Pioneers Seek to Create New Chabad Village in Israel

A group of ambitious young Lubavitch families are on the cusp of making history: the founding of a new Chabad village in Israel’s formidable but beautiful Negev Desert.

Named Neve Chabad, the project is the brainchild of Rabbi Mendy Efune, who grew up on Shlichus in Brighton, UK, and his wife Bruria, daughter of well-known author Rabbi Tzvi Freeman of Toronto, Canada.

In a conversation with CrownHeights.info, the founders billed the new settlement as a place “where Chassidus becomes a reality. Where chassidim live in sincere effort to fulfill the dreams of our Rebbeim; where children run freely, and discover the world through the eyes of the Torah,” and “where everyone is welcome to discover their innermost treasures, while encouraged by a loving community.”

According to its founders, the aim of the village is to keep its families in a constant ‘Shlichus’ atmosphere, even while everyone goes about with their regular day jobs and lives. With a learning resort on site, as well as a gap-year volunteer program and more, residents will have plenty opportunities to volunteer and share Torah with people from around the globe.

Though only in its early pioneering stages, the project has already attracted several participating families, as well as the cooperation of Agudas Chasidei Chabad of Israel and the Or Movement, which are providing tremendous assistance with navigating the bureaucratic red tape. In the meantime, the group is residing in Be’er Sheva, in whose vicinity they hope to found the village.

For more information, or to join the project, visit nevechabad.com.

27 Comments

  • 882w

    maybe they can make a bed and breakfast or a small hotel there or something, to generate cash flow. People would love to go there.
    hatzlacha rabba
    let us know when money is needed to raise for a sefer Torah and beit knesset etc.

    • Negev

      I read their website. The place they’re looking at is within the lines of biblical Israel.

  • really nice news

    I wish them tremendous Hatzlacha, and encourage anyond who can join to do so. I especially say this to the young people, to grab this opportunity before your children are older and it becomes really difficult. The promise of Hashem in our holy Torah is becoming a reality before or very eyes. How humble this makes us feel, that our generation is the one to merit the actualization of what our parents have davened for thousands of years!

  • Ma

    Chaim and Michla we are so proud of you and we wish you hatzlacha raba in everything that you’ll do!! We love you!!

  • Tante

    We are very proud of Chaim, Michla, and the other families as they begin their new endeavor. Love you!!

  • Beautiful

    and so Tznius. May Hashem bless them all with revealed good.
    I would love to join them.

  • levi edrei

    with Bedouin neighbors and Israeli gov bureaucracy their success are ensured

    • uh huh

      That’s why you’re stuck in CH and they’re living it up in Israel. Dream big, achieve big.

  • Yishai

    We need a chabad village in upstate NY, kiras zalman lol. Housing is too expensive in CH.

  • Sceptical

    How is it “keeping its families in a constant ‘Shlichus’ atmosphere” by living in a secluded village as opposed to going out as the Rebbe always pushed.

    (A Sicha regarding Arei Miklat, being a sign out on the road, comes to mind)

    BY making an informal learning program off the beaten path in a secluded Charedi Shtetl, very unlikely to attract many people.

    • don't be

      i know some people in this group. if they say they are making a learning resort, it will be a world class learning resort with thousands of visitors each month.

  • Dreaming

    They are in hippy dream land. They are living on a random piece of land with no jobs, not near a city or any life, just planting trees and dreaming of olive gardens, farms and milking cows.
    How is this sustainable and how does this make any sense?

    They can learn from the dysfunctional kibbutz system. Kids mostly leave these situations when they grow up because it’s not a normal way to live. It’s just a huge bungalow colony farm.

    • Pioneer

      Thanks for the encouragement :)
      BH we actually all have great jobs with great salaries.

  • There is a tenth man

    He is the mastermind behind the whole project… Rabbi Chaim Adelman shelita

  • Leah in Eretz HaKodesh

    He who speaks negatively about anything in Eretz Yisrael – yes including the bureaucracy – should be much more careful. This is very serious Lashon Hara.

  • Paul Palnik

    If housing costs are made reasonable … it will be a GIGANTIC success. If not … it will fail. My family would LOVE to live in such an environment.