Your first week in Givat Shmuel

Givat Shmuel is small (about 2.6 square kilometres), so most of your first-week errands are a walk apart on or near Ben Gurion St. This is the order I would do them in. Every fact below links to the office that published it; check the hours before you go, because they change around the chagim.

City hall: when it is actually open

The municipality is at 24 Ben Gurion St (main line 03-5319222, toll-free 1-800-530-530). The reception rules catch newcomers out:

• Departments receive the public Sun, Mon, Tue and Thu 08:00-13:00, and Wed 16:00-18:00. There is no Wednesday morning reception.
• They answer the phone at different times: Sun, Mon, Tue and Thu 13:00-15:30, and Wed 08:00-12:30. During reception hours the phones are not answered.

For anything broken, noisy or dangerous, call the 108 hotline (03-5319200 from outside the city), 24 hours a day. Each report gets an SMS confirmation.

Arnona and water: register as the occupier

Arnona (property tax) and water go through the Collection Department (03-5319228), open on the same reception hours as city hall. Renters and buyers both register here as the machzik (occupier). That registration matters more than it looks: the parking permit and your children's school registration both depend on it.

• A standing order (hora'at keva) gives a 1% arnona discount.
• Discounts go only to the registered occupier who is in the population register at a Givat Shmuel address, and you need an ID copy with the sefach showing the current address.
• The city says it may not give a discount just for being a student.

Your residents' parking permit

Permits are virtual (no sticker). You need a Givat Shmuel address registered with the Interior Ministry, arnona registered in your name and a car licensed to you (a company car needs a fleet-officer letter). Up to three permits per household. If you rent, the permit follows the rental contract once the arnona department has it. Visitors without a permit pay 5.36 NIS an hour in blue-and-white bays, two hours maximum.

The absorption department and the GSC

The municipal Aliyah Absorption Department is part of social services at 1 HaAvoda St (olim coordinator line 03-9028240). It offers Hebrew lessons, leisure activities and help claiming your rights. Nefesh B'Nefesh lists a six-month adult ulpan at the matnas, Hebrew enrichment for children in grades 1-8, English lectures on budgeting and employment and an English and French services brochure.

For the social side, the GSC (Givat Shmuel Community) is a non-profit for English-speaking olim; NBN puts it at over 900 members, with Shabbatons, barbecues, open mic nights and weekly shiurim. Students and young adults should also look at JLIC Mizrachi Givat Shmuel / Bar-Ilan and the municipal Young Adults Centre for ages 18-40 (03-6358350).

Government offices outside the city

Givat Shmuel has no Interior Ministry or Ministry of Aliyah office of its own:

• Ministry of Aliyah and Integration: its Petah Tikva region office (26 HaHistadrut St, 03-9733333 or *2994) officially serves Givat Shmuel. Coordinate visits with your personal advisor by phone first.
• ID cards and passports: the nearest registry office I found is the "Ramat Gan-Givatayim" office, physically at 28 Baruch Hirsch St, Bnei Brak (*3450), by appointment, credit card only. Its page does not say which towns it serves, so confirm before you go.
• Bituach Leumi: branches in Bnei Brak (12 Aharonovich St) and Petah Tikva (72 Rothschild St), by appointment, *6050.

Small things that help in week one

• Library card: Beit Fichman library, 26 Ben Gurion St, lends free to residents. Register in person with an ID showing a Givat Shmuel address. The collection includes books in English.
• Shelter time: the Home Front Command alert area is "Givat Shmuel" and you have 90 seconds to reach a protected space. The municipality publishes a list of public shelters.
• Garbage: household garbage goes three times a week; yard waste and furniture only on Sunday and Tuesday, or you can be fined.
• WhatsApp groups: the municipality runs groups for urgent updates (closures, power and water outages), culture, seniors and young children. Join links are on its WhatsApp groups page.
• Religious council: 34 HaRambam St (03-5321211), Sun-Thu 09:00-14:00, for marriage registration, kashrut, mikvaot and the eruv.

The newcomer checklist keeps track of all of this on your own device. If anything here is out of date, please tell me with the email button on the About page.