Imagine a small community located on a lush mountain top in the north of Israel.  Imagine that the landscaping includes only vegetation that is indigenous to the area.   Imagine a Jewish community that still maintains a friendly, cooperative relationship with the neighboring Arab village.  . . . You have imagined Shorashim.  Shorashim really is a unique community – not only because of its location and its beauty, but because of its origins and affiliation.  Shorashim began as a moshav affiliated with the Masorati (Conservative) Movement in 1980.  Since 1992, Shorashim has been a cooperative yishuv and in recent years it has been actively recruiting new residents. 

Location
Shorashim is set in one of the lower-lying mountains in the Misgav Region of the Galilee.  Misgav is known as an upscale region, with well-funded schools and municipal services.  See http://216.122.192.99/english/JoinMisgav.html for valuable information on Misgav.  The hilltops in the region are dotted with picturesque yishuvim and villages.

Residents
Shorashim’s original residents were part of a garin (seed group) who came on aliya together from California.  The 30 couples that remain from the original garin are now in their 40s or 50s.  Since becoming a yishuv, Shorashim has attracted a number of native-born Israelis in their 20s and 30s.  Unlike the members of the original garin, these new residents do not necessarily have ties with the Conservative Movements; rather, many of them grew up in the Misgav Region and have found in Shorashim a warm, beautiful, and affordable community in a region where housing prices are quite high.

Residents of the yishuv mostly work nearby in the hi-tech centers of Tefen, Karmiel, and Yokne’am.  A fair number also commute to Haifa and other cities.  A very few are fortunate enough to be able to work in one of the small businesses on their very own yishuv.  Residents generally have good academic educations.

Commerce and Health Services
Shorashim is in a rural setting.  This has many advantages, but also some disadvantages.  The yishuv no longer has its own minimarket, and is, of course, too small to provide its own medical services.  However, Karmiel is only five minutes away, and virtually everything can be found there.  In Karmiel there are supermarkets, clothing stores, hardware stores, and most every other kind of commercial establishment.  In addition, all kupot holim have clinics in Karmiel.  Some residents of Shorashim will go to minimarkets on neighboring yishuvim when in need of basic supplies.

Transportation
Don’t even consider living in this lovely location without a car.  There really is no public transportation available.  Back in the days when Shorashim was a moshav, none of the members owned his own car.  However, there were several cars that were part of a moshav “motor pool,” there was a minimarket located on the moshav, and most people actually worked on site. 

Community
Shorashim residents pride themselves on the warmth and openness of their community.  At least half of the residents came to Israel either alone or with their immediate families.  They have no extended family network within the Country.  Because of this, members bind together and become an extended family.  Members organize yishuv-wide social events that are widely attended by the residents.  While Hebrew is the language of the yishuv, it is a very comfortable place for English speakers.

Education
Shorashim has a maon and ganim.  Both are very well-regarded by residents.  In fact, the ganim are so highly thought of that residents of many yishuvim throughout the Misgav Region send their children to gan on Shorashim.  There are several different elementary school options for children who live on Shorashim.  The vast majority attend a government school in Misgav, where they can choose to be in a mixed Hebrew/Arabic environment, or a more traditional (Hebrew) environment.  There is also an excellent government-religious school in the region, though none of the Shorashim residents attend it.  For high school, Shorashim children generally attend an impressive and innovative school in Misgav.  A smaller number opt for a government religious school in Karmiel.  Children in Shorashim are very active in their local chapter of Noam, the Masorati Movement youth group.

Absorption
On a yishuv with 52 families, an oleh can be assured that he or she will be warmly welcomed and capably assisted in the absorption process.  Shorashim also assigns olim adoptive families to help smooth their absorption.  Karmiel, which is only 5 minutes away, is a popular destination for immigrants from around the world.  It has an absorption center, with employment counseling and a range of ulpan levels. 

Housing
Shorashim is currently in the planning stages of building a new neighborhood with 25 additional single-family units.  Each new house is expected to cost between $150,000 and $190,000.  The sizes of the new homes will range from 111 to 160 meters.  In the meantime, there are sometimes a few houses available for rent, and always caravans that can be set up.