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People say "RBS" as if it were one place. It isn't. Ramat Beit Shemesh is a string of neighbourhoods built in phases since the late 1990s, and NBN's advice is blunt: each sub-neighbourhood has its own religious character, so research the specific area before you sign anything (NBN (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
Beit Shemesh as a whole sits about 30 km west of Jerusalem (Wikipedia (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). Here is how the areas compare, with sources. If you want a shortlist rather than a read, try the neighbourhood matcher.
Where the English speakers are
The first English-speaking olim moved to Sheinfeld in 1991, and the community has grown from there (NBN (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). NBN's list of neighbourhoods popular with olim is: Givat Sharett, Nofei Aviv, Nofei HaShemesh, RBS Aleph (including Ramat Shilo, M3 and Mishkafayim), RBS Gimmel, RBS Daled and Neve Shamir (NBN (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
RBS A (Aleph)
The oldest and most established part of Ramat Beit Shemesh, with about 25,000 residents, settled from the late 1990s (Wikipedia (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). It is mixed, and the feel changes street by street. Wikipedia describes its sections like this:
- Dolev: mixed.
- Revivim: mainly Haredi.
- Mishkenos Yaakov: almost entirely Haredi.
- Ramat Shilo: established in 2007 with about 340 homes, mainly Modern Orthodox / Dati Leumi.
M3 (Mem Shalosh) forms the southern edge of RBS A along the Nachal Yarmut park. Most residents are English-speaking olim and Israelis, and it has its own small shopping centre and its own directory website (m3rbs.com (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
RBS B (Bet)
RBS B lies between old Beit Shemesh and RBS A. It is mainly Haredi and largely Chassidic (Wikipedia (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
RBS Gimmel (C)
RBS Gimmel was announced in 2009 and is heavily Haredi. Its two sections are Kiryat Avi Ezri and Kiryat Ovadia (Wikipedia (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
RBS Daled (D)
Daled has been built in phases and is predominantly Haredi (Wikipedia (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). It has an English-speaking kollel, Kollel Ohr HaShemesh, in Daled 4 (kollelohs.org (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
RBS Hey (E) / Neve Shamir
Neve Shamir was originally planned for non-Haredi residents and now draws religious Zionist and Haredi families (Wikipedia (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
Old Beit Shemesh
The original town, from the 1950s, is where you'll find the city centre, the railway station, Kanyon Naimi (with the municipality and the arnona department) and the BIG malls on Yigal Alon (Wikipedia (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה); ShemeshPhone (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). Its older neighbourhoods include Sheinfeld, Givat Sharett and Nofei Aviv (Wikipedia (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
What's coming: RBS Vav
The Housing Ministry is planning RBS Vav on the east side of the city: about 2,800 apartments plus a bus terminal near road 3855 (ShemeshPhone, Dec 2024 (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). It was at the planning stage when that article was written.
How to choose
- Walk the exact streets on a weekday and on Shabbat. The character can change from one block to the next (NBN (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
- Ask which shul and school you'd use, then look for housing near them. The directory lists shuls and schools by neighbourhood.
- Ask on the English email lists (ShemeshList, RBS1). That's where locals answer questions like this.
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