Shiloh is Growing- See The New Streets

This week one of my walking buddies and I  decided to explore the new streets in Shiloh. We've both been living in Shiloh since almost the very beginning. In those days and even the entire first decade or more, it wasn't hard for us to know absolutely everyone who lived here including their children and "back stories." But now, over forty years since the return of Jewish Life to Shiloh, we've long passed the tipping point. Shiloh is a town of neighborhoods. I'm thankful to Gd that I, at 70+, can still walk from the "bottom" to the top where I live, but I have neighbors, even younger, who can't.

Most of the new housing is being built by Amana, but it's still possible to buy land and build your own home in addition to the option of purchasing an older home.

Like every place else in the world, each street/neighborhood has its own personality and quirks. When  my friend and I moved to Shiloh with our young families, we didn't even have phones in the beginning. At that time, such a situation wasn't a rarity in Israel. But today with all the smartphones and computers there's great communication and much easier contact between people. Most neighborhoods have their own whatsapp groups to share information, instead of knocking on doors or meeting outside or at the grocery store or in the bus or the schools. And concerning education in Shiloh, today a child can start as a baby in the local daycare center and continue in Shiloh until high school graduation.

Today there are two large supermarkets in Shiloh and two clinics. Also most people have cars. My husband and I are in the tiny minority of those totally dependent on public transportation and the goodness of others. This new neighborhood has been built with driveways for each house.

Since most people travel by car, whether their own or tremps/rides in others, getting to Petach Tikva takes no longer than to Jerusalem, and to the Jordan Valley can be a much shorter ride. Actually, Shiloh is in the true Center of Israel.

I've lost track of how many people live here in Shiloh. Many of the families are what's called "dor hemshech," continuing generation, having grown up in Shiloh and wanting to raise their children as part of a larger family. Others grew up in different yishuvim and want the community life you can't get any place else. We have new and more veteran immigrants from all over and of course those who grew up in different parts of Israel.

Of course, I shouldn't leave out the fact that Shiloh is the biblical Shiloh where the Mishkan, Tabernacle was located for close to four hundred 400 years. There's a lovely archeological park called Shiloh Hakeduma.

For anglos who may be curious, there are certainly enough English speakers to make one feel comfortable, but here in Shiloh you'll learn Hebrew. It's not an anglo "bubble/ghetto." You can always contact me if you have any questions.

Here are some pictures. Enjoy.

Building in Shiloh as Land Rises in Value

Shiloh has reached the exalted stage in real estate values when people are willing and hoping to buy an old house and tear it down before building their dream home.

I consider this an extremely important benchmark in our development as a community. There was a time when people came to Shiloh just for ideological reasons, and in terms of financial reasons, just because it was relatively inexpensive. Land for those of us who have been here from the beginning or close to it, was free. We just paid for the expense of our homes, whether built or purchased very cheaply.

But now, Shiloh as real estate value, the community, education, location and other necessary facilities are such that the land itself has value.

The house that was knocked down was built by the housing ministry and sold pretty cheaply about twenty-five years ago. A family lived there, and then it was rented out. Many people have added to those homes and are very happy living in them, but the new family has planned a large home with one or two rental apartments. As you can see, the area is flat, so access is easy. It is also a very desirable neighborhood, just down the way and around the corner from me. There are many "youngish" families with children in school. The parents are approaching middle-age. Yes, they are about the ages of my children.

There are a few synagogues in the neighborhood, a clinic and public transportation. There are also a lot of English speakers.

The neighborhood also has a few terraced apartment buildings, which are also populated by young families, who have bought their apartments. They were built by private contractors. The only "public housing" built here in Shiloh were that area built up twenty-five years ago and the first prefabricated homes which Ariel Sharon had brought here just over thirty-five years ago. They are still being lived in, and here in the photograph below you can see that they, too, have real estate value (though less) and are being expanded.

There are a lot of housing options in Shiloh besides purchasing homes. We have a large caravan (mobile home) neighborhood, and there are other rental options. I think there are close to four hundred families living here now. And there are many more in neighboring Shvut Rachel and the various small "hilltop"communities to the east and west of us.