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AACI SOUTHERN
BRANCH
Welcome to AACI South.
Community Center in Beer Sheva:
Matnas
"Yud Aleph"
11 Mordecahi Namir St.
Shchunat Yud Aleph,
Beer Sheva.
Tel: 08-643 3953
Fax: 08-643 3953
Please
click button below for topic:
Greetings from AACI's CounselorMiriam Green
Greetings
from Counselor Miriam Green
Welcome to the South! AACI is pleased to
welcome you as you start your absorption into Israeli society. As a newcomer
in Eretz Yisrael—or even an old-time vatik—you may find you need
guidance through the Israeli bureaucracy you will encounter.
 Here
at AACI we provide up-to-date information on the tasks new olim must
undertake to register themselves and their families as established residents
of Israel. From finding an ulpan, housing and even employment to acquiring a
driver’s license, we are here for you.
Good grief, you’ll say as you wait
in yet another line to discuss your status, bank account, health plan or
education. Sometimes the frustration is overwhelming. Many Israelis won’t
understand the Zionist dream that has brought you here. Nor will they
understand why you’ve left what they consider the golden land of
opportunity. But as you breathe the air (not too deeply!), feel the
tranquility of Shabbat descend across the country, walk along the rocky
landscape, you will be reassured that this is the decision of a lifetime.
As
AACI’s Southern Branch Counselor, I will endeavor to answer all your
questions. AACI has a network of resources at our disposal, and once you are
a member, I will use them for you. My office hours in Beer Sheva are Sunday,
Monday, and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please call for an
appointment. Our office phone is 08-643-3953. Or contact us by email at mgreen@aaci.org.il.
On a personal note, my husband and I
are 17-year residents of Beer Sheva, with three Israeli children. As our
children progress in the school system, we continue to discover the
challenges of being olim. We are happy here in Israel, and in Beer Sheva.
And we invite you to share with us our dream of a viable future in the
South.
Sincerely,
Miriam Green,
Southern Branch Counselor
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COUNSELING
HOURS
Counseling
Hours for Olim and Vatikim
The Southern Branch office is open on
Sunday, Monday, and Thursday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Contact
Counselor Miriam Green for appointments at 08-643-3953 or mgreen@aaci.org.il.
Miriam
is happy to discuss many topics related to the klitah of olim and vatikim in
the Negev, including army service, apartment rentals and purchases, rights,
driving and car purchases, health issues, and more. If you are not already a
member of AACI, join now to receive membership and support AACI’s
activities in the South. For more information on membership, please contact
Membership Coordinator, Sharon Weinbach at memberjlm@aaci.org.il
or 02-5617151 ext 302
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 AACI
Southern Branch Seniors -Young
at Heart
The AACI Southern Branch
Seniors is our most active group, planning monthly trips for their members
and parties for all occasions. If you have suggestions for places to visit
or interesting activities to organize, please call Chaya Aft at 08-642-2915.
Past outings have included visits to Kibbutz Yad Mordechai’s Honey
Workshop, the Israel Museum, Yad Vashem, Kibbutz Urim Art Center, and more.
If you know of English speakers in the community who might be interested in
joining the AACI Seniors, please contact Chaya or Counselor Miriam Green at
08-643-3953 or mgreen@aaci.org.il
Please
let us know whether you are a senior member of AACI (55 years &
above for our purposes) and would like to receive the
Senior Spectator. Email Barbara Casden at
bcasden@aaci.org.il
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AACI
Offers a Warm Welcome To New Olim and
 American Visitors
AACI wishes a warm welcome to the
new olim who have settled in Arad, Beer Sheva, Dimona, Eilat, Ketura,
Meitar, Netivot, Omer, Revivim, Shokeda, Yerucham, Yotvata—your
presence here is a spiritual boost to our humble communities. There are
also many students who have recently arrived in the Negev. These include
students in various BGU programs: the Columbia Medical School Program,
the Overseas program, MAPMES (Masters of Arts Program in Middle East
Studies), Desert Research, and English Literature. New olim and students
who wish to meet long-time members of the community are welcome to
contact Counselor Miriam Green mgreen@aaci.org.il
or 08-643-3953.
In
addition, during the year, two US-based programs use Beer Sheva as their
home ground. Of particular interest is OTZMA, a ten-month program of the
Jewish Agency and United Jewish Communities that strives to promote
direct contact between North American Jews and Israel through volunteer
and educational opportunities. While in Beer Sheva, participants live in
the Merkaz Klitah in Shechunah Hey for three months, attend ulpan, and
engage in community service projects at the Merkaz Klitah and in the
surrounding community. The program is religiously unaffiliated.
