Streams in the Desert currently owns one three-storey villa in Beit Shemesh.

It has rooms for two permanent elderly residents, and four double rooms for temporary guests.

This house, affectionately known as Beit Haverim (House of Friends), is one of the original four houses that were used to provide a place to call home for many elderly immigrants in the past.

All the residents were independent and each had their own room. They were so happy in our home that it was a real joy to visit them. Sadly, due to rules and regulations we had to let most of them move on to pastures new, while only two could remain.

Many residents came direct to us from the former Soviet Republics, while others came from within Beit Shemesh. They came from varied backgrounds and situations:

• some were homeless, such as Yakov and Dina;
• some lived with family where the relationship broke down such as Musya and Manya, or Maria in Moldova whose daughter abused her;
• some came to ease the cramped situation in the family apartment, such as Zhenya;
• some had health issues, such as Alexander who suffered in Kazakhstan with mercury poisoning;
• some came because they were recently widowed, and wanted to be near family, such as Mera;
• some were widowed and could not afford the apartment rent now that they only had one income, such as Yaasha;
• some simply heard God’s call and yearned to be in Israel, such as Esther and Solomon;
• some were all alone, and wanted to be with others;
• some were in absolute poverty, such as Artemy and his wife, Valentina in Tajikistan;
• one couple came to keep a family promise, such as Lydia and her husband, Vitali;
• one couple came to get respite from rocket attacks in the second Lebanon War.