Rabbi Topp is arriving in Israel this week to begin developing the new congregation in Givat HaMatos.
By Shula Rosen
Rabbi Kalman Topp, a longtime Orthodox rabbinic leader in the United States, is moving to Jerusalem and establishing Kehillat Ahavat Yisrael, a new Anglo community in Givat HaMatos, where he has purchased an apartment.
Topp served for 17 years as senior rabbi of Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and is the first vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America.
He previously served as a rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere community in New York.
He is arriving in Israel this week to begin developing the new congregation in Givat HaMatos.
Topp described his plans for Kehillat Ahavat Yisrael as a community that is “serious about Torah and avodat Hashem, and at the same time warm, friendly, welcoming and non-judgmental,” where “every individual matters, is valued and can make a difference in their own unique way.”
Topp also bought an apartment in a development by Ram Aderet and Salit in Givat HaMatos and is expected to live there once construction is completed.
His move comes as the neighborhood attracts other prospective immigrants, particularly from the United States.
According to the developers, about 35% of buyers in the project are foreign residents who intend to make aliyah after their apartments are completed, which is expected in about a year and a half.
More than 70 Anglo families have already chosen to join the community, according to the developers. Some American buyers have referred to Givat HaMatos as “the Beit Shemesh of Americans, just inside Jerusalem.”
Givat HaMatos is planned to include about 2,561 housing units along with educational institutions, parks, public spaces and community centers. Plans for the neighborhood include low- and mid-rise buildings and about 100 dunams, or 25 acres, of open space.
The neighborhood has access to Begin Highway, while the planned Blue Line of Jerusalem’s light rail is expected to run along Derech Chevron.
The Jewish Journal has also reported on Topp’s decision to leave the United States and participate in establishing a new community in Jerusalem.
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