Another program to bring its students to
Beer Sheva is the Nativ-USY Israel Program. Young North Americans arrive
in Beer Sheva in February on the last leg of their nine-month Nativ-USY
Israel program. They are housed, along with two counselors, in the
Merkaz Klitah Ye’elim for four months while they work as volunteers in
organizations and schools all across Beer Sheva. Another group will be
living in Yerucham and volunteering there. Nativ combines exploration of
Israel with academic studies and leadership training. It is part of
United Synagogue Youth, and as such, places an emphasis on Jewish living
and learning in the framework of the Conservative Movement. And while
these 18-year-olds strengthen their Jewish identity, they’ll be
learning how to take care of themselves before returning to colleges and
universities in their home States.
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The
AACI Southern Branch Library:
Indulge Yourself! There’s Something for Everyone
The AACI Southern Branch Library is
an extensive collection of fiction and non-fiction numbering more than
6,000 items. The collection includes classics, biographies, best
sellers, mysteries, romances, literature, and life stories. In short,
something for everyone. Most of the books in the collection are
donations. Others are purchased especially for the Library
(recommendations welcome!).
Joining
the Library is simple. You pay NIS 50 for the year and can take out up
to six books at a time. Olim, soldiers and students pay NIS25.
Library hours are as follows: Sunday
through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and Monday and Wednesday
from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. The
Library is located in Matnas Yud-Aleph, 11 Mordechai Namir St., Beer
Sheva. Call the AACI office
for more details at 08-643-3953.
If you would like to donate books
published within the last five years that are in good condition, please
contact Librarian Shirley Goodblatt at 08-642-3794.
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If
you are between the ages of 18 and 35, you may be eligible for
programs at the unique Start-Up organization. Geared to keeping young
people in Beer Sheva, Start-Up offers courses, job fairs, special
programs for olim, and tiyulim. Contact AACI counselor, Miriam Green
at mgreen@aaci.org.il or
phone: 08-6433953
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Support
for Job Seekers
AACI
Employment Club Meets in Beer Sheva
 The
AACI Employment Club in Beer Sheva meets monthly to give support to olim and
Vatikim who are looking for work. The meetings take place on the last Monday
of the month (unless otherwise stated) at Merkaz Klitah Ye’elim in
Shechunah Hey, and are hosted by recent olah Batya Mason. The forum allows
unemployed Anglos to share their jobseeking experiences and contacts they
have made along the way. In addition, information on the Beer Sheva job
market will be provided to participants. The cost of the workshop is free to
AACI members and NIS 20 to non-members. For more information, call Batya at
08-641-3548 or AACI Counselor Miriam Green at 08-643-3953 or mgreen@aaci.org.il
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 Seeking Volunteers
AACI Hadassah-Israel Senior
Outreach Program Meets its Match
In a joint program with
Hadassah-Israel Beer Sheva chapter, AACI has created a Senior Outreach
Program to assist English-speaking seniors in the Beer Sheva area.
Volunteers make a commitment to meet or call a house-bound senior once a
week. If you are interested in volunteering or know someone who would like
to receive visits, please contact AACI Counselor Miriam Green at 08-643-3953
or mgreen@aaci.org.il or
Hadassah-Israel Program Coordinator Eunice Peisach at 08-6442232.
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Art Class for Adults
Work one-on-one
with local artist and AACI member Ruth Gresser on Mondays from 10:00
a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Try your hand at watercolors, oil, and acrylics.
Cost: NIS 130 per month, materials not included. For more information,
contact Ruth Gresser at 08-610-4728.
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AACI
Beer Sheva Readers Club
Join
the monthly Reader’s Club at WIZO in Old
Hey to listen to the latest book reviews on newly published books. Cost is
NIS 15 and includes coffee and cookies. Check with Miriam for
new
times.
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Triple
your Score at the Beer Sheva Scrabble Club
You
are invited to play Scrabble on the first Wednesday of every month at the
home of Tamar Iancu. There is no charge. Students and other newcomers
welcome. For more information, call Tamar at 08-641-7560. In addition,
Rummicube will be played at Ganei Yeelim, in Shechunah Hey, Beer Sheva, on
the third Saturday night of the month. Lay your tiles down and connect with
other consummate players
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Beer
Sheva Quilting Club
You
are invited to learn the art of quilting every Sunday at the home of Helen
Stoll. Call 08-643-1104 for more information.
