Candle lighting in Efrat: 20 minutes
Efrat's official halachic times for 5786, prepared by Rabbi Etan Weiss and published by the council, calculate Shabbat entry at 20 minutes before sunset, on Jerusalem times from the Tukachinsky calendar (council (opens in a new tab)). The Shabbat times page on this site uses 20 minutes, calculated by Hebcal for Efrat. Some calendars use a different figure (Chabad.org lists 30 minutes for Efrat), and yishuvim in the Gush may have their own custom, so follow your shul.
Efrat's Chief Rabbi is HaRav Shlomo Riskin (NBN (opens in a new tab)).
The eruv
The Efrat eruv is about 22 km long, made partly of a wire on light poles, partly of the fence and partly of the hillside contour, and it includes Givat HaEitam. It is checked every Friday. As of June 2026 the religious council reported it was not in order on the path between Dagan and Eitam (council (opens in a new tab)). The council publishes an eruv map (map (opens in a new tab)). Check its page before Shabbat.
Finding a shul
The council's profile counts 37 shuls in Efrat; Hebrew Wikipedia says about 30, in Ashkenaz, North African, Jerusalem, Yemenite and other rites (profile (opens in a new tab); Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). The religious council publishes a yearly prayer-times table (5786) with each shul's address (council (opens in a new tab)). The shuls directory has 26 of them with sources.
A few you will hear about:
- Shirat Shlomo ("The Happy Minyan") in Te'ena, a Carlebach-style shul founded in 1993 and known for its Friday-night minyan (GoDaven (opens in a new tab), community-edited).
- Zayit Raanan, whose community is mostly young couples and families, a mix of new olim and long-time residents; its website is in Hebrew and English (zayitraanan.com (opens in a new tab)).
- Zemer HaZayit, a Carlebach minyan meeting Friday night and Shabbat morning in the Zayit school (community wiki).
In Alon Shvut, current prayer times are published in the "Datinfo" app rather than on the yishuv's website (Alon Shvut (opens in a new tab)).
What I don't know yet: English-speaking shuls
I could not find a reliable, current source that says which shuls in Efrat, Alon Shvut or Neve Daniel run in English or have mostly English-speaking members. The only evidence is old community-wiki pages listing a Tuesday-night English shiur at Mishkan Tzipporah (2012) and a Tuesday Parasha shiur in English at Tiferet Avot (2014). Much of the shul information comes from GoDaven and the Efrat community wiki, which anyone can edit. If you know your shul's language and times, email me through the correction button and I'll add it.
Mikvaot and kashrut
Women's mikvaot in Rimon, Dekel, Zayit and Tamar are booked ahead through an online link; the Zayit mikveh is wheelchair accessible with an immersion lift (council (opens in a new tab)). Kashrut in Efrat and in the Gush is run by two separate religious councils, each with its own list (see the shopping guide). Efrat's religious council is on 02-9931772; marriage registration runs Sunday-Thursday 08:30-14:30, best booked ahead (council (opens in a new tab)).
