Merchav Am
Merchav Am is currently home to 71 families and over 270 children! I think there will be plenty of friends for our kids. Actually, our kids played a very important role in choosing this community. We wanted a place that our little ones could run around and play freely with others. I want to be able to open my door and let me kids out to run around and not have to be worried about them constantly. At least I know no cars will be zooming by on a main highway :) Here is a picture of the newly built playground:
It looks pretty awesome to me -- and I'm not even a kid! I know Jeremy (Kalev) will love it -- and I'm sure the kids will too :)
But yes, there is more to Merchav Am then just some sand and a playground. There is also a Synagogue, Beit Midrash(1), mikvah, a makolet (small grocery store), community center, library, day care, nursery and kindergarten. What more could a girl as for? How about evening activities/classes? Those include (as of right now but will probably be different once we arrive) men's night, women's night, zumba, yoga, krav maga, pilates, and more.
Another reason we choose this community was because of its emphasis on wanting to make the desert grow and prosper. They are very "backyard animal" friendly -- goats, sheep, chickens, etc. This is just up our alley. We want the kids to grow up around (and help care for) "farm" animals. We are also excited about beginning some agricultural work in the desert. The community is working on beginning an agricultural initiative and we could potentially be on the front end of this "make the desert grow" opportunity!
Here's a Goggle Map so you can get a better overall geographical idea of where we are thinking of going:
If you are interested in a what a typical day at Merchav Am look like, check out "A Day in Merchav Am" from the Day in the Life Of series by GoSouth NBN.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
(1) Beit Midrash - study hall or "house of study"
I'm going to be a nosy nudge and you, of course, should feel free to ignore me! But have you done a pilot trip to see this city? The south is very...rural, like scary rural. Are there any olim in this city? Being olim, with the language and cultural issues are hard when you move to an Anglo bubble but are even harder when you move out in the sticks.....
ReplyDeleteNo, not nosy at all! And, leave it to Yael to be the first person to comment on my blog -- I could have guessed that one :) Yes, the word "desert" does lead us to believe in the ruralness of the south. :) But seriously, we theoretically know what we are getting ourselves into, but you do bring up some very good points. I also know you raised them because you care about us and what to see us "succeed" at Aliyah. Thankfully this is not the first time they have come up, and we think we have worked through most of the logistics required to make sure a move and understand what we are doing. I'm planning on writing a post on 'Why to the Negev' that (L-rd willing) will include some detailed answers to most of your questions/concerns. Just so you know we are working with an absorption program through the Jewish Agency, Bayit Rishon, that places us in a community for 6-12 months while we focus on Ulpan and all of the other "requirements" of first settling in the country. Also quickly (and I hope to address these more individually in further posts) all the concerns you raised were things we specifically sought out -- with help from people on the ground -- and we are very happy with our decision. I agree that it will be hard, but any potential community has it's positives and negatives for arriving Olim, and at this point we have decided that the "positives" of Merchav Am far outweigh the "negatives." Hopefully I will still agree with this statement in a year from now :) Please take this journey with me through my blog and find out!
DeleteI am so excited for you! Be"H everything will work out for your family. There will be bumps in the road, but you're young and strong and in the long run it will be sooo worth it! We hope to join you in Israel. I would like to offer the support of our son, Nesim, who lives with his kallah in Ashdod, not too far away. I know he would be willing to help in any way he can. I'll give you his phone number when the time comes. Will Jeremy need to do army service?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement! We are grateful for any contacts we can make, and would enjoy getting to know your son. Jeremy is exempt from army service. L-rd willing, you will be joining us soon in Israel.
DeleteChava-
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the Negev! I lived there for a few years on and off and it is probably my favorite place in Israel. It is very rural, but I loved the desert peacefulness and the goats, chickens, etc. Honestly, if there were the right Yeshiva for my husband, I would want to move back there as Jerusalem is just a bit too crazy for me. I can't wait to come visit!! :) Please be in touch about how we can help you guys . SO excited for you! Also- see you soon-we're coming to Indy for Pesach.
By the way this is Margy
DeleteDoes Merhav Am have a population target that they hope to reach? What's the current population? How much acreage do you think you'll be able to secure?
ReplyDelete