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To our offices by car:
 From
Shechunah Hey: Take Rehov Ye'elim all the way down to Rehov Masada. Cross
Masada where Ye'elim changes its name to Rehov Alfasi. Cross Rehov Shaul
Hamelech where it changes again to Rehov Golda Meir. Take Golda Meir to the
first intersection and turn left on Moshe Sharett. Take the third right onto
Rechov Mordechai Namir and drive until you see a small beige building with a
domed roof and a circular driveway.
From
Omer and Meiter and other Beer Sheva locations: Take Rehov Hamishachrerim
past the Statium and continue straight. Cross Rehov Masada and make your
first left at the light onto Rehov Shaul Hamelech. At the first light, turn
right onto Rehov Golda Meir. Take Golda Meir to the first intersection and
turn left on Moshe Sharett.Take the third right onto Rechov Mordechai Namir
and drive until you see a small beige building with a domed roof and a
circular driveway.
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To
our offices by bus:
 Several
buses have stops near Matnas Yud-Aleph, the home of the AACI Southern Branch
Library and Office. The street address is 11 Mordechai Namir.
No.
9. Take the No. 9 bus to the last stop on Rehov Shaul Hamelech. Walk through
Canyon Shaul Hamelech. At the back exit, turn right and walk to the corner
of Moshe Sharett and Mordechai Namir streets. Turn left down Mordechai Namir
St, and continue until you reach the Matnas at the bottom left side of the
street. The Matnas has a circular driveway and a beige domed roof. The No. 9
bus does have a stop at the back of the Canyon.
No.
16. Take the No. 16 bus to the stop closest to Canyon Shaul Hamelech on
Rehov Shaul Hamelech. Walk through Canyon Shaul Hamelech. At the back exit,
turn right and walk to the corner of Moshe Sharett and Mordechai Namir
streets. Turn left down Mordechai Namir St, and continue until you reach the
Matnas at the bottom left side of the street. The Matnas has a circular
driveway and a beige domed roof.
No.
3. Take the No. 3 bus to the last stop on Rehov Elfasi. Walk to the light
and cross Rehov Shaul Hamelech and continue straight. Elfasi changes its
name to Rehov Golda Meir. At the first intersection, turn left from Golda
Meir onto Moshe Sharett St. At the third intersection on your right, you
will come to Mordechai Namir St. Turn right down Mordechai Namir St, and
continue until you reach the Matnas at the bottom left side of the street.
The Matnas has a circular driveway and a beige domed roof.
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Welcome
to Beer Sheva and what she has to offer
Dun
& Bradstreet Review Future
Development Urban Development
A
Young
& Dynamic City A
Balanced Budget Employment &
Industry
Read
what Dun and Bradstreet have to say about Beer Sheva.
http://duns100.dundb.co.il/2008/600143622/index.asp
Beer Sheva, the capital
of the Negev and Israel’s fourth largest metropolitan region, has over
200,000 residents. The prosperous university-city has commercial and
industrial centers, serving 600,000 residents in the entire metropolitan
region. Built more than 4,000 years ago, Beer Sheva grew as a city under
Ottoman rule in the 19th century and under the British in the early 20th
century. Modern Beer Sheva was founded in 1948 and built up by immigrants
from about 60 countries. In the past 15 years, the city’s population has
doubled, with tens of thousands of new immigrants as well as young and
veteran Israeli couples choosing to make Beer Sheva their home.
Beer Sheva – The Future Development of Israel –
“A Window of Opportunity”
Beer Sheva and the Negev represent the central focus for Israel’s future
development, with 60% of the country’s landmass, and its available land
reserves. In recent years the city has witnessed particularly rapid
development, and a large-scale plan is being implemented to transfer major
army bases from central Israel to the Negev including the Intelligence,
Communications and Training bases of the IDF. Ongoing highway improvement,
paving Highway 6 to the Dimona Junction and intensive upgrading of the
railway shorten travel between Beer Sheva, Tel Aviv and the north. These
processes, alongside many city development projects, strengthen Beer Sheva
as Israel’s fourth urban center.
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Urban Development
In recent years the city has been undergoing vast development with such
major projects as:
*A
Wastewater Recycling and Purification Plant, one of the most advanced in
Israel, built some three years ago.
*Payis
Center for the Performing Arts, scheduled to open in Sept. 2008, includes
950-seat and 450-seat auditoriums.
*Reconfiguration
of Rager Boulevard from the northern entrance to the city, is in an advanced
stage of development with the addition of 1,600 housing units, public,
commercial and office buildings.
*A
Sports Complex including a 16,000-seat stadium, five training fields and
extensive parking.
