Beit Shemesh is no stranger to the news. Over the years, the intense conflicts between the various segments of the population provided fodder for news outlets looking for a juicy scoop. And there was no shortage of fodder.
Five years ago, Dr. Aliza Bloch was elected mayor of Beit Shemesh. In addition to the many goals that she has set for the city, her overarching goal is for the many segments of Israeli society residing in Beit Shemesh to live side by side in harmony. Her vision is for this microcosm of Israeli society to serve as a model for the greater Israeli society at large.
Sivan Rahav-Meir, a well-loved media personality and lecturer in Israel, presents a weekly program called “Mitchadshot” (“Renewing”), during which she runs a Zoom meeting for women of all ages, stages, and religious affiliations from Israel and all over the world. During the event, she discusses the messages we are meant to take from the parshah, the chagim, and current events. She also invites a guest to each meeting to inspire the group with a moving personal story or discussion about an important field of expertise. Two weeks ago, Sivan Rahav-Meir hosted Dr. Aliza Bloch on her program. I’d like to share with you Dr. Bloch’s outlook on Beit Shemesh and how she perceives her mission as she presented it on “Mitchadshot.”
Dr. Aliza Bloch moved to Beit Shemesh over 30 years ago to be close to Yerushalayim, where her husband pursued a career in medicine. It was important for Dr. Bloch that her children be exposed to all types of Jews: religious, irreligious, Ashkenazim, Sefardim, Ethiopian, etc.
While it was nice for her family to live among the broad spectrum of Jews, she noticed the friction that was developing in the city. Over time, Beit Shemesh became a center of conflict between the chareidi and general sectors, and she didn’t want her children to grow up surrounded by hatred. Dr. Bloch participated in meetings meant to help bridge the gaps and lower the tension, but those meetings did not yield any change. She realized that she would have to leave her comfort zone and enter the world of politics to improve the situation. Throughout the entire process, she davened that she should manage to take care of herself and hold on to her values. Dr. Bloch attributes the success she has seen to the help of Hashem.
Dr. Bloch consulted with political strategists. None wanted to take her on as a client because they didn’t want to be associated with failure. They did advise her, however, that to get people to come out and vote, she should focus her campaign on an enemy. Dr. Bloch refused to jump on the anti-chareidi bandwagon. She thinks there are many ways to be a good Israeli and sees herself as the mayor for all. There is no need for one side to “win.”
After a difficult campaign, Dr. Bloch won the election. Once she became mayor and started implementing her policies, many of her supporters in the chiloni and general circles became angry. They saw the chareidim looking happy and wondered why they had worked hard to help her get elected. Dr. Bloch explained that everyone can be happy. We can have a soccer field, a yeshivah, a playground, a mikvah, and a cultural center. One does not have to come at the expense of the other. We can have it all. We can show the country that we can strengthen the economy, build businesses, create culture, and enjoy a high quality of life without incessant fighting. It is possible!
Dr. Bloch explained that she is constantly pulled in different directions by the various factions. Everything she does is measured and potentially explosive. When she brings new classrooms to Beit Shemesh, she is asked how many will go to chareidi schools and how many will go to secular schools.
Very recently, an extension of Hadassah Hospital opened in Beit Shemesh. But when she became mayor, there was no hospital and there were no direct buses to the hospitals in other cities. When those bus lines were added, she was asked how many stops would be made in chareidi neighborhoods and how many in secular neighborhoods. Dr. Bloch continues to give over the message that everyone’s needs will be met.
Dr. Bloch believes that parents have the right to educate their children however they choose and welcomes every type of educational system to Beit Shemesh. There are now 900 educational institutions in Beit Shemesh. She opened a school in a brand-new building for chasidim who only speak Yiddish. This year, she opened seven State-chareidi schools (schools that operate within the state school system but are geared to the modern chareidi segment) as she believes some move to Beit Shemesh to have this option. There are also Dati Leumi (National Religious), Montessori, and English-speaking schools. This year, she opened a special education school for children who come from strongly anti-Zionist communities. These families will never participate in elections, but she wants them to know that she is there for them, as well.
Sivan Rahav-Meir commented that she never heard about many of the wonderful things going on in Beit Shemesh that the mayor mentioned. The positive things don’t appear to make the headlines. Dr. Bloch is happy that things are quiet. She knows that things can explode at any moment, but she tries to keep things calm by working on issues that are common to all of the residents of Beit Shemesh, such as street cleaning, playgrounds, employment, and establishing new industrial zones. These issues are relevant to everyone.
On her first day on the job, Dr. Bloch met with factory managers and asked them to hire chareidim to work in their factories. The managers were against doing this because they feared that the chareidim will daven too much, will want to separate the men and women, and will want to kasher the kitchen. Today, just about every factory has chareidi employees. She believes that everyone must remove the imaginary “horns” from each other and get to know each other so that they won’t be afraid of each other.
Mayor Dr. Aliza Bloch davens every day that she should make clean and correct decisions. She is optimistic that, with the help of Hashem, the city of Beit Shemesh will succeed and will be a model of peaceful co-existence for all of Israel. We hope to see you soon in the beautiful city of Beit Shemesh!
Suzie Steinberg, CSW, is a native of Kew Gardens Hills and resident of Ramat Beit Shemesh who publishes articles regularly in various newspapers and magazines about life in general, and about life in Israel in particular. Her recently published children’s book titled Hashem is Always With Me can be purchased in local Judaica stores as well as online. Suzie can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and would love to hear from you.
