Society
The City of Modi’in is a new urban center in the heart of Israel, located in the very land that was the home to the Macabee’s revolt that is commemorated at Chanukah. The city is growing extremely quickly and within ten years has attracted 70,000 Israelis. An additional 50,000 are anticipated to move in the coming years as the city completes the “first phase” of its development. There are also plans which speak of a second phase, creating a city of 250,000 between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. But a doubling of Modi’in has the potential to destroy lovely and historically invaluable areas that are presently still “open space.”
The Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, Israel’s oldest and largest conservation group, has a local chapter in Modi’in that has begun a campaign to identify those places in the second phase that need to be preserved and promote an alternative plan that will allow the city to reach its demographic goals through higher land development intensity. The Tal Fund has provided the local chapter with a grant to promote their alternative vision with local residents as well as with decision makers.