Jerusalem area
Jerusalem
Israel's capital and largest city, with a large English-speaking population and tens of thousands of Nefesh B'Nefesh olim.
English-speaking community
Very large (5 out of 5)Facts and sources
A free guide for newcomers
Facts from public sources on each city's English-speaking community, rent, commute and religious mix, side by side. Once you've narrowed it down, each city has its own site with the local details.
17 cities · 4 languages · every fact sourced
Photo: Jesse Davis, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab) · resized and converted to WebP
The cities
The 17 cities
Each card links to a page with the facts and sources, and from there to the city's own site.
Tel Aviv area
Tel Aviv-Yafo
Israel's main center for business, culture and dining, in a metropolitan area of more than 4 million people.
English-speaking community
Large (4 out of 5)Facts and sources
Jerusalem area
Ramat Beit Shemesh / Beit Shemesh
Beit Shemesh is a fast-growing city between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv that has become a major center for English-speaking immigrants, who tend to be Orthodox.
English-speaking community
Very large (5 out of 5)Facts and sources
Shfela
Modiin
A planned, medium-sized city in central Israel, about midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
English-speaking community
Large (4 out of 5)Facts and sources
Gush Etzion
Efrat & Gush Etzion
Efrat is a town of about 12,000 south of Jerusalem that has long drawn English-speaking olim, largely for its schools and closeness to Jerusalem.
English-speaking community
Very large (5 out of 5)Facts and sources
Sharon
Ra'anana
A Sharon-region city founded in 1922 by a group of New Yorkers, now a commuter town for Tel Aviv.
English-speaking community
Very large (5 out of 5)Facts and sources
Sharon
Netanya
A large beach city on the coast between Tel Aviv and Haifa, founded in 1929.
English-speaking community
Large (4 out of 5)Facts and sources
North
Zichron Ya'akov
A historic town on the southern end of Mount Carmel, founded as a 19th-century farming settlement supported by Baron Edmond de Rothschild.
English-speaking community
Large (4 out of 5)Facts and sources
South coast
Ashdod
A large beachside city south of Tel Aviv and home to Israel's largest port.
English-speaking community
Medium (3 out of 5)Facts and sources
South coast
Ashkelon
A coastal city in southern Israel, about 50 km south of Tel Aviv.
English-speaking community
Medium (3 out of 5)Facts and sources
Shfela
Hashmonaim
A small religious community of about 3,100 people next to Modiin, midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
English-speaking community
Very large (5 out of 5)Facts and sources
South
Carmei Gat
Carmei Gat is a planned neighborhood in the north of Kiryat Gat, built from 2018 with its roads, schools and utilities developed together, and now about 10,000 housing units.
English-speaking community
Medium (3 out of 5)Facts and sources
Tel Aviv area
Givat Shmuel
A small city next to Bar-Ilan University, just east of Tel Aviv, popular with young professionals and families.
English-speaking community
Large (4 out of 5)Facts and sources
Sharon
Kfar Saba
A mid-sized Sharon city next to Ra'anana, known for its red-roofed buildings and Meir Hospital.
English-speaking community
Small (2 out of 5)Facts and sources
Jerusalem area
Ma'ale Adumim
A city 7 km east of Jerusalem with a mall, library and sports facilities and desert views.
English-speaking community
Small (2 out of 5)Facts and sources
Sharon
Herzliya
An affluent coastal city just north of Tel Aviv, known for its high-tech park in Herzliya Pituah and its marina.
English-speaking community
Small (2 out of 5)Facts and sources
North
Haifa
Israel's main northern port city on the slopes of Mount Carmel, home to the Technion and the University of Haifa.
English-speaking community
Small (2 out of 5)Facts and sources
Map
All 17 on the map
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Every week
This week's Shabbat times
Candle lighting and havdalah for all 17 cities in one table, with each city's own candle-lighting custom.
Moving to Israel
Moving to Israel? Start here
National topics are covered on our sister sites, so this site doesn't repeat them.
- Olim ToolsIsraeli salary, purchase tax and money calculators in English.olimtools.com ((opens in a new tab))
- English Speaking IsraelDoctors, lawyers and services across Israel who speak English.english-speaking-israel.base44.app ((opens in a new tab))
- My JewishA sourced directory of shuls, kosher food and schools.myjewish.org ((opens in a new tab))
How this works
How this works
Facts come from public sources: Nefesh B'Nefesh community guides, Wikipedia, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and Rome2rio route estimates. Each one links to its source.
Community, family and quiet scores are judgment calls based on those sources, not measurements. Where no source says anything, we show "unknown" rather than guess.
Each city has its own Local site with listings, guides and Shabbat times. This hub helps you choose; the city sites go deeper.
Free, no sign-up and no paid placement. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Facts checked 8 November 2026