Hashmonaim

Infobox Settlement
official_name=Hashmonaim
established_date=July 7, 1988
settlement_type=Local council
established_date2=
other_name=Ramat Modi'in
subdivision_type= Country |subdivision_name = Israel |subdivision_type1=District |established_title=Founded |unit_pref=Dunam |timezone=IST |utc_offset =+2 |timezone_DST=IDT |utc_offset_DST=+3
subdivision_name1=Judea and Samaria Area
population_total=2400
population_as_of=2005
Climate: Low mountain climate; moderate winters and hot summers

Hashmonaim ( _he. חשמונאים, also known as Ramat Modi'in) is an Israeli settlement located in the Binyamin Region of Israel in the eastern section of the West Bank, off of Route 443, three kilometers north of Modi'in, and 30 minute drive from both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

History

Construction of the first homes began in December 1983. A dedication ceremony on June 12, 1984, was attended by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and the Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. The first families moved in on August 1987.

In 2008, there were 530 families living in Hashmonaim. Over 50% of the residents are native English speakers. Most are members of the religious Zionist community.Berman, Daphna. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/924725.html "'The best place to raise your kids'"] , "Haaretz", November 16, 2007. Accessed August 12, 2008.]

Communal services

The rabbi of the community is Rabbi Itamar Orbach, who rotates between Hashmonaim's seven synagogues. The largest is Glenwood Jewish Center, named after a synagogue in Brooklyn, New York, which paid for its construction. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=924724&contrassID=2&subContrassID=16&title='A%20Brooklyn%20shul%20in%20Israel%20'&dyn_server=172.20.5.5 A Brooklyn shul in Israel - Haaretz - Israel News ] ] Hashmonaim has five kindergartens, an elementary school, and a yeshiva. The community also has a clubhouse for young people, a Bnei Akiva branch, two basketball courts, a baseball field, playgrounds, a library and a fitness center.

References

External links

* [http://rammod.djmetals.com/history.eng.htm Official Website of Hashmonaim]
* [http://www.geocities.com/yeshivat_ner_tamid/index.htm Official Website of Yeshivat Ner Tamid]
* [http://www.nbn.org.il/social/community/community_hasmonaim.htm Village profile on Nefesh B'Nefesh guide]
* [http://www.tehilla.com/aliya/places.asp?id=17 Village profile on Tehilla]
**Haggai Matar, [http://www.alternativenews.org/news/english/closed-military-zone-20080731.html Closed Military Zone] , Alternative Information Center, 31 July 2008. (contains an account of Hashmonaim)