Shabbat and shuls in Herzliya: what I found, and what I could not

Herzliya is a mostly secular city with a working religious infrastructure: a Religious Council, a city eruv, five women's mikvaot and dozens of shuls. What it does not have, as far as I could find, is a published list of English-speaking shuls. Here is what I found.

The Religious Council

The Herzliya Religious Council is at 7 HaRav Goren St (09-9504851, info@mdh.org.il), with public reception Sun-Thu 09:00-16:00 and also Mon and Wed 16:00-18:00 (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)). It covers marriage registration, mikvaot, kashrut, synagogues, eruvin, Torah culture and burial (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)). The city's chief rabbi is listed as Rabbi Yisrael Meir Biton. See the listing.

Couples can open a marriage file at the Herzliya council wherever they live; the marriage department also issues singlehood certificates and marriage certificates for apostille (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)).

Candle lighting

The council publishes prayer times but no candle-lighting time, so this site uses Hebcal's standard for Israel, 20 minutes before sunset, for the city centre. If your shul publishes its own time, follow your shul. See Shabbat times, with a calendar you can subscribe to.

The eruv

Herzliya has a city eruv. The council publishes an interactive eruv map and a form to report a torn wire or broken pole (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)). It says the eruv overlaps with those of neighbouring cities, but its page on routes into them says details are 'coming soon' (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)). Check each week.

Shuls: the honest picture

The council's searchable synagogue directory was empty when I checked. Its usable list is a prayer-times page posted in September 2023 with about 40 shuls and weekday times (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)). It rarely states the nusach.

I found no credible source naming an English-speaking Orthodox shul in Herzliya. The two most likely options for English speakers are:

• Ohel Moshe, Herzliya Pituach. Its rabbi, Rabbi Danny Mirvis, is CEO of World Mizrachi (Mizrachi (opens in a new tab)). See the listing.
• JLIC Mizrachi Herzliya, OU-JLIC's first Israeli campus community (opened September 2017), for Reichman University students, lone soldiers, young professionals and olim, with minyanim three times a day and a Shabbat community (OU Israel (opens in a new tab); JLIC Herzliya (opens in a new tab)). See the listing.

Other options:

• Chabad lists three centres: Chabad of Herzliya (37 HaAtzmaut), Chabad of Hertzliya (8 Ben Gurion) and Chabad Yad HaTisha (16 Harei Gilad) (Chabad-Lubavitch (opens in a new tab)). There is also a Chabad minyan in the Pituach business area, 22 Maskit St, at 8:00 with Mincha at 13:00, handy if you work in the high-tech zone. See all shuls.
• French speakers: in 2019 the French-speaking Ahavat Israel community at 90 Wingate St, Herzliya Pituach (then about 400 families) campaigned against a municipal closure of its synagogue (Times of Israel (opens in a new tab)). I could not confirm its current status. Listing.
• A Reform congregation in Herzliya Pituach holds bilingual egalitarian services (Hebrew prayers, English explanations) on the last Friday of the month and on the High Holidays, according to an undated listing (Secret Tel Aviv (opens in a new tab)).

Early and late weekday minyanim per the council: sunrise (vatikin) minyanim at Beit El Chalamish, Yeshivat Chazon Mordechai and Eli Cohen; late Shacharit at HaGadol (1 Ben Gurion) up to 9:10 (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)).

If you daven at an English-speaking minyan in Herzliya, please tell me so I can list it properly.

Mikvaot

The council runs five women's mikvaot: Herzliya Pituach (34 Shlomo HaMelech, fully accessible), Central (4 Sirkin), Shaviv (12 Ziso), Neve Amal (Simtat Meged) and Herzliya Bet (20 HaYated, open only on Shabbat and holiday eves) (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)). Appointments can be booked and paid online, or paid in cash on site; brides in their first year of marriage immerse free (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)). Prices: women 18 NIS (shower) or 36 NIS (bath), 61 NIS for the bridal room; men 11 NIS per morning or 110 NIS a month (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)). There are three men's mikvaot, including Central (4 Sirkin, Sun-Thu 05:00-09:00) (mdh.org.il (opens in a new tab)).

Shabbat around town

• The separate beach, south of Kochavim beach, is for the religious public in summer: women Sun, Tue and Thu, men Mon, Wed and Fri, from 08:30; on Saturday it is open to all (Herzliya Municipality (opens in a new tab)). See the listing.
• The main library and the Nordau pool open on Saturday, and free Naim BaSofash buses run on Friday evenings and Saturdays (see getting around). Herzliya is a city where Shabbat looks different street by street.