Be'er Sheva, for newcomers and locals
Places checked against their own sources, this week's Shabbat times and weather, what's on, and the practical answers newcomers ask for.
508 Checked places21 Neighbourhoods mappedCandle lighting Friday 16:23
Photo: Yonatan Dodin, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · Licence (opens in a new tab) · resized and converted to WebP
This week
This week in Be'er Sheva
א׳ בְּכִסְלֵו תשפ״ז
Shabbat
Parashat Toldot
Friday 13 November
- Candle lighting
- 16:23
- Havdalah
- 17:21
Ben-Gurion Day
- Parsha:Parashat Toldot (opens in a new tab)
- Haftarah:Malachi 1:1-2:7 (opens in a new tab)
- Daf yomi:Bechorot 54 (opens in a new tab)
Readings from Hebcal (Israel schedule); texts open on Sefaria.
Chanukah is coming
Get ready for Chanukah
The first candle is lit at nightfall on Friday 4 December. 23 days to go.
On Friday, light before the Shabbat candles, with candles that will burn until half an hour after dark.
Light the chanukiah
Candles go in from right to left. You light from left to right, the newest candle first, with the shamash.
Spin the dreidel
- Your coins
- 10
- Pot
- 2
You start with 10 coins and 2 in the pot. In Israel the letters stand for נֵס גָּדוֹל הָיָה פֹּה, "a great miracle happened here".
Who are you?
Start where you are
Pick the page that fits you: the first steps, the right places in the directory and the people to ask.
Explore
Everything for life in Be'er Sheva
Local directory
Places checked against their own source
Every listing links to where its details came from and shows the date it was last checked. Filter by language spoken, kashrut and neighbourhood.
- Doctors & clinics5 places
- Health fund branches2 places
- Urgent care, hospitals & emergency4 places
- Kosher restaurants & cafés82 places
- Groceries & bakeries42 places
- Shuls27 places
- Schools85 places
- Ulpan & Hebrew5 places
- Help for olim1 place
- Community & youth14 places
- Lawyers & accountants1 place
- Shops126 places
New in town
Your first weeks in Be'er Sheva, step by step
The paperwork, the health fund, the bank, the bus card and the arnona office, in the order that saves you trips. Your progress stays on your device.
- 1
Before you land
- Gather original documents
- Check your aliyah file is complete
- Compare the four health funds
- 2
First week
- Install Home Front Command and find your shelter
- Get a Rav-Kav or a payment app
- Open a bank account
- 3
First month
- Register for arnona at the municipality
- Sign up for ulpan
- Meet your absorption adviser
- 4
First three months
- Ask your employer about tax credit points
- Check your National Insurance status
- Decide on health fund supplementary cover
Guides
Practical guides, with the common questions answered
- 01Your first weeks in Be'er ShevaWhere to start in Be'er Sheva: the Ministry of Aliyah office, the absorption-centre ulpanim, your health fund, ESRA's English-speaking branch and the neighbourhoods Anglos choose.
- 02Getting around Be'er Sheva: trains, buses and roadsBe'er Sheva's two train stations, Dan city buses, Highways 40, 25 and 60, more than 250 roundabouts and the light rail planned for 2033.
- 03Shabbat, shuls and mikvaot in Be'er ShevaBe'er Sheva's mostly Sephardi shuls, where English speakers daven, the city's 15 mikvaot and how candle-lighting time is set.
- 04Health care in Be'er ShevaSoroka University Medical Center, Assuta Be'er Sheva, the mental health centre, health fund clinics, pharmacies and emergency numbers.
- 05Schools, colleges and Ben-Gurion University in Be'er ShevaAbout 100 schools and 300 kindergartens, a 90% bagrut rate, Ben-Gurion University and the city's colleges.
- 06Shopping and kosher food in Be'er ShevaBe'er Sheva's malls, Israel's first enclosed farmers' market, the big supermarket chains and how to check kashrut.
The place
The capital of the Negev
- Residents, the largest city in the Negev
- 223,587Residents, the largest city in the NegevSource (opens in a new tab)
- Ben-Gurion University founded
- 1969Ben-Gurion University foundedSource (opens in a new tab)
- Roundabouts in the city
- 250+Roundabouts in the citySource (opens in a new tab)
The lake in Be'er Sheva River Park
Photo: Anat Frank Gorli, PikiWiki Israel, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · Licence (opens in a new tab) · resized and converted to WebP
Useful apps
The apps people here actually use
Organisations newcomers use
From our network
Good people I work with
A few organisations from the Consult With Ari network whose work reaches people in Be'er Sheva.
These are not paid listings, and they are separate from the checked directory.
Common questions
About this site
Run a business or a community here?
Get listed free, or get a website that works
I'm Ari, and I built this site. Listings here are always free and never paid placement. I also build websites for businesses, shuls and organisations. If you'd like one, book a free call or message me.