Any Successful Anglo Communities in Israel?

amother

Turquoise

Sat, Jan 14 2023, 11:27 pm

To echo what a few people have said above: we also know a few families who came to Afula and we are hearing that they are happy. It sounds like a lot of adjustments needed to be made but they seem to be doing well.
My DD in high school has a good friend who made aliyah with her family and they correspond somewhat regularly. It's definitely a very small high school and they are still trying to figure out the exact structure of it, but friend said she is happy and her family loves it there.

amother

Plum

Sun, Jan 15 2023, 12:33 am

amother Chambray wrote:

I live in a different community with a similar set up in Europe.
At this point I am wary of relying on a narrow group of families for all of my kids‘ social life. Differences in chinuch are inevitable, people have different values. You might set yourself up for a disappointment when you find out your kids don’t click with the others and you have nowhere else to look for friends.
I would rather move to a large and less personal place where are more possibilities to find the right fit.

Do you live in Canvey Island?

amother

Phlox

Tue, Feb 07 2023, 2:52 pm

A few references to the Afula project have been made here. As someone who lives in north Israel and has intimate knowledge of this project, we should really know some of the facts. Obviously this isn't the whole story but the following can be corroborated easily by those who have friends there.
1. The community is still going.
2. There are 16 families.
3. The community began in a non religious neighborhood but is trying to move itself slowly to Afula Ilit which has a higher concentration of frum people. It does not appear that all of the current community members are in agreement with this move.
4. There is a boys elementary school, a gan for 3 and 4 year olds, which are both running. There is also a girls HS which has I think 5 girls and is running. The boys mesivta is too confusing to give a clear statement. There are 2 HS age boys - that is all I know. Someone told me that there is some agreement with a tiny mesivta in RBS to take them in. Sorry- unclear on that one.
Hope this clarifies. Very Happy

Bnei Berak 10

Tue, Feb 07 2023, 3:30 pm

amother Phlox wrote:

16 families already? Surprised

Excellent!
Funnily I only heard about it via an article in Ktifa (women's weekly magazine by Yated Neeman) who had an article around Nov-Dec 2022.
I hope Afula will grow and prosper Smile

amother

Daisy

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 3:19 am

I appreciate the facts about the community. Thank you
I would have thought that's it's impossible to run a girls high school with five girls. Who'z paying for it? Do they learn in Hebrew or English? Are they doing an American or Israeli curriculum? Very curious about how this is working.

amother

Apple

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 7:35 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Meitzad was actually founded in the 80s.
Maale amos was founded in the 70s.
Both started by olim. Charedi yishuvim.

Someone mentioned the "Lakewood group". This group moved to maale Amos. Afaik maale Amos started with a grp of Americans in caravans on a hilltop. As it grew (very slowly) it had about 1/3 each american, Israeli and Russian chariedim. Only recently did it start to really pick up more growth and there was a group from Lakewood that moved in. It was advertised when they were trying to recruit families. I don't know if their school got off the ground but there were plans to have their own school and I think to live in their own area (the whole yishuv is not that big, but still to buy houses in a group to be together) . Some people disagree with this idea of having an American school because it prevents the kids from acclimating properly into Israeli society.

amother

Alyssum

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 7:52 am

amother Daisy wrote:

I have close friends there in the new American community, and I just spoke with them recently.

They are very, very happy. I think there are more than 16 families, some already living in the other neighborhood they want to move to. Sixteen families are those living in 2 buildings together.

The girls highschool is only five girls, but they learn in the same building as the elementary school, so there is a group of girls together. The schools are American style. The girls have G.O. and Science Fairs and all the extra curricular that Israeli schools dont really have. They also take nice trips. They have Ulpan every day and learn a lot of Kodesh in Hebrew, from Israeli teachers. The secular is completely in English, taught by Americans. Even though the girls highschool is tiny, the classes are divided into 2 levels, and they have a full staff so it feels like a normal school.

