When do people light Shabbat candles in Beit Shemesh?

Two customs are common: 40 minutes before sunset (the Jerusalem custom) and 20 minutes before. ShemeshPhone publishes both each week from the Itim LeBina calendar. This site shows both.

How do I check if the Beit Shemesh eruv is up?

Use the eruv website or email eruv@shemesh.co.il; the Rabbanut number for eruv questions is 991-1361 (per the eruv.org directory).

How do I find a minyan in RBS?

ShemeshPhone's Minyan Maven finder, and the schedules many English-speaking shuls publish online. The directory lists shuls by neighbourhood with links.

שבת ברמת בית שמש: הדלקת נרות, העירוב, מניינים ומרפאות שבת

באנגלית

Shabbat in RBS has a few local details that newcomers ask about in their first week: which candle-lighting time to use, whether the eruv is up, and where to find a minyan.

Candle lighting: 40 or 20 minutes

Two customs are used in Beit Shemesh. ShemeshPhone publishes both every week, from the Itim LeBina calendar: candle lighting 40 minutes before shkiah (the Jerusalem custom), and 20 minutes before (ShemeshPhone (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).

This site shows the 40-minute time as the main time, with the 20-minute time beside it on the Shabbat page. Times are calculated by Hebcal for Beit Shemesh, and the calendar feed puts them in your phone. If your shul or family follows the other custom, use that.

The eruv

Beit Shemesh has an eruv. Status and maps are on the eruv website, and the eruv team can be emailed at eruv@shemesh.co.il. For eruv questions the Rabbanut number is 991-1361 (eruv.org directory (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). That directory entry isn't dated, so check the status page is live before relying on it.

Finding a minyan

ShemeshPhone runs a minyan finder called Minyan Maven (shemesh.co.il (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
Many English-speaking shuls post weekly zmanim, schedules and newsletters online, including KSY, BTYA, Ahavas Shalom, Ahavat Tzion, BMTL and Ohel Yonah. They're all in the directory, with links to their schedules.
The Simchat Yechiel "Siach B'Rama" calendar has historically listed minyanim and daf yomi for 35+ RBS A shuls (simchatyechiel.org (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)), though the site looks unmaintained.
Kehilat Meam Loez describes itself as the only Sephardic Anglo community in RBS (meamloez.org (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). See the listing.

If someone gets sick on Shabbat

Ezrat Achim and Terem run weekend clinics in RBS on Friday night and Shabbat day. Check the health guide for the April 2025 locations and the number to confirm them.

Motzei Shabbat

The malls open again after Shabbat. BIG Fashion, for example, opens 30 minutes after Shabbat ends (BIG Centers (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).

שאלות נפוצות