Published in Nashim Magazine
Making a Neighborhood
Sarit Levi Ashkenazi | Photo: Yossi Zeligar
Shalom and Adva Strasberg just wanted to move closer to their parents, but along the way they discovered the warm community
in Tal Menashe and all the friends in the caravan neighborhood. Together with them, they will soon move into their dream home in the new neighborhood
The Strasberg Family
Shalom (32) and Adva (31) Strasberg, he is a police officer and she is a social worker.
Seniority: 7.5 years of marriage + 3 children (Yishai Oz age 5, Reut age 3, and Ayala age 1).
Address in Waze: Negohot
Where did we come from?
“Shalom grew up in Hispin and I in Pardes Hanna,” says Adva. “He studied in the preparatory academy and at the Bnei David yeshiva in Eli, so after our wedding we moved to live in Eli. We lived there for six and a half years until we started looking for a place to settle down.”
Why here?
“Shalom works shifts in the police and is sometimes absent even on Shabbat, so I wanted to move a bit closer to my parents in Pardes Hanna,” says Adva. At first, they admit, they were skeptical about fitting into the community because they thought the population was older than them. “But when we arrived, we saw there was a young population being built and growing. At the same time, we came to a ‘Shabbat for newcomers’ in Tal Menashe and enjoyed it very much. Everyone was welcoming, interested and warm. Later we discovered other couples we know who signed up for the new housing project, and that gave us a good feeling. We felt that these would be neighbors nice to grow up with.” Adva adds that the fact there are no checkpoints on the way to Tal Menashe gives her a sense of security.
Things we love in the community
This is northern Samaria, so the view in Tal Menashe is a bit different from the classic Samaria scenery. Our house overlooks the Jezreel Valley, we see the turbines above Kibbutz Meirav, and on the other side the smokestacks of Hadera and the coastal plain. Around us are oak and pine trees and many forests and beautiful spots. There is peace and quiet here, and the nearby ‘Fairy Tale Forest’ is stunning in its beauty.”
A pleasant surprise
“When we moved into a caravan until our house would be ready, we arrived in a wave of absorption of about 14 new families. Very quickly we found friends who made the adjustment easier,” says Shalom, and Adva adds: “We moved with the hope that ‘it will be okay,’ but in practice it is much more than ‘okay.’ On Shabbatot when Shalom is on duty, there will always be a family that invites us or one we feel comfortable approaching and asking to come over. Alternatively, I feel comfortable saying that this time I choose to eat at home with the kids. Everything is accepted naturally. We have a supportive and inclusive social circle. In the first month of the war, when Shalom’s shifts were very intense and he barely came home, we felt the support even more strongly.”
Social life
When they came to Tal Menashe, people of all ages invited them for Shabbat meals and to get to know them. “Even people our parents’ age were interested and hosted us. The age range creates interest and closeness, and there are women’s evenings, community activities, classes and mutual aid. The ‘Eilayich Committee’ arranges meals for new mothers, the sick or anyone in need, and there is a wide variety of Torah classes.” Shalom adds that until the war, a men’s soccer group met weekly in Tal Menashe, but with their mobilization for reserve duty the group faded. “With God’s help, the group will resume activity as soon as possible.”
War time
“In the first weeks of the war, the youth of Tal Menashe ran a play center for children and took care of shopping for the wives of the mobilized men. Even now, the different committees make sure to support the wives of the mobilized and the emergency squad in the community, and activities are held to give relief to mothers and children.”
A place to pray
“In the old synagogue there is a Sephardi minyan, and in the new central synagogue, minyanim are held at all times and in all traditions. The construction of the synagogue is not yet complete, and the women’s section planned for the second floor is currently located on the first floor. Usually we go to our parents for the holidays, but on Simchat Torah we stay in Tal Menashe, and despite the crowding, there is a great joy with the Torah at its center,” say Shalom and Adva. “Once a month a communal Shabbat is held in which all the residents pray together, and the prayer is festive and uplifting. In addition, on Shabbatot there are father-and-son Torah lessons, and during the week there are children’s Torah study classes.”
A place to go out
“In Pardes Hanna and Hadera there are special and excellent restaurants, in Harish there is a mall, and in Hadera – Cinema City and bowling. We are close to the Shuni amphitheater and Caesarea, where there are concerts and it’s fun. The proximity to Highway 6 (Iron Interchange) allows within an hour and twenty minutes to reach Modi’in on one side or the Kinneret on the other. Everything is accessible and from here there are rides to all parts of the country. People work in Tel Aviv, Netanya or Karmiel.”
The education system
“There is an excellent daycare here with dedicated caregivers, and children from the nearby communities of Shaked and Hinanit also come to the kindergartens. The regional elementary school for the communities of northern Samaria is located across the fence of Tal Menashe, and besides the children of the community, students from nearby communities attend it. In high school, the girls usually study in ulpanot (religious girls’ schools) in Hadera, Pardes Hanna, and the new ulpana in Harish, and those who choose a boarding school go to Kfar Pines or other places. The boys study in a yeshiva in Sde Yaakov, a new yeshiva in Harish, or in a boarding school in Kfar HaRoeh.”
Main shopping
“There is a grocery store in Shaked, a few minutes’ drive away. ‘Big’ shopping can be done in Harish, about a fifteen-minute drive, or in Pardes Hanna and Hadera, which are about a half-hour drive. We grew up in Hispin and Pardes Hanna of 30 years ago, so for us everything is within reasonable distance,” they laugh.
Community WhatsApp
One of the active groups is that of the young neighborhood residents, where messages are sent like ‘Who has cabbage,’ ‘Who saw my son,’ and also discussions about kindergarten placements. The second group, of the women of Tal Menashe, covers every possible subject and, like any women’s group, deals with prayers for the sick, recipes, passing on items, and so on. Everything you could talk about at the playground.”
Ideas for initiatives
“In Tal Menashe there is openness to private initiatives by community members. For example, one resident wanted to establish a petting zoo. The decision went through the proper channels, of course, and since then the community has a corner with goats, chickens and parrots. The children come in the afternoons, pet and feed the animals and it’s great fun.” In another case, adds Shalom, one family initiated the construction of a men’s mikveh in the community. “The mikveh is mainly active during the holiday season and all the residents of Tal Menashe benefit from it.” A vineyard was also planted in the area as a private initiative, and every harvest season all the residents are invited to take part in the agricultural work and in the end receive produce. “There are also youth initiatives who opened trails, planted trees, built wooden benches and tables and created a beautiful spot for the benefit of the residents.”
Looking ahead
Shalom and Adva currently live opposite the neighborhood under construction where they bought their home, in a four-unit building. The project, managed by the “Harei Zahav” company, is supposed to be ready in about two years, and the whole family is eagerly waiting to move. “When we moved here, we upgraded to an additional room and invested in creating a warm homely feeling.” As a farmer and man of the land, Shalom looks forward to cultivating a garden with flowers and trees of the seven species. “And maybe also a chicken coop, depending on how much Adva goes along with it.”
According to them, when all the units are occupied, families their age and in the same stage of life will come to Tal Menashe, and the age groups of the children will thicken and grow. “There is something to look forward to,” they smile.
