Ramat Beit Shemesh / Beit Shemesh

The facts

Region

Jerusalem area

Population

176,786 (2024 estimate)Whole city of Beit Shemesh (CBS 2024 estimate via Wikipedia). RBS Aleph alone is about 25,000 people per Wikipedia.source ((opens in a new tab))

English-speaking community

Very large (5 out of 5)· judgment call

French-speaking community

Small (2 out of 5)· judgment call

Russian-speaking community

Small (2 out of 5)· judgment call

Religious mix

Mostly religiousMostly Orthodox and Haredi, with a Dati Leumi (religious Zionist) minority. Haredim were 40% of the population in 2011, and 60% of voters chose Haredi parties in 2022. RBS Aleph is mixed Orthodox; RBS Bet and Daled are mainly Haredi.source ((opens in a new tab))

Rent (family-size apartment)

NIS 4,993 – 6,810 a monthCBS averages, Apr-Jun 2026 (3.5-4 rooms to 4.5+ rooms)CBS average rent in Beit Shemesh (whole city, not RBS only), Apr-Jun 2026: 3.5-4 rooms (min figure) and 4.5+ rooms (max figure). These are averages, not the cheapest or most expensive listings.source ((opens in a new tab))

To Tel Aviv

About 50 min to Tel Aviv by trainAbout 50 min by train from Beit Shemesh station to Tel Aviv Center, or about 52 min by bus 412 (Rome2rio estimates).source 1 ((opens in a new tab))source 2 ((opens in a new tab))source 3 ((opens in a new tab))

To Jerusalem

About 28 min to Jerusalem by busAbout 28 min by bus 615, or about 29 min by car; no train to Jerusalem at present (Rome2rio estimates; Wikipedia).source 1 ((opens in a new tab))source 2 ((opens in a new tab))source 3 ((opens in a new tab))

Train station

Yes

Light rail

No

For families

Very high (5 out of 5)· judgment call

Quiet

Medium (3 out of 5)· judgment call

Why these scores

English-speaking community

NBN: 'Large English-speaking population; Tens of thousands of NBN Olim.' Wikipedia calls Beit Shemesh 'a major center for immigrants from English-speaking countries.' source ((opens in a new tab))

French-speaking community

NBN mentions olim from France among others; Wikipedia mentions French Sephardim. No figures. Judgment call. source ((opens in a new tab))

Russian-speaking community

NBN mentions olim from Russia; Wikipedia mentions 1990s FSU immigrants. No figures. Judgment call. source ((opens in a new tab))

For families

Judgment: Wikipedia reports 63% of schoolchildren were Haredi in 2010 and describes large Orthodox family neighborhoods; the Anglo community is described as Orthodox and middle-income. source ((opens in a new tab))

Quiet

Judgment: large and fast-growing city (about 177,000) with heavy construction in RBS Gimmel and Daled. source ((opens in a new tab))

Some spellings of this name in other languages aren't confirmed by a source yet.