crisis that does not come at the expense of chinuch and parnassah.”

HaRav Aryeh Leibowitz, leader of a kehilla in Modiin Illit and founder of Gmach Yad Shimshon, shared that when purchasing an apartment in Kiryat Beit HaLevi for his son, he visited the area multiple times and witnessed firsthand tremendous ruchniyus and kehilla life in its purest form, stating that the kehilla has everything an avreich and his family could possibly need.

HaRav Yisroel Gertsch, leader of a kehilla in Givat Shaul, Yerushalayim, stressed the importance of organized community-wide initiatives, as seen in Netivot, explaining that this approach is the only true solution to the housing crisis.

HaRav Dovid Berlin, leader of a kehilla in Ramot, Yerushalayim, shared that he personally spoke with numerous avreichim who enthusiastically purchased homes in the new neighborhoods.

Also participating in the special tour were HaRav Yosef Wilman of Beit Shemesh; HaRav Ze’ev Goldwasser, shlit”a of Bnei Brak; HaRav Tzvi Zaks of Bnei Brak; HaRav Engel of Bnei Brak; HaRav Azarya Goldschmidt of Modiin Illit; HaRav Mordechai Budenheim of Modiin Illit; HaRav Munk of Bnei Brak; HaRav Shimshon Eppin of Bnei Brak; HaRav Moshe Kirschner of Modiin Illit; HaRav Yisroel Liyush of Modiin Illit; HaRav Moshe Gershoni of Ramat Shlomo, Yerushalayim; and HaRav Yisroel Kind of Beitar and a member of the Housing Committee. Each one expressed tremendous admiration for the scale of construction in the city, and great satisfaction at seeing a real, practical solution to the severe housing crisis for bnei Torah. The delegation left with a strong sense of achrayus, determined to bring the news of Netivot’s housing opportunities to kehillos of bnei Torah across Eretz Yisroel.

Yated Ne’eman, Tuesday, 20 Shevat 5785