Whether your children have moved out and you feel like the time has come to finally make the move to Israel, or you’ve retired from work in the Holy Land and are looking for a warm, hospitable community where everything you need is within a five-minute walking distance, Ahuzat Yonatan may be the place you’ve been searching for.
Located near the intersection of three highways which connect Israel from north to south and east to west, the building complex can be found in Yad Binyamin, a growing city in central Israel. “Everyone is very, very friendly,” says Chaim Menachemson, a new resident of the community. “Everyone is together. It’s like moving in with your family.”
“We’ve been here for six months or so and we feel like we’ve been here forever. It’s really a beautiful community with very nice neighbors. We have more to do than we have [the time] for,” says another newcomer, Menachem Persoff.
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“I enjoy the fresh air that comes with being in the country,” says Motti Gavzey, also new to the area. “No matter who you are, you’ll find somebody like you and be able to fit in,” he continues. “And everyone, whoever they are, will give you a great welcome!”
“We have wonderful neighbors, all kinds of activities, a synagogue where you can do your learning,” adds Mr. Persoff, whose wife, Chana, points out that the community offers, “almost too much to do,” and says that Yad Binyamin provides “a large number of services for the elderly.”
When it comes to finding yourself in Israel’s Hebrew-speaking society, everyone we spoke to agreed that not speaking Hebrew won’t be a hurdle in Ahuzat Yonatan. “About a third of the people here are English-speakers,” says one resident. “There are people who come here who don’t speak any Hebrew but they have whom to talk to and feel very comfortable here.”
“We have two or three people here who don’t speak any Hebrew at all,” says Menachem, “and they get on very well with everyone else.” “It’s a place where you don’t even have to worry about not being able to speak the language because you learn as you go along,” he adds.
“There’s a beautiful mixture here, and even if you don’t speak Hebrew, you’ll find that you have friends that speak English. You’ll easily be able to pick up Hebrew. There’s an ulpan and many activities in English,” says Menachem Persoff when asked about finding his niche in his new home. “We feel like pioneers – like we’re helping build up this new place in the Land of Israel,” he relates.
Asked about the community, Chaim Menachemson says Ahuzat Yonatan is easily one of the best places he’s lived in so far. “It’s very good to live in a community where everyone helps each other and where everything is done together,” he notes.
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