Jerusalem pilot trip- community/area help!

amother

Mon, May 18 2020, 3:47 pm

We will iyh go as soon as the country opens up to really try it out.
Problem is I haven’t found an area I like.
We have tried Ramat Eshkol/Sanhedria, Ganei geuala , Belz, and Maalot Dafna- all felt way too frum for me.
Is there a place I’d be comfortable wearing leggings under my skirt (for lack of a better definition of stream)
I have heard Katamon has a more MO population
Any other areas to suggest that are warm and accepting for a family with young kids?

amother

Mon, May 18 2020, 4:10 pm

Thanks so much for the answers!
I should add that we are not young! Our kids are 0-10 but we are late 30s/40s. Does that change the answer?
What streets in Rechavia would you recommend? Like Diskin area!
Is katamon expensive too?
Sorry for so many questions- is Har Nof more of a chareidi area?

Elfrida

Mon, May 18 2020, 4:18 pm

Har Nof is a mostly chareidi area, but has a few Dati Leumi communities. There are a few young families sprinkled among them, but the Dati Leumi communities are mostly older. They bought when Har Nof was first built, at which time it was a far more mixed neighbourhood. Over the years it became more chareidi. They have stayed, but the communities are much smaller than they used to be. Their married children live elsewhere, and the grandchildren come to visit for Shabbos.

essie14

Mon, May 18 2020, 10:48 pm

Diskin is shaarei chesed. mostly chareidi. Rehavia bordering katamon is more DL. Very expensive. I lived there as a single and you cant beat the location. Aza, and the streets off of it. The parks were always full of families. You'll pay at least 2000 shekel per room (meaning 6k rent for a 2 bedroom apartment)

All the DL people I know who lived in Har Nof have left. Its not a growing DL community at all. No young DL families.

chanchy123

Mon, May 18 2020, 11:43 pm

If You’re looking for DL are with children for long term - Arnona is the really the safest bet (lots of English speakers) and areas of Katamonim. Also Kiryat Menachem and Kiryat Yovel (less Anglo).
If you are very Torani Kiryat Moshe.

etky

Tue, May 19 2020, 1:01 am

Just adding Har Homa and Ramot as slightly cheaper alternatives to the above mentioned areas.
Both are outlying self-contained neighborhoods of Jerusalem, which has its advantages and disadvantages, and both have DL communities where there are English speakers too.

chanchy123

Tue, May 19 2020, 2:07 am

etky wrote:

Har Homa is cheap young families (I mean many families with school aged children) - but very far out. Does Ramot have young DL families? My impression is that it’s more for people my parents generation.

essie14

Tue, May 19 2020, 2:11 am

chanchy123 wrote:

Yes, my impression as well of Ramot. I have lots of friends in their 30s and 40s whose parents live there but I don't know anyone in that age bracket who lives there.
Har Homa is very far out, especially if you are relying on buses. It could take over an hour to get to the center of town.

etky

Tue, May 19 2020, 2:19 am

chanchy123 wrote:

I don't know what ages there are in Ramot now (I also know middle aged people there) but there might have been a turnover.
Har Homa probably has a younger profile.
As far as being far out - yes, both neighborhoods are really satellite neighborhoods of Jerusalem. But that offers advantages too: beautiful views and scenery, a feeling of being sort of like a yishuv within a city, possibly less crowding and congestion than in the older more urban areas.
Obviously it's also limiting, especially on Shabbat.

Teomima

Tue, May 19 2020, 2:30 am

essie14 wrote:

Har Homa isn't that bad. The 74 goes through the whole neighborhood and runs directly to the center of town, mostly along Derech Hevron along a designated bus lane, making it actually pretty quick. Plus they have a lot of local resources like a post office, supermarkets, Superpharm, kupot (health fund) clinics, Ministry of the Interior reception, etc.

I have DL friends who live there (they bought over a decade ago when the neighborhood was first being built) and they say they're feeling a little edged out by all the Charedim coming, but it still is very much a mixed environment.

Rappel

Tue, May 19 2020, 2:32 am

If you're considering as far out as Ramot - maybe consider Metzpeh Yericho or Maaleh Adumim? The buses go straight to the light rail, and I think are faster/nearer than Ramot.

camp123

Tue, May 19 2020, 5:16 am

Look into san Simon/katamon area and ramot bet. Def have people your age and are dati leumi/torani. Rechavia is less of a community type place, much harder to meet people and over all more charadi although there are d"l people and shuls.