Your first week in Hashmonaim

Hashmonaim is a small yishuv, so a lot of what a city does through one big municipality is split here between two offices: the yishuv secretariat (the local va'ad's office, on Shoham St) and the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, which runs education, arnona, welfare and most services from Sha'ar Binyamin. I've put the first week's jobs in the order most people need them.

Day one: the yishuv secretariat

The secretariat (mazkirut) is open to the public Sun-Thu 09:00-14:00, on 08-9761493 or 08-9761495, with a WhatsApp line listed on the community website. It handles local matters and new-resident questions. Two things to do early:

• Register your car for the gate. The yishuv gate has an automatic lane for registered resident cars; new residents register through a form linked from the community website.
• Add yourself to the yishuv phone book on the community website (rammod.net, served at rammod.djmetals.com), which also carries the weekly "This week in Ramat Modi'im" box and the newsletter archive.

See the secretariat listing.

The council's new-resident list

Mateh Binyamin's "new residents" page lists the first tasks:

1. Register children for gan or school (see Schools and gans).
2. Report the change of occupant for arnona, and set up a standing order.
3. Update the number of people in the home (water, in the yishuvim where the council bills it).
4. Get a dog licence if you have a dog: every owner needs one from the local authority where the dog lives.
5. Join the council's "Binyamin Achshav" WhatsApp updates group for your yishuv.

Arnona bills can be seen and paid in the council's online personal area (you log in with your mobile number and a one-time code). The collection call centre is 02-6492929, Sun-Thu 08:30-15:30, and for western Binyamin public reception moved to the Ganei Modiin secretariat building, 2B Siftei Kohen St, by appointment (listing).

For anything else, the council's 106 service centre (02-9977106, also on WhatsApp) answers 24/6 and passes requests to the right department. Most departments at Sha'ar Binyamin see the public only by appointment, booked online.

Address change, ID and Bituach Leumi

The Interior Ministry branch that used to be in Hashmonaim has closed. The Population Authority branch is at 1 HaYotzer St, Sha'ar Binyamin: address changes, newborn registration and certificates need no appointment during reception hours (Sun, Mon, Tue, Thu 08:00-12:00; Mon and Wed 14:30-17:00), while first ID cards, renewals and passports need one.

Update your address early. The council says children who are not registered as Mateh Binyamin residents are not eligible for council school transport.

Bituach Leumi has a Sha'ar Binyamin service point (Mon and Wed 08:30-13:00, by appointment, with a 24-hour certificates kiosk); the nearest full branch is in Modiin Illit at 46 Avnei Nezer St.

Post

The Israel Post unit is at 1 Shoham St, next to the secretariat, and its counter hours are short (from 1.2.25): Sun 17:00-19:00, Mon 11:00-12:00, Tue 18:00-19:00, Wed closed, Thu 10:00-12:00.

Emergency numbers to save

The council asks residents to save these at home and on their phone:

• Moked Binyamin (council security centre): 1208 or 02-9974106
• Police 100, MDA 101, Fire 102, United Hatzalah 1221

The closest after-hours urgent care is Terem in Kiryat Sefer's Kesem Center; Terem Modiin is open 24/7. More in Health funds and urgent care.

Olim: the Ministry and NBN

The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration's call centre is *2994 (Sun-Thu 08:00-18:00); its nearest office is listed at 32 Dam HaMaccabim St, