El'ad
Encyclopedia
El'ad, also spelled Elad , is a city in the Center District of Israel
. Located about 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) east of Tel Aviv
on Route 444 between Rosh HaAyin
and Shoham
.In 2007 the town had a total population of 31,300. Its current population is estimated at over 32,000. The building of El'ad started in the late 90's, but due to the high demand and massive construction, it had already achieved local council
status by 1998. It is the only town in Israel officially designated a religious municipality.
The town was built from scratch as a planned community
according to urban planning paradigms not unlike Modi'in and nearby Shoham
. While those towns were designed to suit a mixed population of non-religious and religious, El'ad was originally planned to suit a mixed population of Modern Orthodox
/Religious Zionist
Jews and Haredi Jews, but the majority are now Haredi. It was built as a part of the solution to the acute shortage of alternate and affordable housing for Haredi families who, traditionally, were concentrated primarily in both Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. Accordingly, El'ad was planned in a way that would suit the religious lifestyle with a larger selection of housing options with some projects offering larger than average apartments to accommodate religious families who tend to have more children than the average national population. Another unique characteristic was easy access and short walking distances to local education institutions to avoid the need for school transportation costs.
The Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi is Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Grossman and the Chief Sefardi Rabbi is Rabbi Mordechai Malka. There are at least 18 synagogues of different Jewish ethnic persuasions. A central charitable
organization is Kupat Hatzedoko Matan Beseter.
On 5 February 2008, El'ad's official status was changed to a city.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located about 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) east of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
on Route 444 between Rosh HaAyin
Rosh HaAyin
Rosh HaAyin is a city in the Center District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the southeast is the fortress of Migdal Afek...
and Shoham
Shoham
Shoham is a town in the Center District of Israel.According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , Shoham's population in the end of 2007 was 19,400. Its jurisdiction is 5,889 dunams ....
.In 2007 the town had a total population of 31,300. Its current population is estimated at over 32,000. The building of El'ad started in the late 90's, but due to the high demand and massive construction, it had already achieved local council
Local council (Israel)
Local councils are one of the three types of local government found in Israel, with the other two being cities and regional councils. As of 2003, there were 144 local councils in Israel, these being settlements which pass a minimum threshold enough to justify their operations as independent...
status by 1998. It is the only town in Israel officially designated a religious municipality.
The town was built from scratch as a planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
according to urban planning paradigms not unlike Modi'in and nearby Shoham
Shoham
Shoham is a town in the Center District of Israel.According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , Shoham's population in the end of 2007 was 19,400. Its jurisdiction is 5,889 dunams ....
. While those towns were designed to suit a mixed population of non-religious and religious, El'ad was originally planned to suit a mixed population of Modern Orthodox
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
/Religious Zionist
Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
Jews and Haredi Jews, but the majority are now Haredi. It was built as a part of the solution to the acute shortage of alternate and affordable housing for Haredi families who, traditionally, were concentrated primarily in both Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. Accordingly, El'ad was planned in a way that would suit the religious lifestyle with a larger selection of housing options with some projects offering larger than average apartments to accommodate religious families who tend to have more children than the average national population. Another unique characteristic was easy access and short walking distances to local education institutions to avoid the need for school transportation costs.
The Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi is Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Grossman and the Chief Sefardi Rabbi is Rabbi Mordechai Malka. There are at least 18 synagogues of different Jewish ethnic persuasions. A central charitable
Tzedakah
Tzedakah or Ṣ'daqah in Classical Hebrew is a Hebrew word commonly translated as charity, though it is based on the Hebrew word meaning righteousness, fairness or justice...
organization is Kupat Hatzedoko Matan Beseter.
On 5 February 2008, El'ad's official status was changed to a city.
External links
- Report about court ruling regarding special loans for Haredim in El'ad (by an anti-religious lobby organization)
- An article about Haredi education, mentioning El'ad (uses the spelling Elad) (Yated Neeman)
- A paper about new cities development in Israel, citing El'ad as an example
- A summary of population of Israeli cities by Israel Central Bureau of Statistics