Your first week in Ashkelon: offices, numbers and first steps

I put this together from the municipality's own pages and the government branch locator, so each step points to the office that actually does it. Hours change, so check before you go.

Save these first

• 106 is the municipal hotline, 24 hours a day, all year. It takes reports of hazards and faults and answers questions about municipal services (hotline 106).
• New residents can also write to the municipality's new-residents inbox, welcome@ashkelon.muni.il, or message its new-residents WhatsApp line, 054-9908011.
• The municipal website has a Russian version at ashkelon.muni.gov.il/ru/, and the municipality runs a Russian-language WhatsApp group for its updates, alongside a WhatsApp group for each neighbourhood.
• City Hall is at 7 HaGvura St, switchboard 08-6792306 (City Hall).

Most government offices share one building

9 Katznelson St (Kiryat HaMemshala) houses the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration branch, the Population and Immigration Authority (3rd floor), the Licensing Office (5th floor) and the Employment Service.

• Ministry of Aliyah: Sun, Mon, Wed and Thu 08:30-13:30, plus Wed 15:00-18:00; phone *2994 or 03-9733333. Oleh certificates, first-steps guidance, referral to ulpan and employment centres, and lone-soldier grants.
• Population Authority: bring your teudat zehut. A driving licence is not accepted as ID there. Phone *3450.
• Employment Service: general reception Mon and Wed 08:30-13:00, and Sun, Tue and Thu 10:30-13:00. Phone *9687.

Bituach Leumi

The Ashkelon branch (no. 2900) is at 10 Ussishkin St (Beit Shomraz). Walk-in service is by appointment only, Sun, Tue and Thu 08:30-13:00; phone *6050. Its website is available in Russian, French, English and Amharic as well as Hebrew and Arabic.

Rav-Kav and small errands

Personal Rav-Kav cards are issued at 7 Remez St (Sun-Wed 08:00-17:00, Thu 09:00-17:00) and at the central bus station (Sun-Thu 08:00-19:00, Fri 08:00-13:00). Government self-service kiosks at the Super-Pharm branches in Merkaz David (3 HaNasi St) and Shaar Ashkelon print a population-registry extract, issue a new-driver permit and take fines and passport fees.

Absorption help: what exists, and what I couldn't find

I could not find a municipal absorption (klita) department page on the new municipal website: no phone, address or hours. What I did find:

• the government Ministry of Aliyah branch, your main official office;
• a municipal coordinator for English-speaking olim, listed by Nefesh B'Nefesh, which also says several English speakers work in the municipality and that olim live all over the city;
• national organisations: Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab) and AACI, whose counselling for the South is arranged by email;
• the municipality's new-residents section, with an online information booklet.

The sea

Ashkelon has about 12 km of coast, but about 9 km of it is not declared for bathing. The municipality runs five declared beaches (the separate beach, Delila centre, Delila north, Bar Kochva north and Bar Kochva south), and the beach inside Tel Ashkelon National Park is declared too. The municipality says swimming when no lifeguard is on duty is prohibited and dangerous. A free sports compound opened at Delila beach in August 2025. The national park is open 08:00-20:00 in summer time (visitors may stay until 22:00) and 08:00-16:00 in winter time; adult entry is 31 NIS and child entry 16 NIS.

Emergencies

The municipal emergency portal lists public shelters by neighbourhood with map links, has an emergency booklet and lists of supermarkets and fuel stations open in emergencies, and links to Home Front Command guidance (oref.org.il). It has instruction pages in Russian, French and Amharic and a page for deaf and hard-of-hearing residents. The municipal Resilience Centre at 99 Tzahal St offers free short-term treatment for anxiety and trauma; its hotline, *2452, runs 24 hours.

Next steps

Work through the newcomer checklist, then read schools and gans and health funds and doctors.