Boys mesivta is also small (I think 6 or 7 ninth graders?) a combo with RBS boys and Afula boys. They spend half time in RBS and half time in Afula.

They can't say enough good about the school. Kids are making friends, learning Hebrew, love their teachers. It sounds very organized, which I am amazed by, considering they just arrived.

amother

Alyssum

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 7:57 am

amother Apple wrote:

So cool ...how many Lakewood families moved in this year? Such exciting times for Aliyah!

amother

Sienna

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 8:32 am

[quote="[url=https://www.imamother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6730634#6730634][color=black] The schools are American style. The girls have G.O. and Science Fairs and all the extra curricular [b]that Israeli schools dont really have. [/quote] LOL

The way Americans view Israeli schools never fails to crack me up.

amother

Alyssum

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 8:40 am

amother Sienna wrote:

The way Americans view Israeli schools never fails to crack me up.

Ive been researching for a long time ...hoping to make Aliyah. What Israeli school has G.O.? From what I heard, chareidi girls schools end earlier and girls can do chugim, but extra curricular is much less developed and well organized in Israeli Bais Yaakovs...

Reality

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 8:46 am

amother Sienna wrote:

The way Americans view Israeli schools never fails to crack me up.

Got to agree.

I had daughters in high school in the US and in Israel. True, there's no G.O but my girls have tons of trips and fun in school! I find the Israeli high school my girls are in is so much more inclusive when it comes to plays and jobs. Everyone in the grade gets to be involved on the level they want. As opposed to the US, where everything is about perfection and not about the girls having fun and bonding.

amother

Emerald

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 8:51 am

amother Alyssum wrote:

Its not less developed and less organized as much as very different.

I made aliya to an israeli school in 9th grade.

No GO - but there are madrichot batya from 12th grade or seminar for the younger grades who do GO like activities. Way more trips (1 school shabbos, 1 3 day winter trip, and 1 3 day summer trip).

If you are expecting everything to be the same just in Israel, you might as well stay in the states, its way harder to make a parnassa here.

LovesHashem

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 10:07 am

amother Emerald wrote:

It depends where you live and what your credentials are and what opportunities you are willing to take. If you only want a frum office yeah you are limited. If you did tti or a frum program same thing.

You need to be willing to find parnassah but it's definitely here.

amother

Black

Wed, Feb 08 2023, 10:21 am

Quote:

I grew up in a community like that. It was established by olim in Israel and future olim in the US and Canada, they came as a garin and built it up together.
The vast majority of the second generation are well adjusted frum and in Israel. We went to the local schools but because in each class there was a big group of Anglos we had group support and our parents had the support of friends who were like family.
In the early decades even shul announcements and newsletters were in English.
I think it provided a softy landing for my parents’ generation who almost exclusively had a successful Aliyah, and now have second, third, and fourth generation living nearby.
ETA this was almost four decades ago, but after the initial hardships of moving to a new yishuv on a barren hilltop, it was very successful and is thriving and accepting new olim till this day.

I wonder if it's the same moshav/yishuv my parents help start over 45 years ago. It is no longer the self sufficient moshav it was designed to be, but a thriving town now. (Was then called moshav elazar).

amother

cornflower

Thu, Feb 09 2023, 1:04 pm

Quote:

From my understanding the high-school is 5 girls. 1 of them an 8th grader who they put into 9th due to there being no 8th grade girls. 2 of them are sister who are not from the community but from a neighboring community. A friend of mine lives there and told me that they have ulpan daily but are mainly learning in English. They have a strong English curriculum they are part of an online school of some sort for English. I'm not sure about Hebrew. And how they are affording it. Everyone lives in the same 2 buildings next to each other. One of the appts in the building is the girls elementary and high school girls (maybe also gan) so I guess that's how they are affording building costs and such... plus there is also tuition.
To be honest this afula thing sounds sketchy and I would be weary of it.... looking back at the Afula thread that was locked there were alot of red flags. Main one being no questions being answered. But, I do here that the group of families are amazing and really support eachother as a crowd. So BH for that!