Four Real Estate Insights From Kiryat Ata Neighborhood
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Author Yaakov Reinitz visited the Shavit neighborhood in Kiryat Ata and identified four real estate lessons from its development by the Haredi community. The establishment of a large kollel, driven by Rabbi Yechiel Abramov and supported by a US donor who purchased apartments, revitalized the neighborhood. Reinitz's insights highlight the importance of community institutions, ambitious goals, understanding community dynamics, and taking decisive action without waiting for perfect conditions.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- A US donor purchased 20 apartments in Kiryat Ata's Shavit neighborhood for Haredi kollel members.
- Over 50 Haredi kollel members now reside in the Shavit neighborhood.
- Community institutions like synagogues and schools are crucial for attracting families to new areas.
- Ambitious goals, rather than modest ones, drive significant community development.
- The Haredi community requires external impetus for initial members, unlike the National Religious community.
- Individuals should act decisively and not wait for perfect conditions to achieve goals.
Author Yaakov Reinitz shares four real estate insights gleaned from a visit to the Shavit neighborhood in Kiryat Ata, focusing on the development driven by the Haredi community. He recounts how a group of young Haredi men sought to establish their own kollel (a center for Torah study) but faced numerous rejections until they approached Rabbi Yechiel Abramov, head of a kollel network. Rabbi Abramov agreed, but only if it was a large kollel, which required repurposing a largely unused synagogue in the Shavit neighborhood. The synagogue, previously used only for Saturday morning prayers by a few elderly individuals, was revitalized by the daily presence of the kollel.
A turning point occurred when a US-based donor, accompanying Rabbi Abramov, decided to purchase 20 apartments in the neighborhood for the kollel members to live in rent-free for five years, a move that significantly boosted the community. Currently, over 50 kollel members reside in Shavit.
Reinitz draws four key lessons from this experience. First, he emphasizes that community institutions like synagogues, kollels, and kindergartens are essential for attracting families to developing areas, preceding the demand for housing. Second, he notes that ambitious goals, like Rabbi Abramov's demand for a large kollel, drive progress more effectively than modest aims. Third, Reinitz observes a difference between the Haredi and National Religious communities: in the Haredi community, initial members require external impetus, after which others follow, while the National Religious community easily attracts pioneers but struggles to attract average families afterward. Finally, he advises against waiting for perfect conditions, citing the kollel members' self-sufficiency in installing a solar panel and the donor's swift action, urging individuals to act decisively even when circumstances are not ideal.