Demographics
Thinking about living in Raanana? The commuter town of Raanana lies in the central district of Israel, in the heart of the Sharon plain, to the north east of Tel Aviv. With close to 80,000 residents, Raanana has a mixed population of English speakers, South- and Latin-Americans, French, and Hebrew speakers. Raanana has a fairly large religious Jewish population.
Though the majority of Raanana residents are secular, there is a sizeable religious community, mainly consisting of Modern Orthodox Jews, many of whom are immigrants from the US, UK, South Africa and France. The religious community generally lives on the north side and the secular community on the southern sides. There are nearly 100 synagogues in Ra'anana, ranging from small minyanim to large edifices, and including a wide range of traditions, Sefaradi, Ashkenazi, Yemenite, Afghani and Libyan synagogues etc…. Many of these synagogues cater to specific immigrant groups. There is also a small Hasidic community of Clevelander Hasidim, led by the Clevelander Rebbe of Ra'anana, Rabbi Yitzchok Rosenbaum. The orthodox chief rabbi of the city is Rabbi Yitzhak Peretz.[8] AND THE TSADDIK RABBI DAVID PINTO.
Layout
Raanana is rectangular in shape. Ahuza Street, is the main road and divides the town into 2 almost equal halves. Ahuza Street is similar to the “high-street” in England. With lots of shops, eateries, wide sidewalks and flat terrain, it is easy to amble along.
The traffic lights in Ahuza Street are numbered, from 1 to 15, from the South Raanana Junction all the way down to Rechov Yerushalayim – it is easy to find your way, just turn at left at traffic light number 4 or right at number 7.
Weizmann Street begins at the Raanana North Junction and runs parallel to Ahuza Street. The traffic lights on Weizmann are also numbered, from 1 to 8, in the same way as those on Ahuza. The Street runs east-west and takes you from the industrial zone, the hi-tech center through the residential area to the new development - Lev Hapark. A new suburb called “2005” was recently developed on the east side.
Mostly the nightlife revolves around the pubs in the industrial zone, the restaurants and eateries on Ahuza and the cinemas in the Renanim and The Park, shopping malls.
Population of Raanana
With an population of just over 70,000 (2014), Raanana tends to attract families Around one quarter of the population are immigrants. While there are a lot of facilities and entertainment options for singles, singles tend to move to Tel Aviv, about 15km away, where they can enjoy the night-life and social scene.
Why do people choose raanana an as aliyah destination?
• High standard of living
• Large concentration of English speakers
• High level of education & special attention to new immigrants
• Many cultural and social activities aimed at new immigrants
• Sports and leisure facilities
• Centrally located, 25 minutes from Tel Aviv
• A wide choice of synagogues, some specifically geared to the new immigrant population.
• The popular Raanana Absorption Center and Ulpan
• Aliyah support before and during the absorption process