New olim
New to Ramat Beit Shemesh? Start here
Beit Shemesh has one of Israel's largest English-speaking communities, going back to the first olim in Sheinfeld in 1991. The municipality runs an Aliyah and Absorption Department with English-speaking staff, a Hebrew ulpan and an English WhatsApp update group.
New olim
Start here
7 steps, in the order most people take them.
- 1
Contact the absorption department
The municipal department coordinates between city offices, health funds, schools and ulpanim, and runs social and cultural events for olim. It has an online English contact form.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 2
- 3
Register children for gan and school
New olim register through the municipal online form; the absorption department helps English speakers.
Go - 4
Start ulpan
The municipal adult ulpan at Matnas Gvanim (Nachal Dolev 16) runs 4-5 mornings a week for 5 months.
Go - 5
- 6
- 7
Guides
Read next
- Your first week in RBS: what to do, in what orderThe first-week checklist for new olim in Ramat Beit Shemesh: bank, Misrad HaKlita, kupat cholim, arnona discount, Rav-Kav and the community lists.
- Schools and gans in Beit Shemesh: registration, zones and what olim needHow municipal gan and school registration works in Beit Shemesh (5787 dates, age bands, mamad zones, appeals), what new residents and olim must bring, costs, tzaharon and daycare.
- RBS neighbourhoods compared: A, B, Gimmel, Daled, Hey and old Beit ShemeshHow the parts of Ramat Beit Shemesh and Beit Shemesh differ, from Anglo-heavy RBS A and Sheinfeld to the newer Gimmel, Daled and Neve Shamir.
- Health funds, doctors and urgent care in RBSKupat cholim in Beit Shemesh, switching funds as a new oleh, where the nearest hospitals are, and urgent care on weekdays and Shabbat.
- Renting and buying in RBS: prices, purchase tax and the arnona catchIndicative rents and prices in Beit Shemesh, the olim purchase-tax brackets, where listings are posted, and registering your lease for arnona.
Good to know
- Olim-to-be must contact the absorption department to register children for school before arriving.
- The municipality welcomes new olim with a family event on 12 October 2026 at the Tzabar school, Neve Shamir.
- The municipal adult ulpan has run since 1990 for olim aged 18-80.
Community groups
Where people talk
- Beit Shemesh Municipality: emergency and routine updatesWhatsApp · Beit Shemesh Municipality
- Beit Shemesh Municipality: events and cultureWhatsApp · Beit Shemesh Municipality
- Beit Shemesh Municipality: events and information for the Haredi publicWhatsApp · Beit Shemesh Municipality
- Beit Shemesh Municipality: updates in EnglishWhatsApp · Beit Shemesh Municipality
- Beit Shemesh Updates (ShemeshPhone) WhatsApp groupWhatsApp · ShemeshPhone (shemesh.co.il)
- Beit Shemesh Updates (Telegram)Telegram · ShemeshPhone (shemesh.co.il)
Source
- Beit Shemesh Municipality: municipal absorption department (opens in a new tab)
- Beit Shemesh Municipality: contact the absorption department (opens in a new tab)
- Beit Shemesh Municipality: ulpan (opens in a new tab)
- Beit Shemesh Municipality: student registration 5787 (opens in a new tab)
- Beit Shemesh Municipality: WhatsApp groups (opens in a new tab)
- ShemeshPhone: Welcome New Olim (opens in a new tab)
- NBN: Beit Shemesh community guide (opens in a new tab)
This page was written for Ramat Beit Shemesh from the sources above.