New olim
New to Ashkelon? Start here
Ashkelon absorbed more than 50,000 immigrants in the 1990s, mainly from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, and immigrants who arrived since 1990 make up 28.7% of residents (CBS 2021). The municipality runs a Russian-language website and WhatsApp group, and Nefesh B'Nefesh lists a municipal klita coordinator for English speakers.
New olim
Start here
8 steps, in the order most people take them.
- 1
Open your file at the Ministry of Aliyah
The Ashkelon branch at 9 Katznelson St (Kiryat HaMemshala) handles oleh certificates, first-steps guidance, ulpan and employment referrals and lone-soldier grants. Open Sun, Mon, Wed, Thu 08:30-13:30 and Wed 15:00-18:00; phone *2994.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 2
Find an ulpan
The Ministry of Education lists three ulpanim in Ashkelon (Beit Canada on Bar Kochva St, Kalanit in Neve Yam and the Academic College).
Go (opens in a new tab) - 3
Claim the arnona discount
New olim get 90% off arnona on up to 100 m2 for one year within 24 months of registering as an oleh; bring the teudat oleh to the Revenue Division.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 4
Join the municipal WhatsApp groups
Each neighbourhood has a municipal WhatsApp group for routine and emergency updates, and a separate group carries all municipal updates in Russian.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 5
Use the Russian-language municipal site
The municipal website has a Russian section with news, forms, payments and the events page.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 6
Contact the English-speakers coordinator
Nefesh B'Nefesh lists a klita coordinator for English-speaking olim at the municipality and says several English speakers work there (page updated March 2026).
Go (opens in a new tab) - 7
Register children for gan and school
Registration is online through the municipal registration department; new residents attach a deregistration form from their previous authority and a rental contract or arnona bill.
Go (opens in a new tab) - 8
Get a personal Rav-Kav
Personal Rav-Kav cards are issued at the central bus station service centre (64 Eli Cohen St) and on Remez St.
Go (opens in a new tab)
Guides
Read next
- Schools and gan in Ashkelon: registration for 2027-28How gan and school registration works in Ashkelon, with the expected 2027-28 dates and the 2026-27 process as a reference, plus day care and afternoon programmes.
- Getting around AshkelonTrains, intercity buses, Rav-Kav, parking with the resident permit and what stops on Shabbat.
Good to know
The municipal emergency portal has instructions in Russian, French and Amharic. The Havatzelet community centre runs programmes for the Ethiopian-Israeli community. We found no current page for a municipal French-olim desk or Qualita in Ashkelon.
Community groups
Where people talk
- Ashkelon Municipality Telegram channelTelegram · Ashkelon Municipality
- Ashkelon Municipality WhatsApp channelWhatsApp · Ashkelon Municipality
- Ashkelon Municipality neighbourhood WhatsApp - Afridar and the CityWhatsApp · Ashkelon Municipality
- Ashkelon Municipality neighbourhood WhatsApp - AgamimWhatsApp · Ashkelon Municipality
- Ashkelon Municipality neighbourhood WhatsApp - BarneaWhatsApp · Ashkelon Municipality
- Ashkelon Municipality neighbourhood WhatsApp - Barnea (group 2)WhatsApp · Ashkelon Municipality
Source
- gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- adult-education.education.gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- ashkelon.muni.gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- ashkelon.muni.gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- ashkelon.muni.gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- nbn.org.il (opens in a new tab)
- ashkelon.muni.gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- ashkelon.muni.gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- ashkelon.muni.gov.il (opens in a new tab)
- cbs.gov.il (opens in a new tab)
This page was written for Ashkelon from the sources above.
