Page 60 - issue
P. 60
Journey to Efrat
surrounded by her friends, Mrs. Jaffee felt ready to join her
husband and fulfill his long-awaited dream. The cooler cli-
mate of the Gush was a plus. In fact, the Gush does not have
humidity in the summer and is one of the coolest parts of the
country because of its elevation; it has even seen some snowy
blizzards.
Already familiar with the community, the Jaffees felt no
need to go on a pilot trip and relied on their friends in Efrat
and their daughter, who was living nearby in Neve Daniel at
the time, to check out the apartment they had found on
Efrat’s chat list. After seeing the apartment, the Jaffees’
friends said, “Take it; there will be a long line for it.” It is, in
fact, a nice apartment, with four bedrooms, two-and-a-half
baths, a mirpeset (veranda), and even came with appliances
and bookcases. Before their arrival, Tova cleaned and set up
the apartment for her parents.
Efrat’s residents are about 60 percent “Anglos.” These
English-speakers live among the Israelis in the yishuv. In the
streets you’ll hear both Hebrew and English, and the Israelis
for the most part speak English, too. The population is pri-
marily dati leumi, but there are Lubavitchers, Moroccans,
Sefardim, and respectful secular people as well. “One of the
things I love about Efrat is that people don’t require you to
look like them,” says Mrs. Jaffee. “They like differences. It’s a
very open community.” The city’s rabbi is Rabbi Shlomo
Riskin, who founded Efrat with a group of people from
Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan. Mr. Jaffee believes
that Rabbi Riskin’s biggest accomplishment is that he was
able to establish Efrat as a community with a remarkable
acceptance of others. Unlike other yishuvim, where you have
56 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
surrounded by her friends, Mrs. Jaffee felt ready to join her
husband and fulfill his long-awaited dream. The cooler cli-
mate of the Gush was a plus. In fact, the Gush does not have
humidity in the summer and is one of the coolest parts of the
country because of its elevation; it has even seen some snowy
blizzards.
Already familiar with the community, the Jaffees felt no
need to go on a pilot trip and relied on their friends in Efrat
and their daughter, who was living nearby in Neve Daniel at
the time, to check out the apartment they had found on
Efrat’s chat list. After seeing the apartment, the Jaffees’
friends said, “Take it; there will be a long line for it.” It is, in
fact, a nice apartment, with four bedrooms, two-and-a-half
baths, a mirpeset (veranda), and even came with appliances
and bookcases. Before their arrival, Tova cleaned and set up
the apartment for her parents.
Efrat’s residents are about 60 percent “Anglos.” These
English-speakers live among the Israelis in the yishuv. In the
streets you’ll hear both Hebrew and English, and the Israelis
for the most part speak English, too. The population is pri-
marily dati leumi, but there are Lubavitchers, Moroccans,
Sefardim, and respectful secular people as well. “One of the
things I love about Efrat is that people don’t require you to
look like them,” says Mrs. Jaffee. “They like differences. It’s a
very open community.” The city’s rabbi is Rabbi Shlomo
Riskin, who founded Efrat with a group of people from
Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan. Mr. Jaffee believes
that Rabbi Riskin’s biggest accomplishment is that he was
able to establish Efrat as a community with a remarkable
acceptance of others. Unlike other yishuvim, where you have
56 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
