Hashmonaim.
The Honest Guide from the Tel Aviv Property Index
Hashmonaim is a leafy, heavily Anglo religious community a few minutes from Modi'in, with some of the best central-Israel access of any settlement. The reputation is deserved: warm, organised and easy for English speakers. What the listings skip is that it sits just beyond the Green Line, with non-Tabu tenure, thin supply and a large Haredi city on its doorstep.
Where it is
Hashmonaim lies on the low western slopes of the Binyamin hills, looking down towards the coastal plain. Modi'in Illit, the large Haredi city also known as Kiryat Sefer, is next door. Modi'in's shops, schools and railway stations are a short drive west.
Hashmonaim is just beyond the 1949 Armistice (Green Line) in the West Bank, on the Israeli side of the separation barrier. Much of the international community, including the UN and the International Court of Justice in its 2024 advisory opinion, regards Israeli settlements as illegal under international law. Israel disputes this.
Because it is so close to the Green Line, many Israelis see Hashmonaim as part of greater Modi'in. That perception does not change the legal position. Tenure, mortgages, resale depth and foreign-jurisdiction questions all apply as they do further east.
How it came to be
Hashmonaim was founded in 1985 as a community settlement for religious families, and the name recalls the Maccabees of the Modi'in area. It sits within the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. It grew slowly at first and then quickly as Modi'in developed next door.
English speakers arrived early and kept coming. Word of mouth in North American and British communities has made it a well-known aliyah destination. The result is an unusually Anglo public culture for a place so close to central Israel.
Growth since then has come in phases on the community's edges. Recent projects include Ganei Hashmonaim and Pisgat Hashmonaim, marketed chiefly to religious buyers. Each adds newer homes but also stretches a community built on intimacy.
Those projects matter for buyers in two ways. They are almost the only source of new homes, and they set the price benchmark resale sellers quote. They also bring new families who change the feel of the older streets, mostly for the better.
What it is actually like today
Life is suburban, green and child-focused. Streets are quiet, gardens are generous and children roam on foot. Shabbat is the community's centre of gravity, with several shuls and a wide range of shiurim.
Local services cover the basics: nurseries, a primary school, a small commercial centre and youth movements. For most shopping, families drive to Modi'in, which has malls, supermarkets and clinics within easy reach. That is a real advantage over more isolated communities.
Many children attend schools in Modi'in or the region. Parents rate the options well but should check transport, places and fit. English-speaking support services are unusually easy to find.
Living next to Modi'in Illit
Hashmonaim's neighbour is one of Israel's largest Haredi cities. The two communities share roads and some services but have very different ways of life. Relations are generally practical, and many residents use its shops for kosher staples and bargains.
For buyers it is a factor worth weighing, not a warning. Modi'in Illit's rapid growth brings traffic and pressure on shared roads. It also gives Hashmonaim a huge neighbour whose planning decisions it cannot control.
Visit on a weekday and a Friday to see how the two places meet in practice. Look at which roads your children would use to reach school and friends. Ask current residents how shared services and traffic have changed in recent years.
The commute and security
Transport is Hashmonaim's strongest card. Modi'in's railway stations connect to Tel Aviv and towards Jerusalem, and Route 443 and Route 1 are close. Many residents commute to Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva or Jerusalem in well under an hour off-peak.
At peak, the approach roads through the area can clog. The access routes around Modi'in Illit are especially busy at school and work hours. Test the drive at 7.30am before you buy.
Public transport is workable rather than excellent. Buses link the community to Modi'in and beyond, but most families rely on at least one car. Teenagers gain independence once they can reach Modi'in's trains on their own.
Security is comparatively calm. The community is fenced and on the Israeli side of the barrier. Route 443 runs through the West Bank and has seen incidents over the years, which some residents weigh when choosing routes.
Who lives here
The population is a few thousand people, predominantly religious Zionist. English speakers form a very large share, and many households came from the United States, Canada and the UK. Hebrew-speaking Israeli families are part of the mix, and children grow up bilingual.
Professions skew to hi-tech, finance, medicine and remote work for overseas employers. Families are large and community involvement is high. Secular families are rare.
The community's density of English speakers is both its appeal and its limit. Newcomers settle quickly and find help for everything from bureaucracy to bar mitzvahs. Some parents worry that families can live too comfortably in English, and make a point of Hebrew-speaking schools and activities.
