Life in Bayit Vegan

amother

Wed, Jan 12 2022, 2:50 pm

We may have an opportunity to move to Bayit Vegan. I'm wondering if anyone here lives there or knows what life is like there?

We'd likely send our kids to school in another neighborhood because we are not litvish. It looks like a very uniformly litvish neighborhood... Would we manage to make any friends?

Are there English speakers (of a somewhat younger generation)? What would it be like to live there?

Pros/cons/thoughts?

As an aside, I did not see many playgrounds there but I saw MANY MANY kids. What do they all do on Shabbos/free time??? The proportion of kid to playground didn't make sense to me.

amother

Wed, Jan 12 2022, 3:15 pm

I drove through there today in the afternoon, maybe at the time that schools were letting out? Tons of kids out. Am I wrong that there are tons of kids in Bayit Vegan? Maybe not in every one of the older apt buildings but in the general area?

And the street that we may have an opportunity live on is new, with new construction, though seems walking distance to Hapisgah. I think it's called Torat Chaim. Maybe it's technically called Mordot Bayit Vegan in that area?

Just googled it to check the street name, and I see not far away on Google maps "Amshinov (synagogue and yeshiva)."

I see mostly litvish looking people though, based on dress. Just first glance.

On the Torat Chaim street I saw a few families with young kids out walking. It kind of has the feel of a cul de sac, dead-end street that looks like it MAY be fun to live there if the neighbors are friendly (I'm a major introvert, but I can recognize the fun of knowing your neighbors a little bit) but really not fun if you just see all these kids and people out and have no connection with them.

amother

Blueberry

Wed, Jan 12 2022, 3:28 pm

My husband learned in bayit vegan for almost 9 years BH. And I went to Darchei Binah which is there too. I did chessed by a family there and have some friends. I can try to answer any questions you might have Smile

Are you chassidish?

There are a few parks off the top off my head I can think of.

What street would you move to?

amother

Peachpuff

Wed, Jan 12 2022, 4:41 pm

I lived in Bayit Vegan for a few years. It was full of Israeli, French and Spanish and a few Americans. It is pretty clickey. Spanish hang out together, French together etc. There are tons of kids and the bais Yaacov has like 8 classes in a grade. The parks tend to be small so large amount of kids there at once playing.

salt

Thu, Jan 13 2022, 2:42 am

Tons of kids in bayit vegan. The beit yakov there has about 8 classes of 30 girls in each grade.
There are also older people though. A nice range of ages.
Many olim - especially from France, but also Anglo.
Several parks. And the kids play together in entrances to the buildings.

Success10

Thu, Jan 13 2022, 4:56 am

I really had no idea young families were still coming to live in Bayit Vegan. Nice to hear. I live in a litvish neighborhood, and there are a few lone chassidish families who send to the litvish schools, and their kids are integrated, since kids don't care about this stuff. But if you don't want to send to the local schools, your kids will have a hard time. I would avoid that if possible.

amother

Sun, Jan 16 2022, 3:00 am

Thanks everyone!

We are Chabad. I won't change my kids schools, in fact one of the things that appeal to me about Bayit Vegan is that the busing would be very convenient for them. But I don't want to walk into a situation that we feel extra lonely because we're surrounded by kids and families but not any friends.

There is a Chabad presence in Bayit Vegan (or or two of my kids have classmates live in Bayit Vegan, actually) but it is small.

salt

Sun, Jan 16 2022, 4:19 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I think you're kids might find it hard to make friends, not because you are chabad, but because they will not be in school together with the kids on the block. It's always a little harder to make friends like that. All the other kids will know each other from school. But if they're friendly types, they can make friends too - shul, avot ubanim, etc.

And for me personally, my 'friends' are my kids' friends parents. They're not my friends for calling and having a heart-to-heart in the evening, or for going out for coffee, but for nattering in the park, asking quick advice, borrowing something, etc.
So it depends how sociable you are, how easily you make friends, etc.
I find that Israeli's don't have a lot of time for deep friendships, at this stage of life. It's more a neighbourly friendship, like I said, while your kids are playing.

Is there a chabad shul in bayit vegan? I don't know. I know there is one in Givat Mordechai, that serves beit hakerem as well, but that's a bit of a walk.