Petah Tikva, for newcomers and locals
Places checked against their own sources, this week's Shabbat times and weather, what's on, and the practical answers newcomers ask for.
783 Checked places37 Neighbourhoods mappedCandle lighting Friday 16:21
Photo: Ynhockey, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · Licence (opens in a new tab) · resized and converted to WebP
This week
This week in Petah Tikva
ב׳ בְּכִסְלֵו תשפ״ז
Shabbat
Parashat Toldot
Friday 13 November
- Candle lighting
- 16:21
- Havdalah
- 17:19
Ben-Gurion Day
- Parsha:Parashat Toldot (opens in a new tab)
- Haftarah:Malachi 1:1-2:7 (opens in a new tab)
- Daf yomi:Bechorot 55 (opens in a new tab)
Readings from Hebcal (Israel schedule); texts open on Sefaria.
Chanukah is coming
Get ready for Chanukah
The first candle is lit at nightfall on Friday 4 December. 22 days to go.
On Friday, light before the Shabbat candles, with candles that will burn until half an hour after dark.
Light the chanukiah
Candles go in from right to left. You light from left to right, the newest candle first, with the shamash.
Spin the dreidel
- Your coins
- 10
- Pot
- 2
You start with 10 coins and 2 in the pot. In Israel the letters stand for נֵס גָּדוֹל הָיָה פֹּה, "a great miracle happened here".
Who are you?
Start where you are
Pick the page that fits you: the first steps, the right places in the directory and the people to ask.
Explore
Everything for life in Petah Tikva
Local directory
Places checked against their own source
Every listing links to where its details came from and shows the date it was last checked. Filter by language spoken, kashrut and neighbourhood.
- Doctors & clinics1 place
- Dentists4 places
- Health fund branches7 places
- Urgent care, hospitals & emergency4 places
- Kosher restaurants & cafés118 places
- Groceries & bakeries59 places
- Shuls16 places
- Schools129 places
- Help for olim2 places
- Community & youth6 places
- Lawyers & accountants4 places
- Real estate2 places
New in town
Your first weeks in Petah Tikva, step by step
The paperwork, the health fund, the bank, the bus card and the arnona office, in the order that saves you trips. Your progress stays on your device.
- 1
Before you land
- Gather original documents
- Check your aliyah file is complete
- Compare the four health funds
- 2
First week
- Install Home Front Command and find your shelter
- Get a Rav-Kav or a payment app
- Open a bank account
- 3
First month
- Register for arnona at the municipality
- Sign up for ulpan
- Meet your absorption adviser
- 4
First three months
- Ask your employer about tax credit points
- Check your National Insurance status
- Decide on health fund supplementary cover
Guides
Practical guides, with the common questions answered
- 01Your first weeks in Petah TikvaWhere to start in Petah Tikva: the Ministry of Aliyah branch, ulpan, the Maof Olim employment centre, health funds, banks and city hall.
- 02Petah Tikva's neighbourhoodsThe historic centre, the newer Kfar Ganim and Em HaMoshavot towers, the older neighbourhoods and the industrial zones.
- 03Getting around Petah Tikva: light rail, trains and busesThe Red Line light rail to Tel Aviv, trains from Kiryat Arye and Segula, and buses to Jerusalem.
- 04Health care in Petah TikvaSix hospitals, including the Rabin Medical Center and Schneider Children's, plus the health funds' clinics.
- 05Schools in Petah TikvaSome 300 educational institutions for secular, religious and Haredi families, the Ahad HaAm High School and 17 public libraries.
- 06Things to do in Petah TikvaIndependence Park and its museums, the Great Synagogue, football at HaMoshava Stadium and the malls.
The place
The mother of the moshavot
- Founded
- 1878FoundedSource (opens in a new tab)
- Residents (2024)
- 270,403Residents (2024)Source (opens in a new tab)
- Hospitals in the city
- 6Hospitals in the citySource (opens in a new tab)
Boardwalk over the ecological lake in the Great Park, Petah Tikva
Photo: Yarkon River 54, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · Licence (opens in a new tab) · resized and converted to WebP
Useful apps
The apps people here actually use
Organisations newcomers use
From our network
Good people I work with
A few organisations from the Consult With Ari network whose work reaches people in Petah Tikva.
These are not paid listings, and they are separate from the checked directory.
Common questions
About this site
Run a business or a community here?
Get listed free, or get a website that works
I'm Ari, and I built this site. Listings here are always free and never paid placement. I also build websites for businesses, shuls and organisations. If you'd like one, book a free call or message me.