Givat Shmuel is home of Israel’s largest and fastest-growing Anglo community of students, young professionals, and newly-married Olim, with over 900 anglos. Located in central Israel, it is surrounded by Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak to the West, Kiryat Ono to the South, and Petach Tikva to the North and East.
There are approximately 24,000 residents in Givat Shmuel, religious and secular, and the city has a socioeconomic standing of 8+ out of 10. Givat Shmuel has highly rated schools and a municipality which invests a lot into the welfare of the city and its residents. Givat Shmuel has a many of the perks of living a city, such as its location and shopping centers, while still maintaining a nice and quiet atmosphere.
Life in Givat Shmuel
With the population growing so does the demand for more supermarkets and restaurants. Givat Shmuel has around five supermarkets and a few more in neighboring cities. There are quite a few Makolets (convenience stores) scattered around Givat Shmuel. As far as malls go, there are two main malls and one in the process of being built with over 20 places to eat and many different clothing and Judaica stores. Givat Shmuel has one huge park and quite a few smaller parks throughout the city. There are two gyms, Holmes Place and Sporter, both of which have swimming pools. Givat Shmuel has a few different options for women to do Zumba, including a discounted class for Olim.
The days are sunny in Givat Shmuel with most days temperature between 80-100 degrees. The summers can be very hot, while the winters may get cold, you likely will not see any snowfall in Givat Shmuel. During the winter season there are quite a few rainy days, but the winter period passes within a few weeks.Throughout the year there are events run by the city, such as; concerts, marathons and other events.
Education
Givat Shmuel offers educational services from Gan- High School, with many of the schools providing additional help for english-speaking children. There are over 40 public gans and more than 25 private ones, religious and secular alike. Many of the gans, public and private, offer afterschool programs as well, for parents who work later. There are three religious grade schools and two secular grade schools. There are currently two religious high schools for boys and one for girls, there will be a secular high school opening Fall 2017.
Travel
One of the great features of Givat Shmuel is the ease of commuting across the country. Many Givat Shmuel residents work in the industrial areas of Tel-Aviv and Petach Tikva, which are conveniently 15-30 minutes away. Within Givat Shmuel there are quite a few busses that go directly to the heart of Tel-Aviv and Petach Tivka. The airport is only a 20 minute drive with many members of the community offering transportation services to and from the airport.
The Neighborhoods
There are four primary neighborhoods, and a couple of mini-neighborhoods in Givat Shmuel. The four neighborhoods are called to as Ramat Ilan, HaVatika (the old side), HaChadasha (the new side) and Ramat Dekalim. The two mini neighborhoods are on HaShaked St. and Ramat Amidar (technically in Ramat Gan, but still part of the community.
Ramat Ilan
Ramat Ilan includes the area facing Bar Ilan’s main gate and is bordered by Route 471 and Kiryat Ono. The area was developed in the 1970s and is primarily populated by people over the age of forty, and Bar-Ilan University students. Ramat Ilan has a מרכז מסחרי with restaurants and services for the whole city, including a supermarket.
The apartments have generally four or five rooms (three or four bedrooms) which makes them perfect to split with roommates. There are some smaller apartments available as well.
Parking
Ramat Ilan has restricted parking. If you have a Givat Shmuel parking sticker on your car you can park there for free; if you are renting an apartment and you do not own a car, then your apartment should have a temporary pass that you can use when needed. That pass is only valid in Ramat Ilan and not in other areas of Givat Shmuel.
Public Transportation
Ramat Ilan benefits from all the busses that travel to Bar Ilan and provides easy public transportation to Kiryat Ono, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Petach Tikva.
Anglo Population
Generally students.
Schnuat HaVatika (Old Gabash)
The Shchuna HaVatika is the original neighborhood of Givat Shmuel. It is located north of Bar Ilan, along Route 4 towards Hanasi St. It includes all of the older houses and shorter apartment buildings on the west side of Givat Shmuel. The Iriya (Municipality) is also located on the “Old Side”.
There are many single-family homes as well as multi-family homes, apartment buildings with three or four rooms (two or three bedrooms) and the Giyora area (the old side of Hanasi) which has two and three room (one and two bedroom) apartments. Until 2000 this was the main residential area of Givat Shmuel.
