Guy Donenfeld, Beit Shemesh’s city engineer, who only transitioned from the serene Dimona this year, is still acclimating to the exceptional growth rate of the city and its population. He expresses astonishment at entire neighborhoods being populated without public facilities or even a grocery store. In his new role as the Association of Urban Engineers chairman, he criticizes the repeal of planning easements that took effect this week: “Strangely, planners, municipal engineers, and contractors all say the same thing, yet no one listens to them.”
By Doron Broitman, Nadlan Center
“Beit Shemesh is a city on steroids,” says Guy Donenfeld (54), the city engineer of Beit Shemesh, describing the city’s development. “It’s a city with about 180,000 residents today, boasting what I believe to be the fastest construction rate in the country regarding neighborhoods and housing units being added. It’s developing at an incredibly rapid pace. It’s the only land reserve still open and available for the Haredi public, making it a magnet for many people seeking housing solutions because living in Bnei Brak or Jerusalem is very expensive.”
Indeed, the numbers speak for themselves. In the last decade, the population of Beit Shemesh has nearly doubled. At the end of 2014, the city’s population stood at 98,100. By the end of 2024, according to Donenfeld, it had grown to approximately 180,000. A review of construction starts over the past decade shows Beit Shemesh ranked eighth with 14,381 starts, surpassing cities like Petah Tikva, Bat Yam, and Ashdod. Alongside the extensive construction, the high demand for apartments in Beit Shemesh has increased prices. An analysis by the Real Estate Center shows Beit Shemesh leading the price increases among cities with over 100,000 residents. Since 2017, the price of a four-room apartment in the city has risen by 66.4%, compared to 44.1% in Tel Aviv and 46.9% in Jerusalem.
The most significant growth in Beit Shemesh has been in the Haredi population, which, according to Donenfeld, has created several challenges and issues: “Some of the new neighborhoods in Beit Shemesh were initially designed for the general population but marketed to the Haredi community, leading to infrastructure and density issues. Planning for the general population assumes an average household size of four people, while for the Haredi community, it’s seven to eight people. In my view, the challenge is planning to maximize land use, ensuring that structures fully utilize the plot’s rights from the outset, thereby avoiding later patchwork additions.”
“One of the things that surprised me upon taking the role was seeing buildings that had just been occupied sprouting various additions. These additions stem from a real need for families with 8–10 children. Between purchasing the apartment on paper and moving in, families often grow by two more children.”
“The transportation connectivity in Beit Shemesh is highly problematic. People leaving Ramat Beit Shemesh D can take 45–50 minutes to reach the old city center, where the engineering department is located. This impacts quality of life.”
“As an architect,” Donenfeld continues, “I care deeply about the quality of street aesthetics, public spaces, and the buildings in these areas. To avoid random additions, we recommend maximizing all land rights when initial plans come to us, building comprehensively. Due to the housing shortage, many people in Beit Shemesh live in spaces that aren’t typically designed for residential use, like basements or converted spaces. This isn’t ideal, but it’s the reality.”
Another feature of the city today, according to Donenfeld, is insufficient transportation connections. “The transportation situation in Beit Shemesh is very problematic. We’re talking about a population mostly reliant on public transit, with limited private car ownership. The public transit connectivity isn’t currently good, so many people buy cars. Traveling from Ramat Beit Shemesh D to the old city center often takes 45–50 minutes, reducing quality of life.”
Neighborhoods populated without a grocery store
Before his current role, Donenfeld held various positions in both public and private sectors, including head of statutory planning at Israel Ports Company, engineer for the Sodom Authority at Dead Sea Works, and engineer for the Tamar Regional Council and Neot Hovav. His last role was as Dimona’s city engineer.
What was the transition from a relatively small city to a construction powerhouse like Beit Shemesh? “In Dimona, there are 40,000 residents. The difference between that and 180,000 residents is staggering, especially in growth rates. The challenge in Beit Shemesh is much more intense, especially with the Haredi population and its unique needs compared to Dimona.”
“One major issue in Beit Shemesh is that residential buildings are often constructed without accompanying public institutions. Entire neighborhoods are occupied without even a grocery store. Imagine living in a neighborhood with no square meter of commercial space. People create makeshift grocery stores in residential apartments because they need these amenities.”
Living in Tel Aviv is borderline madness
As a “southern man,” Donenfeld has spent much of his career in south Israel and resides in Kibbutz Shoval, near Rahat. He believes the South’s development is essential. “Living in Tel Aviv or Gush Dan is borderline madness due to the density and transportation problems. The south offers space, quality of life, and strong communities.”
Alongside his role as Beit Shemesh’s city engineer, Donenfeld is the chairman of the Association of Urban Engineers and Architects, recently elected in a rotation with Jerusalem’s city engineer, Yoel Even. “One of our main goals is addressing salaries for engineering staff,” Donenfeld states. “If you look at job postings, municipalities are constantly looking for engineers and architects due to an exodus to the private sector, driven mainly by pay differences.”
“Repealing the easements? Give us an extension.”
A significant issue currently on the agenda is the repeal of easements, which took effect on January 1, 2025. Despite a rare collaboration between the Association of Urban Engineers and Architects and the Contractors Association, their request to delay the repeal was denied.
Many planners believe the allowances are a planning flaw that should have been abolished long ago. While the contractors’ opposition to their cancellation is understandable, your stance was surprising. Why did you oppose the cancellation of the allowances?
“Nobody imagined the reality in which our country finds itself at this moment, a date arbitrarily set on the calendar. Nobody foresaw the post-COVID consequences or that we have been in a war for over 440 days. This has profoundly impacted the economy and all economic activity, including planning and construction.
“Theoretically, the law provided time to prepare for the cancellation of the allowances, but the fact is that for more than a year and a half, many people, including those in the engineering units of local authorities, have been in reserve duty. Planners are in reserve duty. Interest rates have risen, and projects have been halted because there are no workers. We couldn’t prepare for this event due to circumstances beyond our control, circumstances tied to the state. So let’s take a moment and give us an extension, as is done in many other areas.”
“I find it very strange,” Donenfeld continues, “that all sectors—planners, municipal engineers responsible for regulation within the committees, and the people building the country—contractors and developers—are all saying the same thing, and yet no one listened to them. I don’t think the final word has been said on this matter. At the same time, it must be noted that we are an association representing all the engineers and architects in municipalities across the country. Within the association, some people and authorities believe that the allowances should not be extended, not even by a day and that it would have been better to abolish them entirely as soon as possible.”
