Shabbat in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is mostly secular, and on Saturday much of the city is open. It also has a lot of shuls and Shabbat communities, many of them used to newcomers. Here is what I would know.

Candle lighting

Our Shabbat page shows candle lighting 20 minutes before sunset, which is the setting Hebcal's Tel Aviv page uses (Hebcal (opens in a new tab)). For example, Hebcal gives candle lighting at 16:22 on Friday, November 13, 2026 and havdalah at 17:20 the next evening (Hebcal (opens in a new tab)). Hebcal's default elsewhere is 18 minutes, with 40 for Jerusalem and 30 for Haifa (Hebcal (opens in a new tab)). Some communities in Tel Aviv use a slightly different number, so follow your shul's calendar.

The eruv

A 2022 article notes that Tel Aviv has an eruv (Le Petit Journal (opens in a new tab)). I could not find a page from the Tel Aviv-Yafo Religious Council that publishes the eruv's boundaries or weekly status, so ask your shul's rabbi before you carry.

Shuls that welcome English speakers

• The Tel Aviv International Synagogue (Bet El), Frishman 23 near Ben Yehuda: Modern Orthodox, with services in English and Hebrew (Secret Tel Aviv (opens in a new tab)).
• The North Central Synagogue (126), 126 Ben Yehuda Street: Orthodox and religious Zionist, with Kabbalat Shabbat, a main minyan and a kids' minyan; its English site welcomes internationals, olim and visitors (126 Ben Yehuda (opens in a new tab)).
• Ichud Shivat Zion (Ichud Olam), 86 Ben Yehuda Street: Modern Orthodox, aimed at young families, English speakers and Israelis (Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab)).
• Chabad on the Coast: the first English-speaking Chabad House in central Tel Aviv, with Friday night services after candle lighting and Shabbat morning at 10:00 (Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab)). Secret Tel Aviv lists the synagogue at Hevron 16 and the events hall at Bar Kochba 18 (Secret Tel Aviv (opens in a new tab)).
• Masorti: Kehilat Sinai at 88 Bograshov, the Kehila of Ramat Aviv at 12 Daniel Moritz, Kehilat Tiferet Shalom at 26 Tagore, and the Masorti Congregation of Neve Tzedek at Chelouche 42 (Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab)).
• Reform: Beit Daniel at 62 Bnei Dan Street, with Mishkenot Ruth Daniel at 47 Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa (Secret Tel Aviv (opens in a new tab)).
• French speakers: Rosh Yehudi at 54 Bar Kochba and Neve Shechter at Chelouche 42 (Secret Tel Aviv (opens in a new tab)).

The full list is in the shul directory.

Shabbat meals

White City Shabbat matches visitors and residents with Shabbat hosts and holds monthly meals for international young professionals. Moishe House Tel Aviv hosts Shabbat and holiday meals for people aged 22 to 35, and Tel Aviv Minyan Shivyoni runs a traditional egalitarian Kabbalat Shabbat twice a month (Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab)). The North Central Synagogue lists communal Shabbat dinners (126 Ben Yehuda (opens in a new tab)).

What is open

The city's visitor site is direct about it: from early Friday afternoon many shops close, most bars, restaurants and cafes stay open on Shabbat, supermarkets close but many 24/7 mini-markets stay open, large museums usually open, and regular public transport stops (Visit Tel Aviv (opens in a new tab)). The city's free weekend buses run Friday evening and Saturday daytime, and taxis, bike share and car share work as usual (Visit Tel Aviv (opens in a new tab)). Details are in Getting around Tel Aviv. If you are walking to shul, the separate beach at Nordau is open to everyone on Saturdays (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Mikvaot

There are mikvaot in the city; see the mikvah directory for those we have checked.