Ramat Beit Shemesh

Ramat Beit Shemesh (Hebrew: רמת בית שמש‎, "Beit Shemesh Heights") is a large neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, Israel. The development includes Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph, Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet, and Ramat Beit Shemesh Gimmel.

History

Map of Ramat Beit Shemesh subdistricts

Ramat Beit Shemesh was built in the 1990s, doubling the size of the city of Beit Shemesh. The neighborhood lies directly adjacent to the main part of Beit Shemesh and is located on a hill overlooking the old town. It has a large, diverse Orthodox population. The neighborhood consists of Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef and Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet. In Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet, families belonging to Eda Haredit constitute the majority.[1] In 2002, following tensions between the Haredi and non-religious population, plans were drawn up to build another secular neighborhood, HaShachar. In 2007, Ramat Shilo, considered a subdistrict of Ramat Beit Shemesh, with both Dati Leumi and Haredi residents was built. In 2009, it was announced that a new neighborhood, Ramat Beit Shemesh Gimel, would be built as an entirely Haredi neighborhood on a large block of state-owned land bordering southern Beit Shemesh.[1]

Ramat Shilo

Ramat Shilo was built in 2007 with 340 housing units geared toward Modern Orthodox Jews.[2] Since then, the neighborhood has experienced rapid growth and development. The residents of Ramat Shilo are Orthodox Jews, both Dati Leumi and Haredi. The neighborhood has a large community of English-speaking olim. Its residents are both Ashkenazim and Sephardim.

Ramat Shilo has a number of synagogues, yeshivas and kollels.[3] The largest institution is Yeshivat Lev Hatorah, a Religious Zionist yeshiva founded by Rabbi Boaz Mori.[4] The local synagogues include Beis Dovid/Pilzno Beis HaMedrash, a Hasidic synagogue representing the Pilzno Hasidic dynasty under the leadership of Rabbi Yehoshua Gerzi,[5] Mishkan Shilo, an Ashkenazi synagogue under the leadership of Rabbi Dovid Bagno,[4] Mishkan Moshe Va'Eliyahu, a Sephardi synagogue under the leadership of Rabbi Shai Naftali,[6] and Ohev Yisroel, a Hasidic synagogue under the leadership of Rabbi Binyomin Flintenstein of the Kapishnitzer Hassidic dynasty.[7]

Notable residents of Ramat Shilo include:

Among the communal organizations is Chasdei Shilo which provides assistance for families with financial difficulties as well as serves as a communal resource network.[8]

References

Coordinates: 31°42′50″N 34°58′58″E / 31.7139°N 34.9828°E / 31.7139; 34.9828

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