Prices and what you get
Hashmonaim's registered record is thin: seven house sales since January 2023, at a median of ₪3,625,000 and ₪20,293 per m², so each sale moves the figures.
| Neighbourhood | Median price | ₪/m² | Registered deals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hashmonaim | ₪3,625,000 | ₪20,293 | 7 |
| Nof Ayalon | ₪4,240,000 | ₪19,444 | 3 |
| Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut (city) | ₪3,108,000 | ₪29,885 | 2,783 |
| Moriah, Modi'in | ₪4,280,000 | ₪35,932 | 80 |
Registered sales, Jan 2023 – Aug 2026. Hashmonaim's seven deals run Feb 2023 – Apr 2025; Nof Ayalon's three run Aug 2024 – Apr 2026.
Recent registered deals:
- HaGafen: 8 rooms, 239 m², ₪4,850,000, April 2025
- HaGafen: 7 rooms, 178 m², ₪4,500,000, September 2024
- HaArbel: 8 rooms, 250 m², ₪3,500,000, June 2023
- HaMor: 6 rooms, 205 m², ₪4,250,000, February 2023
Hashmonaim is essentially a house market. The per-m² figure sits well below Modi'in's because homes are large, but the price per home is higher than the Modi'in median.
Buyers pay for space, garden and community. Much of the older stock dates from the community's early decades and has been extended over time, some with rental units below; new-build homes in edge projects offer modern finishes at a premium. Plot size, view towards the coast, distance to shul and the legal status of any extensions matter most, and a home with a permitted rental unit can be worth noticeably more than one with an informal one.
Renting first is sensible but hard. Rentals are few and move through community email lists and word of mouth, so many families rent in Modi'in while they wait for the right house.
The CBS national index fell about 2% year on year to April–May 2026, though small, oversubscribed religious communities do not always follow national trends. The honest risk is paying a premium for a location next to Modi'in while holding a title many Modi'in buyers would hesitate over.
Buying here: what to check before you sign
Tenure and chain of rights.Hashmonaim homes normally do not have Tabu title. Rights usually derive from state land allocated through the Settlement Division and recorded with a housing or development company. Obtain the approval of rights and check every earlier transfer.
Admissions.As a community settlement, Hashmonaim normally screens new residents through its cooperative society. The 2011 admissions committees law applies inside the Green Line, not here, and procedures differ. Make your purchase conditional on written acceptance.
Extensions and rental units.Many homes have additions or basement flats. Confirm with the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council and Civil Administration planning bodies that each is permitted. Unpermitted space can cut your mortgage and your resale value.
Mortgage terms.Directive 329 caps loan-to-value at 75% for a single dwelling, 70% for a replacement and 50% for an additional home. The 50% often quoted to non-residents is bank policy, not law. Get written approval for the property itself.
Purchase tax.An oleh under Regulation 12A, within one year before to seven years after aliyah, pays about ₪2,606 on ₪2.5m and ₪10,106 on ₪4m. A resident buying a single home pays about ₪20,538 and ₪95,538. A foreign resident or second home pays 8% up to ₪6,055,070: about ₪200,000 and ₪320,000.
New-build projects.Payments above 7% must be secured under section 2 of the Sale (Apartments) (Assurance of Investments) Law 5735-1974. Delay compensation runs under section 5A of the Sale (Apartments) Law 5733-1973, on the post-Amendment 9 scale for contracts from 7 July 2022. The first 20% is unlinked, and at most half of each later payment may be index-linked.
Home-country advice.Ask how a settlement property is treated in your other jurisdiction. The UK announced a ban on settlement goods in September 2026, and EU states are debating measures. None targets homeowners today, but compliance rules can change.
Who it suits
Works well for
- Religious-Zionist Anglo families who want an English-speaking community at once
Harder to recommend for
- Secular or mixed-observance households
- Buyers who need a Tabu title or a quick resale
- Anyone uneasy with an admissions process or community scrutiny
- Buyers on a tight budget, who may find more space for their money elsewhere
The verdict
Hashmonaim is one of the most complete Anglo communities in Israel. It combines village life, a strong religious culture and access that most settlements cannot match. Families who fit tend to stay.
The costs are real. You pay a premium for location, you buy contractual rights rather than a title, and your resale buyers come from a narrow pool. Modi'in Illit next door is a practical factor, and so are the Green Line questions.
Hashmonaim sells convenience and community in equal measure, and it charges for both.
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