A digital rendering of what the 'Ciudad de la Tora' (City of Torah) will look like in Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico. (Screenshot from YouTube via JTA)
The foundation stone has been laid for a “City of Torah” in Mexico, the first village in Latin America to be composed almost exclusively of ultra-Orthodox Jews.
The village, under construction near Ixtapan de la Sal, a small town about 75 miles southwest of Mexico City, will begin with 40 houses and hopes to attract 120 families by 2024, its developers said at a ceremony last week marking the project launch.
It will span about a square mile at first and feature a yeshiva; synagogues and schools for both its Ashkenazi and Sephardic populations; a kosher supermarket; and a gym complex with a pool, spa, and sports venue. The funding is primarily from a businessman, Abraham Mizrahi, who is not ultra-Orthodox, also known as Haredi. Mexican Rabbi Yosef Tawil was appointed chief of the town’s rabbinical council.