The Ramat Givat Zeev neighborhood just north of Jerusalem has been approved for immediate construction, after efforts were made by the members of the Jewish Home Party and MK Rabbi Meir Porush. The efforts were spearheaded by MK Ayelet Shaked. The neighborhood will consist of 380 housing units for the Orthodox community, of which 200 units are designated for new olim from the United States, and 180 units are for Orthodox Israeli families.
The Ramat Givat Zeev neighborhood is located on private land and is being successfully marketed by Chish Nofei Israel, owned by Chanoch Kass. As part of construction approvals issued recently in the Jerusalem envelope area, the developers wanted to make sure that this neighborhood was included.
The developers, as well as representatives from the residents abroad and in Israel, held a meeting with MK Ayelet Shaked and demanded that she work to ensure that no delay in the construction would ensue. Ms. Shaked was very attentive and promised to do whatever she could on the issue.
She convened the members of her party, Ministers Naftali Bennett and Uri Ariel, as well as Mrs. Orit Struk, and they decided to send an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The representatives asked to make sure, among other things, that there would be no delay in the construction of Ramat Givat Zeev, being that it is private property, where construction cannot be held up and the buyers are Orthodox American families waiting for the houses in order to make aliyah. “Imagine what a fuss it would make in the world if it would become known that American olim are being held up from coming to Israel and living in their new homes because the Israeli government is trying to delay the construction.”
The prime minister was convinced by these claims and instructed that the issue be removed from the agenda and that the construction of 1,500 units in the Jerusalem envelope area, including Beitar Illit and other cities, continue unimpeded.
The developers, headed by Mr. Kass, warmly thanked Ms. Shaked, Ministers Ariel and Bennett, and Mrs. Struk for their efforts to resolve the issue rapidly by removing the freeze on this neighborhood.
Ramat Givat Zeev is the flagship project of Chish Nofei Israel, a leader in the real-estate market with a solid record of creating housing solutions for the religious community in Israel. The neighborhood offers a range of residential options: there are some 150 private homes and around 250 spacious, luxurious apartments. The neighborhood has generated a lot of interest both in America and in Israel as the perfect solution for new olim and their families. v