*The
Beer Sheva River Park, 8 km. of green expanses, with attractions including
an amphitheater, lake, sports facilities, promenades, a conference center
and more, will enable hundreds of thousands of residents to enjoy a quality
outdoor recreational environment.
*A
Children’s Museum will be opening in 2009.
*The
Old City: Millions of dollars are being invested in renovating
infrastructures, preserving buildings, and transforming the Old City by
building culture and leisure centers to attract young people and students:
*The
Youth Center for Culture, Arts and Communications in the heart of the Old
City. Already in operation.
*A
Science Museum, one of the largest in the country (contributed by the Rashi
Foundation), is being built, as part of the renovation of this area.
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A Young and Dynamic City
Beer Sheva is a young city with over 100,000 residents under age 34, who
enjoy a quality education system, stressing science and technology. In the
past decade NIS 1 billion has been invested in the building and
infrastructure of schools. Beer Sheva is home to fine institutions of higher
education such as: Ben Gurion University of the Negev, with 18,000 students,
Sami Shamoon College of Engineering and Kaye Teachers’ College. Each year
more students apply to Ben Gurion University (a world leader in many
academic disciplines) than any other university in Israel. The Soroka
Medical Center is one of the country’s leading hospitals. An
academically-sponsored drama school was recently opened to serve the many
talented young people of Beer Sheva and the Negev. Beer Sheva is home both
to shopping malls and to many cultural institutions, including Beer Sheva
Theater, the Sinfonietta, LOGON, dance troupes, museums and more.
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A Balanced Budget City
For the first time in many years the Beer Sheva Municipality balanced
its budget in 2005. Its financial strength was improved and debts to banks,
suppliers, and charter institutions reduced. The Municipality has an
operating annual budget of about NIS 1 billion – NIS 850 million in the
ongoing budget; NIS 150 million in the development budget, over and above
the previously mentioned projects. The city has completed privatizing its
water and sewage system with the setting up of the “May Sheva”
Corporation, and also operates through subsidiaries including: the Beer
Sheva Economic Development Co.; “Kivunim” for Culture and Leisure; the
Regional Industries Management Co.; the Bet-Yatziv Youth Hostel, in
partnership with the Rashi Foundation, and the Beer Sheva Foundation (which
raises donations for the city), and more.
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Employment and Industry
Since the start of the 90s, following a surge in development when the
city received Development Area A status for capital investments, Beer Sheva
has become an attractive city for entrepreneurs and investors. In addition
to 7,000,000 sq.m of industrial zones in the south of the city, a new
high-tech park is being built adjacent to the university.
The High-Tech Park is a joint venture of Ben Gurion University, the
municipality and the U.S. company KUD. It will be one of the most advanced
parks in the country, facilitating integration of leading high-tech
companies in one well-situated compound, and providing employment
opportunities to the thousands of students graduating each year in the city.
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Interested
in a Current Events Discussion Club?
Call Chaya Aft at 08-642-2915 to
help organize a monthly meeting to discuss the ever changing events in
Israel
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CAMPAIGN FOR
OVERSEAS MEMBERS
AACI is conducting a campaign to increase our overseas
membership. We urge our members to help us by informing us about potential
overseas supporters. Please send us names of relatives and friends who
might join AACI as overseas members. Your support, and that of your family
and friends, will enable AACI to continue to provide its vital Aliyah and
Klitah services and to maintain its high level of programming.
Please send names, addresses and E-mail addresses to AACI, P.O. Box
4337, Jerusalem 91042 or E-mail to info@aaci.org.il . We will then
contact these people, tell them about AACI and ask them to help support our
work by becoming an overseas member. Thank you for your interest and
assistance.
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Trains,
Planes and Automobiles
 Update on Israeli
Transportation from AACI’s Gary Mazal
A Road Less
Traveled? Kvish 6 Opens Southern Exits
For those of you who have recently returned from
vacation, you will be surprised to find that Route 40, our long-suffering
main artery to points North, is no longer the default road when leaving Beer
Sheva. Instead, 12 kilometers before Kiryat Gat at Machlef Machaz, there is
a new, interstate highway beckoning with its sleek expectation of speed.
Currently, the road is free for drivers up to Machlef Sorek. And lest you
think this is a toll road like those in the US, no need to keep extra
shekels handy! All payment is assessed automatically as your license plates
are read by cameras along the road. For more information on Kvish 6, go to http://www.kvish6.co.il/.
You can also sign up for automatic payment on the toll road via Derech Eretz,
the company with the clever name that is in charge of toll collections.
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Phone: 972-2-566-1181 Fax:
972-2-5661186
Email: info@aaci.org.il
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