A city that grows right: building the future, keeping the home

In recent years, I have been hearing about more and more young men and women, as well as families with small children, who have boarded a plane to seek a new future overseas. It is worrying and frustrating, because they will not return to the country, and their children will no longer speak Hebrew.

We, as a state and as a city, must not ignore the fact that it is difficult for young people to build their lives here in the face of housing and rental prices. Every time I hear about a family packing their belongings and leaving the country, my heart shrinks.

Our commitment as a state to take care of the young generation must be at the top of the agenda. We must allow our sons and daughters to build their future here. This also applies to Ra'anana — a city where they grew up, were educated, went to serve in the IDF, and upon returning, found themselves facing a reality of high cost of living.

This is exactly the reason why I have fought in recent years for housing solutions for the youth of Ra'anana. The achievement I am particularly proud of is the opportunity opened for the city's youth within the framework of the "Discounted Apartment" program, with priority for the sons and daughters of Ra'anana. About 1,200 apartments were included in the lottery, and about 20% of them were allocated to the city's residents.

For me, every young couple from Ra'anana who succeeds thanks to this move to purchase an apartment here on state lands is a whole world. These are young people who grew up here, whose parents live here, and now hundreds of them who won the lottery can establish their home near their family.

But housing is only part of the story. When building thousands of apartments, one must simultaneously build the city: schools, kindergartens, roads, public transport, parks, bicycle paths, public buildings, and infrastructure. Therefore, the roof agreement with the Israel Land Authority is not just about building apartments; it is an agreement about the future of Ra'anana. As part of the agreement, the state will invest about 1.75 billion shekels, including significant investments in infrastructure throughout the old city. At the same time, about 705,000 square meters of employment and commercial space are planned, which will strengthen the city's economic base.

This is my worldview: it is possible and necessary to grow, but one must not lose along the way what makes Ra'anana, Ra'anana. Ultimately, urban planning is not just numbers on paper. It is the decision of what future we want for our children. I want a future where they will not have to choose between the State of Israel and their home. This is their place, this is their country, and this is our resilience as a community.