Several years ago, a group of young families set out to pioneer in the Negev. Their goal was to create an active “Seed Group” ready to move into the new town of Chiran as soon as it would be ready. Today the group is 34 families strong, and lives in a temporary camp in the outskirts of the Northern Negev called “Camp Yatir.” The camp, twenty minutes from the nearest town, has grown with the community and is home to a small synagogue, public office, community hall, daycare and preschool, mikva, and a small baby playground.
In September 2015, the land preparations in Chiran began, and the infrastructure to build homes will soon be ready.
About Chiran
Established: In the process
Location: Northern Negev, between Meitar and Arad
Population: Today the community is comprised of 30 families, it is projected to reach a population of 2,400 families.
Category: Large community town
About: Chiran is a town under construction, which will be building on one of the extensions of Mount Hiran, located on the road between Meitar and Arad, in the northeast of the Negev. Chiran was established on the basis of a 1996 government decision to establish four new community in the northern Negev.
The new community is projected to house up of 2,400 families, comprising approximately 10,000 residents. The program to establish Hiran came from the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Construction, the Settlement Division, Ministry of Interior, the Jewish National Fund, Ministry of Negev and Galilee, local regional councils, the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund of England and the United States, and the OR Movement for the Development of the Negev and Galilee.
Foundation: Chiran as received construction approval from all institutions and authorities, and is now in the process of construction of the community in practice.
Community Vision: The pioneering group of the Chiran community has over 30 families, including over 100 children. They are currently living in a makeshift camp near the town of Levana. The group is comprised of people in the professions of education, security personnel, physicians, and high-tech workers, of which came mostly from Jerusalem and central Israel. The population will be made up of Israelis from all backgrounds.
