Ra’anana was founded in the early 1920s by a group of New Yorkers as an agricultural settlement. Since that time, the city of Ra’anana has rapidly grown in popularity, especially among Olim from North America and the rest of the world.

From a population of 9 residents in 1922 to 300 in 1948, Ra’anana’s population has grown to over 80,000 residents. Ra’anana has also come a long way from its agricultural origins to a well-developed city that employs thousands and serves as a bedroom community for Tel Aviv. The city is well-planned, well-managed, and has won the award for being the Most Beautiful and Clean City over the last several years.

At Quick Glance

Location

 Ra’anana – Google Maps

Size

Population: 80K; a small city, largely English-speaking population; thousands of NBN Olim.

Religious Diversity

All affiliations and some neighborhoods are homogenous.

Ulpan

Ulpan Ra’anana 03-7628374

Municipal College Ra’anana Ulpan 09-7713161

Ulpan Etzion Ra’anana 

Frequently Asked Questions

Community

All Kupot Cholim (healthcare service providers) are represented.

There are no hospitals in Ra’anana, Meir Medical Center is located in nearby Kfar Saba.

Urgent Care Centers: Kupat Cholim Maccabi has an Urgent Care center for women. The Kuppot Cholim and Bikur Rofeh have locations in nearby cities.

Mamlachti Schools (Public Secular)

Mamlachti Dati Schools (Religious Zionist)

Chareidi Schools (Mamach and Others)

Background Information
Finding Schools for Your Children: An Introduction
Oleh’s Guide to Navigating the Israeli School System

Job Board

Ra’anana has a modern infrastructure of public transportation including trains and buses. See routes and travel times to major cities below!

Public transportation routes to:

Tel Aviv

Haifa

Be’er Sheva

Jerusalem

Travel time by car to:

Tel Aviv

Haifa

Be’er Sheva

Jerusalem

For more information about rentals in this community, please check out Madlan and Yad2.  Because there are no comparable real estate sites in English, we created English guides to help you navigate these sites, with an explanation of their features and functionality.

VIEW OUR MADLAN GUIDE

VIEW OUR YAD2 GUIDE

Rentals:

One Bedroom
Two Bedroom
Three Bedroom

Purchase:

One Bedroom
Two Bedroom
Three Bedroom

The areas around the Ariel, Bilu, and Yavne schools are the most popular amongst Olim.

The religious community generally lives on the north side of the city, and the secular community on the southern side.

Social

https://www.raanana.muni.il/Residents/CommunityAndWelfare/Pages/AbsorptionDepartment.aspx (Hebrew)

  • Cultural programming in schools to facilitate integration.
  • Emotional support as part of a program for Oleh adolescents.
  • Promotion of Oleh artists through local exhibits
  • Lectures and trips to learn about local culture.
  • Sports programs (youth and adult) to promote the integration of new Olim into the general community.
  • Special Holiday programming for Olim.
  • Programing for the empowerment and integration of women Olot Chadashot.

https://www.raanana.muni.il/Education/Pages/Absorption.aspx (Hebrew and English)

Audrey Levy, [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/RaananaMunicipality

https://www.raanana.muni.il/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.esra.org.il/about/shops/106-shops/196-esra-book-center.html

 See: https://www.nbn.org.il/community-guide-contacts/#r

* Last updated on March 24, 2026 *

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Disclaimer

All information provided in this online community guide is for educational and informational purposes only. Nefesh B’Nefesh does not endorse, recommend, or promote any specific community, location, or neighborhood.

The decision of where to live is a personal choice that should be made solely by each individual or family based on their own needs, preferences, and independent research.