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I currently live in Neve Yaakov, but it's getting expensive.

Does anyone know of a good community in Israel for English-speakers, with a diversity of people, yet with a strong sense of community (not a mostly kollel community like Kiryat Sefer or a place with strong divisions like Beit Shemesh)?

Any answer should include an explanation of the reason(s) for its recommendation(s).

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    Not Constructive? (FTR that means: As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion.) I mean, how do you define a strong or a good community? – Double AA♦ Oct 11 '12 at 15:09
  • @DoubleAA, product-recommendation questions are inherently more subjective than many, I would expect, and yet we currently have 132 questions with this tag. Should we be scrutinizing them more too, or do you see this current question as outside the normal bounds of such questions? – Monica Cellio Oct 11 '12 at 16:40
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    @MonicaCellio, In all such questions, the more precisely the asker defines the criteria for desirable recommendations, the better. IMO, this question, in its current state, is good enough not to warrant closure. I think that "for English speakers," "diversity of people," "strong sense of community" (msh210 added "sense of"), "not mostly kollel," and "not with strong divisions," although all inherently subjective to varying degrees, do a decent job of making the question answerable. – Isaac Moses♦ Oct 11 '12 at 16:57
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Check out the Nefesh B'Nefesh Community Database which lets you search according to a number of criteria.

Off the top of my head (and if you're sure Ramat Beit Shemesh is out), from the information you give you might want to look into Yad Binyamin, Modiin, Moshav Matisyahu, Nof Ayalon, Efrat/Alon Shvut/Neve Daniel

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  • The database has a contact for each place, feel free to contact them and ask anything. They'll usually be able to sort you out for a Shabbos as well if you want. – limos Oct 11 '12 at 13:08
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    @RaymondSebag, there is Rabbi Ephraim Rothschild who has an English-speaking shul in Kiryat Sefer – Reb Chaim HaQoton Oct 11 '12 at 13:14
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One option is Ramat Bet Shemesh. It might also be quite expensive by now, but the newer projects might be in your ballpark. It is very diverse and has TONS of English-speaking people. There is also an English-speaking community in Moshav Matityahu.

There are also more "Modern Orthodox" English-speaking communities in Efrat, Maale Adumim, and to a lesser extent Mitzpeh Yericho. If I am not mistaken, there is also newer areas of Safed being built and many English-speaking people are moving there.

Maale Amos and Meitzad are smaller settlements which are also largely English-speaking and are "open minded" Chareidi types.

I recently moved to Beitar Illit because living in Ramat Eshkol (a neighborhood in Jerusalem) was too expensive. Beitar is more "chilled out" than Kiryat Sefer but it is still heavily Hareidi and probably is mostly a kollel-type community even though there are a lot of people there who do work. Also, Beitar Illit is a largely Hassidic town. There are a significant number of Americans in both sections of Beitar Illit (A and B), there are no official English-speaking Shuls there, but there is at least one Shul in B which has a large percentage of English-speakers as well as other shuls there with a smaller percentage of English speakers. I'm not sure what the situation in A is but I do understand that there are more English speaking people in A than B. There is an English-speaking Kollel community starting in Karmiel, but again I don't that's what you are looking for.

This is all in addition to the options mentioned above by the other posters.

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  • today Anglo-Saxon Jewish people feel very good in Bet Shemesh. – kouty Jan 10 '17 at 18:30
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You also have strong English speaking communities in Raanana and Netanya if you want the central area rather than the Jerusalem area

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