New olim
New to Givat Shmuel? Start here
Givat Shmuel is a small, mostly national-religious city with a large English-speaking olim community: NBN says olim live all over the city but especially in Ramat Hadar. The municipality has an absorption department with olim coordinators, and the GSC and JLIC run English-language community life.
New olim
Start here
7 steps, in the order most people take them.
- 1
Contact the municipal absorption department
The Aliyah Absorption Department (social services, 1 HaAvoda St) offers Hebrew classes, leisure activities and help claiming rights; olim coordinator lines 03-9028240 and 03-9546506.
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Open your file at the Ministry of Aliyah, Petah Tikva
The Petah Tikva regional office (26 HaHistadrut St, *2994) serves Givat Shmuel. Visits are coordinated in advance with your personal advisor.
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Register for arnona and parking as the occupier
Arnona discounts and the residents' parking permit both depend on being registered as the occupier with a Givat Shmuel address; renters update the contract with the arnona department.
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Start Hebrew at the matnas ulpan
NBN lists a six-month adult ulpan at the matnas, Hebrew enrichment for children in grades 1-8, English lectures and a services brochure in English and French.
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Join the English-speaking community
The GSC (900+ members per NBN) runs Shabbatons, barbecues, open mic nights, shiurim and career mentoring; NBN's Communities Facebook group connects olim across the country.
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Join the municipal WhatsApp groups
Separate official groups for urgent city updates, culture, seniors and children's activities, all in Hebrew.
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Get a library card
The municipal library (Beit Fichman, 26 Ben Gurion St) lends free to residents and has books in English, Russian and Spanish; register in person with ID showing a Givat Shmuel address.
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Guides
Read next
- Your first week in Givat ShmuelCity hall hours, arnona, the parking permit, the absorption department, the library card and the 90-second rule: the first-week jobs in Givat Shmuel, in the order that saves trips.
- The neighbourhoods of Givat Shmuel comparedTen areas in one small city: where olim and students actually live, what each neighbourhood is like and what it costs to rent there, from the cheapest (Giora) to the priciest (Ramat Hadar).
- Renting and buying in Givat ShmuelWhat rent costs by flat size and neighbourhood, when to start looking, the Bar-Ilan dorms, the paperwork your contract unlocks, and the urban-renewal projects changing the city.
- Health funds, urgent care and hospitals near Givat ShmuelWhere each health fund's clinic is, which doctors list English, the Motzei Shabbat pharmacies, Terem urgent care, and the four hospitals within a short ride of Givat Shmuel.
- Schools and gans in Givat ShmuelHow gan, grade 1 and grade 7 registration works (2027-28 not yet announced; 2026-27 dates as a guide), tzaharonim and maonot, the schools, and support for olim and English-speaking children.
- Getting around Givat Shmuel: buses, light rail, trains and parkingRav-Kav and Moovit basics, the buses to Tel Aviv, Bar-Ilan and Jerusalem, the nearest Red Line stops, the nearest train stations, Shabbat, bikes and parking.
Good to know
Municipal phone lines are not answered during reception hours. The national hotline 108 takes reports 24 hours a day. Most gans and schools are state-religious.
Community groups
Where people talk
- Bar-Ilan International School on FacebookFacebook · Bar-Ilan University International School
- Bar-Ilan International School on InstagramOther · Bar-Ilan University International School
- Beit Midrash Givat Shmuel (community beit midrash) on FacebookFacebook · Beit Midrash Givat Shmuel
- Givat Shmuel Municipality on FacebookFacebook · Givat Shmuel Municipality
- Givat Shmuel Municipality on InstagramOther · Givat Shmuel Municipality
- Givat Shmuel Municipality: culture groupWhatsApp · Givat Shmuel Municipality
Source
- Givat Shmuel municipality (opens in a new tab)
- Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab)
- Gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- Givat Shmuel municipality (opens in a new tab)
- sifriya-gs.co.il (opens in a new tab)
This page was written for Givat Shmuel from the sources above.
