Type of Community: City

Region: South

Religious Percent: 30

English Speaking Percent: 2

Be’er Sheva is the city of David Ben Gurion’s dreams: it flowered from a barren desert into a modern city, with a world-class hospital and university, and a burgeoning hi-tech sector.

This prosperous university-city has commercial and industrial centers serving 600,000 citizens in the entire metropolitan region. Founded more than 3,700 years ago, Be’er Sheva was developed in the 19th century by the Ottomans; and during the first half of the 20th century, it was further developed by the British. Modern Be’er Sheva was established in 1948, and was built up by immigrants from almost 70 countries. In the past 15 years, the city’s population has doubled, boosted by tens of thousands of immigrants as well as young and veteran Israeli couples who made Be’er Sheva their home.

Local Employment
Soroka Medical Center is the largest employer of any institution in the city. However, Ben Gurion University probably has a greater number of native English-speaking employees. In addition, the Hi-Tech Park near Omer, 15 minutes outside of the city, is another potential area of employment. English teachers often find work here within the school system or as private tutors.

The Dimona Nuclear Plant, Dead Sea Works and Brome, Machteshim are all in driving distance to the city.

Since the early 90’s, when Be’er Sheva received ‘Development Area A’ status for capital investments and saw a surge in development, the city has become an attractive location both for entrepreneurs and investors, with industrial zones covering some 1,750 acres in the south of the city.

In addition, a new hi-tech park spanning 100 acres is currently being built adjacent to Ben Gurion University as a joint venture of the university, the municipality and the American KUD company. This park is going to be one of the most advanced parks in the country, facilitating integration of leading hi-tech companies (including the IDF’s Teleprocessing Division) in one location. The park should create jobs for some of the thousands of students who graduate in Beer Sheva each year.

Education / Youth
Residents enjoy a quality education system that emphasizes science and technology. Beyond the classroom, children have a variety of extracurricular youth activities to choose from, including the youth groups Bnei Akiva and Scouts.

For college students, Be’er Sheva is recognized as a leading university town. It is home to 28,000 students who attend local institutions of higher education. 18,000 students attend Ben Gurion University of the Negev, which has more students applying to it annually than to any other university in Israel. Outside of Ben Gurion University, an additional 10,000 students attend the Shamoon College of Engineering, Kaye Academic Teachers’ College and the Open University.

The Ben Gurion University-affiliated Soroka Medical Center, which is considered one of Israel’s leading hospitals, also operates in the city.

Transportation
Be’er Sheva has a well-developed intra-city public transportation system. Buses run throughout the city, and taxi service is particularly inexpensive. These factors are likely due to the fact that many Be’er Sheva residents do not own cars and are therefore dependent on public transportation. The small number of cars in Be’er Sheva also makes for easy parking and few traffic jams throughout the city. If you are looking for a community where you will be able to manage without a car, Be’er Sheva certainly qualifies; you can live happily in Be’er Sheva without a car, as long as you work in a place that is accessible through public transportation. Alternatively, some employers provide transportation to work for Be’er Sheva residents. For example, chemical plants located at the Dead Sea provide van service for employees from Be’er Sheva, which is about one hour away. In addition, there is train service to Tel Aviv, which runs about once an hour.

In addition, travel time between Be’er Sheva and the rest of the country is constantly shrinking, making commuting an increasingly realistic option. There are ongoing changes to the current infrustructure including highway improvements, paving Highway 6 to the Dimona Junction, and intensive upgrading of the railway (doubling the tracks and reducing travel time to Tel Aviv to approximately 45 minutes), which will make a signfiicant difference.

Olim Services
Perhaps more than any other place in Israel, Aliyah is a major part of Be’er Sheva’s history. Tens of thousands of Moroccan, Ethiopian and Russian Jews have been welcomed to Israel through absorption programs in Be’er Sheva. The longest building in the country, located in the center of Be’er Sheva, is an absorption center.

To service the needs of Olim, the city has various levels of Ulpan classes and an active branch of AACI.

Amenities / Services
Be’er Sheva boasts three malls as well as many shops and restaurants, a Shuk (open-air market), and a wide range of consumer services. It has everything you would expect a city to have.

In addition to clinics for all the Kupot Cholim, Be’er Sheva is home to one of Israel’s top hospitals. While particularly well known for its role as a “baby factory” (with 12,000 babies born in the hospital each year), Soroka Medical Center is distinguished in a variety of medical fields.

Community and Religious Life
The city is home to over 200 Ashkenazi and Eidot Hamizrach synagogues as well as a Conservative temple. The main Ashkenazi synagogue in the Hey and Tet districts is Hakippa. There is also a Yeshivat Hesder.

Be’er Sheva’s community center is particularly impressive. In addition to a wide array of organized activities, the center is also home to the AACI (Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel) English-language library which contains over 6,000 volumes and is a valuable resource for Olim of all ages. Residents are also proud of their English-language light-opera company.

The city has multiple Matnasim (community centers), which offer educational and cultural activities for children and adults. Activities include art, dancing, music, sport, parenting and more.

The Winnipeg Community Action Center provides supplementary educational programs for disadvantaged Jewish and Arab youth aged 6-17, and leadership skills courses for 15-17 year olds.

In recent years, Be’er Sheva has established itself as the cultural anchor of the entire Negev. The Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in September, 2008, hosts performances by Israeli and international companies in all of the performing arts, and is home to the City Theater, the Israel Sinfonietta Be’er Sheva and the Kamea Dance Company.

Operating in the Old City is the Youth Center for Culture, Arts and Media, which initiates festivals such as the Smilansky Street Festival, a Beer Festival and others. The Negev Museum of Art attracts art enthusiasts to its lovely, century-old historic building, and hosts “Museum Mondays” – summer evening outdoor concerts of song and poetry.

In recent years, an Acting School was opened to train the region’s talented young people.

See website for more information: http://www.mynegev.co.il/show7.php?idp=128

Real Estate
Apartments, attached cottages, and detached villas are all available for sale or rent.

Average price for purchasing:
3 bedroom Apartment: 420,500 NIS
4 bedroom Apartment: 600,200 NIS
5 bedroom Apartment: 795,900 NIS

Average price for renting:
3 bedroom Apartment: 2,000 NIS
4 bedroom Apartment: 2,400 NIS

Source:Nefesh B’Nefesh

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