Closest Shopping Mall Near Shiloh

on the road to Eli from Shiloh

Actually, if we in Shiloh want to go shop in a mall, we don't even have to go as far as Sha'ar Binyamin or Ariel.  Five minutes away, there's a mall, ok, they haven't totally completed it and most of the stores are still empty, in Eli.

My neighbor and I had decided to check out the newly built supermarket there and took a "road trip" one morning.  We weren't quite sure where it was, so we followed the signs.

Eli is much larger than Shiloh, and its population is much more varied. They accept everyone who wants to move there and can find a home, while Shiloh only accepts those who are Torah observant.  Eli also has a very large and thriving young dati le'umi, "national religious" community, because many students and graduates of the Bnai David Mechina, pre-army yeshiva end up making Eli their home.

The old Eli shopping area is pretty empty, because the supermarket and pizza/coffee house moved to the new building.  See the difference!

Eli Markol supermarket entrance

I was happy and surprised to see that my Shiloh neighbors had opened a branch of their "Dvarim Yaffim" store in the new mall.  They have wonderful clothes at reasonable prices.  One thing I and many of my neighbors know is that Dina keeps stock of all of the basic "layette" supplies one needs for a new baby. Considering that many people don't like to buy baby clothes before the birth and hospital stays are relatively short, you need a store very nearby to set up for a newborn, especially a firstborn.

But we went to Eli to see the supermarket!  It's also owned by someone from Shiloh who entered the grocery business locally, possibly even before Eli was established.  He also now owns the supermarket in Ofra, besides Shiloh and Eli.

As are the other two stores, which I frequent regularly, it's orderly and clean, besides being very well stocked.  Prices are very reasonable for a small private chain.  Some things were less than at Rami Levy.

The Eli branch is the only one with a green grocer, fresh furit and vegetable section.  There's also a butcher, fresh poultry department only open Wednesdays-Friday.

The pizza/coffee shop was closed when we visited.  Even though "breakfast" was on the menu.

There's a also an attractive well-stocked housewares store that seems to have almost everything one could need.  That's important with all of the people moving into Eli recently.

Eli, terraced apartments under construction