New olim
New to Haifa? Start here
Beit Ole, Haifa's municipal absorption authority, says about 2,000 olim arrive in the city each year, and its website runs in Hebrew, Russian, English and Portuguese. Nefesh B'Nefesh names Ahuza, Neve Sha'anan and Kiryat Shmuel as popular with olim, and Hadar has the highest share of new immigrants, mostly Russian-speaking.
New olim
Start here
7 steps, in the order most people take them.
- 1
Start with Beit Ole
The municipal absorption authority at 20 Y.L. Peretz St in Hadar (Sun-Thu 08:30-16:30, Fri 08:30-12:30) has coordinators for Russian, Spanish/Portuguese and French speakers and helps with Interior Ministry appointments, school enrolment, ulpan and rental contracts.
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Book the Ministry of Aliyah
The Haifa region branch is at 60 Shivat Zion St (gov.il), with a Thursday-morning service point at 33 Degania Blvd, Kiryat Haim; it issues the ulpan referral and the absorption basket.
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Follow Beit Ole's order of first steps
Interior Ministry first (temporary teudat zehut), then a bank account, then the Ministry of Aliyah a few days later so the basket can be paid; health-fund registration starts with a small fee at the post office.
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Sign up for ulpan
Olim are entitled to 500 free ulpan hours within 10 years of aliyah with a ministry referral; Beit Ole lists Haifa's ulpanim.
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Claim the municipal incentives
NBN lists a 90% arnona discount on the first 100 sq m for 12 of the first 24 months, extra ulpan hours, free entry to municipal museums and libraries and a free first zoo visit.
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Register the children
Beit Ole coordinators enrol children in gan and school; the municipal registration centre handles the yearly registration windows.
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Join the channels
Beit Ole posts updates on Telegram (Russian) and Facebook; NBN also points to a municipal olim Facebook group.
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In the directory
Guides
Read next
- Your first week in HaifaThe order I'd do things in during your first week in Haifa: Beit Ole, the Interior Ministry, the bank, the Ministry of Aliyah, your health fund and ulpan, with addresses, hours and the numbers to keep.
- Schools and gans in HaifaHow gan and school registration works in Haifa, what olim children get, and the state, state-religious and independent schools newcomers ask about, from the Reali to Leo Baeck.
- Getting around Haifa: Carmelit, Metronit, cable cars and trainsHaifa's public transport goes up the mountain as well as across it: the underground Carmelit, the Metronit, two cable cars, six railway stations and some buses that run on Shabbat.
- Renting and buying in HaifaWhat rent costs in Haifa by neighbourhood, the paperwork after you sign (arnona, water, the olim discount), housing help, and where the land registry is.
Good to know
The Ministry of Aliyah address differs between gov.il (60 Shivat Zion St) and Beit Ole's page (Palyam St 2a), so confirm it when you book. A Rav-Kav can be issued with a teudat oleh or teudat zehut.
Community groups
Where people talk
- Beit Ole (Haifa absorption authority) Telegram channelTelegram · Beit Ole - Haifa Association for Immigrants Absorption
- Beit Ole on Facebook (beitole)Facebook · Beit Ole - Haifa Association for Immigrants Absorption
- Beit Ole on Facebook (olimhaifa)Facebook · Beit Ole - Haifa Association for Immigrants Absorption
- Chabad Haifa (Russian-speaking community) on FacebookFacebook · Chabad Haifa - Russian Jewish Community Center
- Haifa Municipality Telegram channelTelegram · Haifa Municipality
- Haifa Municipality on FacebookFacebook · Haifa Municipality
Source
- olimhaifa.co.il (opens in a new tab)
- olimhaifa.co.il (opens in a new tab)
- olimhaifa.co.il (opens in a new tab)
- olimhaifa.co.il (opens in a new tab)
- olimhaifa.co.il (opens in a new tab)
- Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab)
- gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- Haifa Municipality (opens in a new tab)
This page was written for Haifa from the sources above.
