Jerusalem for young olim and students
Renting a room, ulpan, finding work, what things cost, and where people actually go out.
Start here
In this order — each one assumes the one before it.
- 01 Student Life in Jerusalem: Housing, Money and Getting Settled
- 02 Ulpan in Jerusalem: Learning Hebrew as a New Arrival
- 03 Working in Jerusalem: Jobs, Salaries and How Employment Works for English-Speakers
- 04 Renting an Apartment in Jerusalem: Listings, Contracts, Deposits and What to Check
- 05 Getting Around Jerusalem: Light Rail, Buses and the Rav-Kav
- 06 Jerusalem After Dark: Bars, Live Music, Late-Night Eats and How to Get Home
- 07 Date Spots in Jerusalem: Where You Can Actually Talk
- 08 Cost of Living in Jerusalem: A Line-by-Line Budget
Sort these out
Things with a deadline, a rule, or an entitlement worth claiming.
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Start studying within three years of aliyah
The Student Authority can cover up to the full standard tuition at public institutions, but you must begin within three years of aliyah and under the age caps. Army or sherut leumi time does not count against the three years.
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Use the ulpan entitlement before 18 months
Free or subsidised ulpan runs out 18 months after aliyah. Working first and studying Hebrew later is the most common way to lose it.
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Load the right Rav-Kav profile
The 18–26 young profile discounts monthly passes only, so irregular travellers gain nothing from it. Students get a discount on stored value instead, renewed yearly with proof of enrolment, and discharged soldiers travel free for a year.
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Convert your driving licence within 12 months
The deadline runs from your aliyah date, not from when you buy a car.
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Expect a squeeze around month six
Free health cover ends at six months and rent assistance only starts around month seven, while sal klita is finishing. Budget for that overlap before it arrives.
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Check the city's student scholarships and housing
Jerusalem runs a students and young adults department with scholarships for people who live and study in the city, and community housing schemes that trade reduced rent for running local activity. Amounts and windows change each cycle.
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Know that a student visa is not oleh status
Masa participants and A/2 student-visa holders are not olim: most transport profiles, tuition benefits and health entitlements above need Israeli residency.
Where to look
Where to go
All the plans
Teddy Park Parks & nature · Mamilla / Yemin Moshe A small park below Jaffa Gate whose centrepiece is a computer-controlled fountain of 256 water jets and 1,800 light fittings that runs free sound-and-light shows several times a day. Children play in the jets between shows. Daytime shows run at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 (water only); the 20:00 show adds lights and music. 
Ein Mabua (Ein Fawwar) Water & beaches · Judean Desert The middle spring of Nahal Prat, reopened to the public on 1 July 2026 after upgrading works. Ein Mabua is a rare karstic pulsing spring: water surges out of an underground cavity in bursts and the square bathing pool empties between beats. There is also a Byzantine church mosaic, ancient aqueducts and the remains of a 1931 British pumping station. Booking is compulsory and free — register before you drive out or you will be turned away. 
Tower of David Night Spectacular Historic sites & tours · Old City - Jaffa Gate A 40-minute sound-and-light show projected onto the walls of the Tower of David citadel, telling Jerusalem's story in images and music with no spoken language. Two versions run - the classic Night Spectacular and 'King David' - ticketed separately from the museum. No entry for latecomers - arrive at the box office at least 15 minutes early.