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Ramot


Officially known as Ramot Alon, the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot - as it has become known - is a wonderful choice for Olim who want to be in Jerusalem but do not like the noisy lifestyle of a city. With its relatively affordable housing, smaller neighborhoods and close proximity to downtown Jerusalem, Ramot has long since been an ideal choice for English-speaking Olim. Ramot has a new shopping center where all eateries are Mehadrin Kosher.

Ramot functions very independently - more like a small city, than a neighborhood of Jerusalem. While there is great diversity in Ramot, with 70,000 Jews of all persuasions, as a whole it is increasingly a Dati Leumi and Charedi (Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox) area. There are many excellent schools of every Orthodox flavor, from Kindergarten to elementary and high schools for boys and girls. 

Ramot Stats
Region: Jerusalem & Surrounding Area - ירושלים Climate: Mountain
Demographics: Young couples/Young families, Families, Retirees Medical care:
Maccabi, Meuchedet, Clalit, Leumit
City Type: Neighborhood שכונה Affordability: $$$
Sectors:
Chabad, Chardal, Conservative, Dati Leumi, Haredi, Secular		  
Number of English speakers: 20% Population: 70,000
Community contacts:
Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel
namsel@netvision.net.il
054-454-3618; From US: 212-444-1656
Orthodox, school-aged children
Rabbi Dr. Amsel is a contact for Ramot Aleph.

Website: http://www.ramotalon.org.il/

Listserv: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OnlyRamot

Local Employment
Har Hotzvim is a nearby high-tech industrial park and is about 4 minutes away. The center of Jerusalem is about 15 minutes away. In addition, some residents work outside of Jerusalem, traveling to Modiin or Tel Aviv (usually via the train from Modiin).

Education / Youth
Ramot has a wide variety of schools, ranging from public secular (in the Ramot Aleph neighborhood) to Beit Yaakov and other Charedi educational options.

For the Dati Leumi (National Religious) community, Ramot has two Ohr Torah schools, part of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin's educational network. The two schools, for boys and girls, are located close to one another and serve grades 7-12.

In addition, Ramot also has Noam schools, for both boys and girls. The Noam schools are popular choices for English-speakers. The girls and boys schools are located close to each other. The Rapaport boy’s elementary is a Chardal philosophy, which is popular amongst English speakers. Chorev Boys High School is a 4 minute drive from Ramot.

Several youth groups exist in the community, including Ezra and Bnei Akiva.

Transportation
Ramot has an extensive line of local buses that connect the different neighborhoods in Ramot, as well as connecting Ramot to the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem and other neighborhoods in the city.

Amenities / Services
Ramot offers all the services and shopping you would expect to find in a small town, plus it has the advantage of being so close to central Jerusalem. The community has banks, a post office, restaurants, a library and it's new vibrant mall. 

While they have a local board of governers, all the main services come from the Jerusalem municipality, of which they are a part.

There is a large assited living facility for the elderly.

There are two very active community centers one with a swimming pool with mixed and separate hours of swimming, and a full gymnasium and health club. There is a third center catering to the Charedi population.

Community and Religious Life
There are dozens of synagogues spread throughout Ramot including a conservative synagogue that has a high English speaking population. The Neve Orot community (Ramot Aleph)  is another popular destination for modern Orthodox English speakers.

There is an English-speaking book club and Torah classes offered in English.

Real Estate
Ramot has smaller, two-bedroom apartments for those with limited funds, and enormous private homes with in-ground swimming pools for those with more means.

While there is some variation in prices depending on the neighborhood, in general, one should expect to pay within the following range:

Rentals (4-5 room apartments): 4,000-4,500 NIS/month

Purchase:
4-5 room apartments: 1,580,000-1,940,000 NIS
Semi-detached homes: 1,850,000-2,225,000 NIS
Private homes: Beginning at 3,350,000 NIS

Neighborhoods
There are 5 neighborhoods within Ramot:

Ramot Aleph: Within the many communities of Ramot Aleph, central is Neve Orot, the “Trager” area, the hub of a vibrant and large Religious Zionist community. It is also where many English-speakers choose to live. There are other Religious-Zionist pockets with 4 other Synagogues, but the overall area is 50% Charedi, and houses the Charedi community center. It is a more crowded neighborhood than some of the others. The Morgenthal and Kadima areas have secular and modern Orthodox residents, and is more spread out than other parts of Ramot Aleph. The 500 person Orthodox synagogue, Neve Orort, is part of a larger complex which includes a Mikveh for men and women, two Kollelim and smaller Minyanim of Edot Mizrach and the Yemenite community.

Ramot Bet- Houses the Conservative synagogue, and is a good choice for many English-speakers who are either traditional or more observant. This area has mostly semi-detached and private homes, which gives the neighborhood a more suburban feel. The apartments in this section are more for the Chareidi families. The neighborhood also has a community center and adjacent fitness center and indoor/outdoor swimming pool. There is also a community library next to the community center. A number of schools of various types are located in close proximity, and there is also a newly developed major shopping center in the area that features a supermarket, bank, restaurants, coffee shops, a bakery, pharmacy, gift shops and many other types of stores. Ramot Bet is adjacent to a lovely woodland natural area where many people hike.

Of particular interest to the potential Modern Orthodox Anglo immigrant is Congregation Mitzpe Ramot, a kehilla composed mostly of veteran and newer olim from the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia and South Africa.. The community is a warm and welcoming one that has smoothed the absorption path for many olim families. Further inquiries about Ramot Bet or Congregation Mitzpe Ramot may be directed to: Rabbi Kannai at 052-7502-511, avikannai@gmail.com or Jerry Barach at 02-5864772, 050-6739862, or e-mail: jerryb@savion.huji.ac.il.

Ramot Gimel: One side of Ramot Gimel is mostly Chareidi, and the other side is more Modern Orthodox. One of the two community centers is located here, and has an indoor pool. A Young Israel Synagogue is located in this neighborhood, with a sizeable English-speaking congregation. This community also has many semi-detached and private homes.

Ramot Daled: This is a Chareidi community, which has a notable English-speaking population.

Ramot Heh: Incorporates the new shopping mall as well as an older adjacent shopping center and other community buildings.

Ramot Vav: This area mostly consists of private homes and semi-detached houses. It is primarily a Chareidi population, though there is a mix of other types of residents. Real estate in Ramot Vav is relatively expensive. The shopping center here is well developed.

Updated: February 2013

Tags: Jerusalem & Surrounding Area Neighborhood $$$ Young Couples & Families Families Retirees Chabad Chardal Conservative Dati Leumi Haredi Secular