If you’re a religious single person moving to Israel on a group Nefesh b’Nefesh aliyah flight, you’ll probably be seated in the singles section of the plane. You may even meet your soulmate in the next seat!
Part of Nefesh b’Nefesh is the One Aliyah Department, a division dedicated to helping young professional and single olim from North America between the ages of 17 and 35. The program offers networking opportunities and helpful webinars, among other services.
As a single person, some of the issues you may be especially interested in are going to college or graduate school (it’s free for most olim) and serving in the Israeli army you might also want to know how to go about getting a job.
It can be lonely moving to a new country when you’re single, especially if you don’t speak the language well. Developing a new social network (in the flesh as well as online) is an important part of settling into your new life in
For religious people, the shul is often a social center as well as a place to daven. Many Israeli shuls are known for their social scene, and this is especially true in
Some popular Jerusalem synagogues include Yeshurun in Rehavia (Dati Leumi), Yakar in Katamon (Modern Orthodox), Mayanot in Sha’are Chesed (Chabad), Kol Rina in Nachlaot (Carlebach), Mayanot in Talpiot (Conservative),. Kol Haneshama in Baka (Reform), Yedidya in Baka (Pluralistic), and Kedem in the German Colony (Egalitarian). You might even want to go shul shopping before you select an apartment in order to save yourself a long schlep on Shabbat.
In Jerusalem, some neighborhoods popular with singles are Baka, the German Colony, Rehavia, and Nachlaot. Overall, anywhere in the center of town and around the Machane Yehuda market is a good place for singles.
In Tel Aviv, popular neighborhoods for singles include Central Tel Aviv (near Shenkin and Allenby streets), North Tel Aviv (near Tel Aviv University) and Giv’at Shmuel (near Bar Ilan University).
There are numerous online dating sites and lists of singles events, and you can also pick up the Friday editions of The Jerusalem Post and Ha’Aretz to see what’s going on. Time Out also publishes a monthly edition for
If you’re in college, or a recent graduate, you might not have a lot of belongings to move to Israel. But if you’re already well established and bringing furniture with you, one of the things you will need to think about when moving to Israel is hiring a shipping company. The resources on the Kef site can help you get ready for the big move.
