For the second Shabbat during out pilot trip we went to Neve Daniel.
Neve Daniel is a yishuv of about 200-250 families (with plans to go to around 350) located in the Gush Etzion area, south of Yerushalayim. When you come our of the tunnel on the highway south of Yerushalayim, Neve Daniel is one of the very first settlements. It is also one of the highest settlements (altitude-wise) in the area. All of Gush is pretty high up, and Neve Daniel is the highest. This gives great views - it also makes things a little bit cooler and windier.That said, the views were absolutely breathtaking.
Although Neve Daniel is mostly Israeli, the presence of olim definately noticeable. Based on what we saw and what we were told by residents, there are probably somewhere around 30-40% olim (mainly from the US), with more on the way. This has both positives and negatives. On the one hand it makes it very easy for new olim to become acclimated and make new friends. On the other hand, having too many neighbors who speak English as their primary language can become a crutch for new olim who are interested in becoming fully integrated with Israeli society and in becoming fluent in Hebrew.
This is a very personal decision for any oleh from America and has much to do with their knowledge of Hebrew and familiarity with Israel. My wife and I are both comfortable speaking Hebrew and feel that we will be able to meet and interact with non-Americans. Although we recognize that having a support network after aliyah is very important (so we are not looking to move to a community with no Americans) we are also wary of moving to a place with too large of an American presence.
We spent a Shabbat at the home of a Rav who had taught my sister a couple of years ago. His family was extremely hospitable and were very kind to us in answering our questions and talking to us about Eretz Yisrael. On Friday night we went to a Carlebach minyan down the block - all types of kippot, great singing and ruchniyut. The davening on Shabbat morning was also very very nice - no talking, nice singing, not too long, not too short. We had very nice meals with our hosts, and also with a very nice family who made aliyah last summer with NBN.
Neve Daniel is located at the top of the mountain. On one side (facing Efrat) is the original neighborhood. A new neighborhood is being built on the other side (better view, more wind), with new houses already complete and under construction. We were told that there are still nice plots for sale at very reasonable prices.
One thing that caught out attention over Shabbat: before and after each davening, and even while walking on the steets, no one came up to us on their own initiative to welcome or greet us. When we asked our hosts about this, they told us that it was not an unheard of incident. There are so many guests every week, people often don’t know who is visiting and who is a neighbor. Still, whatever the reason, it did not make the best impression.
Besides that one point, we had a great time. The people who we were introduced to were all very friendly and only said nice things about their community. It is a place where we can definately see ourselves living and making our home. There are some good things and some things that are less attractive. This is true of many places, including almost all that we have considered for first aliyah destination.
But as of now, I do not think that we will be going to Neve Daniel right away. In part this is because of a number of small things about the community that just hit us the wrong way. And in part, this is because we had already visited Kochav Yaakov…
July 31st, 2005 at 5:12
I’d like to know what hit you the ‘wrong’ way. We are also looking for a community we would like to live in. We have already visited kochav yakov and I’d like to know what you think of it since you have been there too. Have you been anywhere else and what were your impressions?
July 31st, 2005 at 18:49
Shoshana - I address the differences between Neve Daniel and Kochav Yaakov and the things that hit us the ‘wrong way’ about Neve Daniel in a new blog post, Kochav Yaakov vs. Neve Daniel.
Regarding other communities that we visited, read about them here. The only other community that we visited was Karnei Shomron. We also considered visiting Kochav haShachar, Beit El, Chashmonaim, Ma’aleh Adumim, Nof Ayalon.
September 6th, 2005 at 16:22
The rav whom you met is living on the eastern side of Neve Daniel– which was developed years ago– and the people who live there already have their own circle of friends. Those who are moving now to Neve Daniel move to a new neighborhood on the western side–we will soon be 200 families on that side. The shul on that side is more welcoming than that of the eastern side for the simple reason that people know who have just arrived, who are guests, etc. The people on the western side are overwhelmed by the addition of so many families in so little time (most have come during the past year) and are not able to distinguish the new arrivals from visitors, especially as many of the newcomers tend to daven in their own shul.
It’s a shame that you didn’t come to visit the new neighborhood.
As to the number of Anglos: people here tend to say that it’s 25% Anglo, 10% French and 5% Russian. So it’s not going to be an English speaking place like Bet Shemesh, especially considering that a good number of Anglos are here a number of years and their children prefer Hebrew to English. There are a couple of groups of attached houses which have a high Anglo concentration, and you might wish to avoid such clusters.
Kol tuv,
Moshe
moshe.feldman@gmail.com
September 6th, 2005 at 16:28
I look forward to visiting the Western side of Neve Daniel some time soon. It sounds like a very nice community.
November 30th, 2005 at 1:52
[...] Neve Daniel [...]
October 4th, 2006 at 15:33
I’m sorry that your experience was not as wonderful as so many others have enjoyed. As for greeting people on Shabbat, that is not usually the case, though in the winter people may be a bit less sociable simply due to the weather. We have lived in Neve Daniel since our Aliyah in 2002 and we LOVE it as do all of our neighbors. Thank G-d there are many places in this land of ours for people to call ‘home’- enough to satisfy all types.
Kol tuv, Laura