Parking
The Shchunat HaShachar area of the Vatika (between Coca Cola Junc. and Bar Ilan) has similar parking restrictions to Ramat Ilan. You cannot park there without a Givat Shmuel parking sticker on your car or a resident’s parking pass.
Public Transportation
The Vatika is located along Route 4 and benefits from all the busses that run along Route 4 (including the busses at Coca Cola junction) as well as the internal busses (69 and 8).
Anglo Population
Generally young couples / small families. A few students.
Givat Shmuel HaChadasha (New Gabash)
The Shchuna HaChadasha is located north of Ramat Ilan and east of Hazeitim St., surrounding the mall. It is populated by large apartment buildings and streets of single and two-family houses. The apartment buildings overlook Park Ramon which is filled with slides and playgrounds for kids. It is about a 15-20 minute walk to Bar Ilan campus which makes it a popular location for students. The mall provides easy access to a supermarket, restaurants and various stores.
Public Transportation
The Chadasha has access to two primary busses (the 69 to Tel Aviv and the 18 to Bnei Brak). It is approximately a 20 minute walk to Route 4, where you can take busses to the rest of the country.
Anglo Population
Students, young professionals and families.
HaShaked Street
HaShaked is a street that has, at the moment, two apartment buildings and overlooks the Amit Boy’s High School and the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva at the edge of Ramat Ilan. There are a few stores in one of the towers, including a makolet. The space in front of the building will eventually be developed into the new area of Ramat Ilan and is under construction now. HaShaked is a short walk from Bar Ilan campus and from the busses coming from Kiryat Ono.
Anglo Population
Students
Ramat Amidar
Ramat Amidar is located across Route 4 from Bar Ilan. It is technically part of Ramat Gan and it borders Bnei Brak. This neighborhood provides a very cheap option for people who want to be close to campus, but sacrifices the centrality of the other neighborhoods. There is a range of apartments and attached houses available for rent.
Public Transportation
Ramat Amidar is near Route 4 and benefits from those busses as well as many internal busses going to Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv.
Anglo Population
Students, families.
Ramat Dekalim
Ramat Dekalim is the newest area of Givat Shmuel. It is located at the northern tip of the city, from Hanasi up, and until Hazeitim on the eastern side. It is mostly comprised of apartment buildings but also includes a few streets of attached houses. The apartments have four-six rooms (three to five bedrooms) and suit students and families alike. The area is primarily Israeli though there are some Anglos. Ramat Dekalim overlooks Giyora and there are many Anglos living there so it does not feel isolated. It is about a 15 minute walk to Bar Ilan, ten minutes to get to the מרכז מסחרי on Ben Gurion St.
Public Transportation
Ramat Dekalim borders Route 4 and benefits from the busses running there, as well as the internal bus lines.
Anglo Population
Students, families.
Pricing
Pricing*: (As of 2016/17)
To give you an idea of how much renting an apartment will cost by month, anglo realtor, Hillel Davis of Hillel’s Homes provided us with the price of rent broken down by neighborhood.
| # of bedrooms | ramat hadar/bayit v’country/ramat ilan hachadasha (hashaked) | vatika & shachar | giyora | ramat ilan |
| 2 | 4000-5000 | 3500-4500 | 3000-4000 | 3200-4200 |
| 3 | 5200-6000 | 4300-5300 | 4000-5000 | 4200-5200 |
| 4 | 5800-6800 | 5300-6500 | 5000-6000 | 5400-6300 |
*These prices reflect the price ranges for average level apartments in each respective neighborhood. The main variables in prices within each apartment size are related to age of the building, condition of the apartment, and furniture. Market prices tend to rise by approximately 3-5% per year.
Religious Life and Services
One of Givat Shmuel’s notable characteristics is its strong religious community, with around half of its residents being religious. Givat Shmuel has a Beit Midrash with an active Kollel program, there is also a Kollel and Midrasha in Bar-Ilan University where non-students go to learn Torah as well. Every week there are many Shiurim given, tailored to the Anglo community for both men and women. Givat Shmuel has over 30 shuls and 3 different Mikvahs, 2 Bnei Akiva branches and an Ezra.
