About 20 families from the Gur Hasidic sect, the largest and most powerful among the Hasidic sects, recently left the ultra-Orthodox communities where they lived and bought apartments in Dimona. Those familiar with the ultra-Orthodox way of life know that such a move is anything but trivial. Ultra-Orthodox families do not quit their communities without a good reason, and they certainly don't move to a town where there are no ultra-Orthodox education institutions.
One of the pressing problems for the ultra-Orthodox in Israel is an unmet need for housing.
According to a study by the Haredi Institute for Public Affairs, the ultra-Orthodox public, which has an especially high birthrate, will make up 14% of the population of Israel in 2025 and 18% in 2035. This growth rate will require no less than 200,000 housing units for the ultra-Orthodox community alone.
Among the options discussed in the community was building two new ultra-Orthodox cities, but other such plans have failed. Harish in the north has become a mixed city after secular Jews questioned the legality of marketing it solely to the ultra-Orthodox. The planned city of Kassif in the south is stuck in planning stages because of difficulty meeting planning authorities' requirements for workplaces for the ultra-Orthodox and keeping it from becoming another poor bedroom community.
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