Comments on: Top Ten Reasons Why Ramat Bet Shemesh Aleph Is A Great Place to Live

By: admin

admin — Mon, 16 May 2011 07:45:32 +0000

Hi Jonathan,
I guess it depends on one’s perspective of what is considered an ‘unhealthy’ environment to raise children…
Moshe

By: Jonathan Goldstein

Jonathan Goldstein — Mon, 16 May 2011 06:23:34 +0000

We lived in Ramat Beit Shemesh A for 12 years in two properties which we owned. Sadly, we had to leave because the area changed over the years and is now very Haredi (or “Yeshivish” at best) and it became a very unhealthy enviornment to raise our now teenaged children. If anyone is considering Aliyah – you may want to look elsewhere unless you specifically want this enviornment.

By: michelle

michelle — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:38:25 +0000

Hi Shoshana,
We are considering moving to RBS next year and we are looking to buy a store in the new project(i think it is called RBS Guimel).
Do you have any information about that?
Thank you so much.

By: kay

kay — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:27:01 +0000

I definitely recommend RBS A’ for you. As the previous posts have said, it’s quite a mix here, and you’ll find it very easy to find your crowd.
Many many people are sincere baalei teshuva who are like you – keep kosher, Shabbat, etc., work during the week, and attend a shiur.
TelzStone is probably much more “black” than RBS A’.
Maybe 10% of the men are in kollel here – I’m not sure where you got the 99%. There are small pocketed neighborhoods that may have a higher percentage, but if you’re serious about coming, you’ll quickly get to know where you want to live (by asking people.)
We only here of the violence via the “wonderful” media. It never enters the friendly confines of Aleph, so you have nothing to worry about.
We’ve been here for three years, and we love it. It is THE ideal place for American olim to come to, and raise their families.
Hatzlacha!

By: Miriam

Miriam — Sun, 09 May 2010 04:32:38 +0000

Hi everyone.. my husband & i have decided to do aliyah from New York. we feel that there is no place to raise our children like israel & especially the rabbis threatening to come to israel now before it’s too late.. Anyway, I am Ashkenazi & my husband is Sephardi. I don’t speak Hebrew & would really like to live in an ‘American neighborhood’. We are religious, ba’al tshuva, but with so many categories of religious levels these days i don’t even know where we fall under. we are strictly kosher, shabbat observant, my husband works & tries to do atleast a shiur a day. we don’t watch regular television but i put on dvds for the kids. (dudu fisher, malkali) during the week i wear a long denim skirt & my husband wears jeans & a baseball cap but on Shabbat he wears a black hat. i think because of the way we dress it’s the hardest to classify us. i am having a hard time deciding between Telztone & Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph. I’d like some input from people who actually live there & would appreciate anything really that anyone can tell me..
is it true that Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph is 99% men who are in kollel & wear a black hat all week?>
thanks so much..

By: Loren Spigelman

Loren Spigelman — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:40:29 +0000

Nice top 10. Thanks for the reminder of the good things. We’re coming on 6 years this summer. And you’re right, people do confuse Aleph and Bet all the time.

Shoshana, as a charedi, people will think about you what they think. Probably the same as they do now wherever you’re living. I don’t think you’ll be branded worse because you live in RBS.

There’s pretty much every type of dati Jew here. Most of the chilonim have left (I think that in many ways that’s a shame). There’s a shul of every flavour and nothing is really THAT far away. The best thing to do is spend a Shabbos here. That’s how you really get to see what a community looks like. If you’d like help in arranging that, e-mail me. Good luck in your decision.

By: Anon

Anon — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:01:51 +0000

Hi Shoshana,
I live in RBS aleph and never have had any bad experiences at the mikva, at shopping, or anywhere else. I won’t bother to ‘label’ us, because I’m sure someone would find something negative or pigeon-holed to say about me if I did. My suggestion is that you come and see for yourself. This is really a great place to live. Ask people who live here. Some people may take out their aggressions on blogs and write very nasty things, but you have to balance it with you see and hear first hand when you visit. Israel is a small country – living 2 KM away from flag burners may not seem like a lot, but it’s oceans away in Israeli terms. (For example, Telzstone is door to door with Abu Ghosh!).
We see people of all walks and no one seems to get in anyone’s way. Don’t let a few rotten apples ruin what could be the perfect place for you. Good Luck!

By: Shoshana

Shoshana — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:30:56 +0000

This was nice to see, thank you. We have been seriously considering relocating to RBS aleph from another location in Eretz Yisroel. It does sound like a wonderful community.
I have become concerned however after reading many Chareidi bashing reports recently from RBS aleph residents. “Politically” we are not a flag waving family on Yom Haatzmaut, but on the other hand we are opposed to rock throwing, garbage burning and over zealous balaniot at the mikva.
Since this position is labeled “chareidi” I am concerned about the hashpa that living in close proximity to other people who are also labeled chareidim, but are involved in such activities, will have on my children. It is one thing for us to teach our children that we do not do such things. It is another to live among people who will lump us together with them.
I would really appreciate feedback on this issue.