Zecharia — village homes and building plots
Houses, farm properties and building plots in Moshav Zecharia, Mateh Yehuda — agricultural village character in the Ela Valley area.
Zecharia is a moshav in the Mateh Yehuda regional council, in the Ela Valley area of the Judean Lowlands, not far from Beit Shemesh.
It is agricultural in character: quiet streets, detached homes, and fields and orchards beginning at the edge of the garden. The connection to the land is still part of the identity of the place.
Proximity to Beit Shemesh and to the roads towards Jerusalem and the lowlands makes it possible to combine village life with work outside the village.
Who it suits
Suited to families who want a childhood of open space — a garden, quiet, community — and to anyone hoping to build a house on a plot in a rural setting.
Buying from abroad, or after aliyah
Zecharia is agricultural in character and much of what changes hands is land or farm property. The rights structure matters more here than in a village of standard residential plots.
Buying or selling in Zecharia
The market here is small and personal. Supply is limited, many homes change hands before they are ever advertised, and the type of rights attached to a property — a farm unit, an auxiliary plot, or a lot in a community expansion — genuinely affects both price and process. Working with someone who knows these communities from the inside matters more here than it would in a city.
Frequently asked
- What is the difference between a moshav, a kibbutz and a "community settlement"?
- A moshav is a village of individual households with an agricultural history; a kibbutz was traditionally collective and most now have private housing expansions; a community settlement (yishuv kehilati) is a village organised around a community association rather than farming. Practically, the differences show up in how homes are owned, how large the plots are, and how you join.
- Can I live here and work in Jerusalem or the centre?
- That is the pattern for a large share of residents. Beit Shemesh is the nearby city, and the roads continue from there towards Jerusalem and the lowlands. Rural life with an urban commute is the normal arrangement in this area, not the exception.
- Are there English speakers in these communities?
- Several villages in the area have Anglo families, and some have a noticeable English-speaking presence — but it varies a great deal between one village and the next, and that is exactly the kind of thing worth asking about before choosing. It is a real question, and a fair one.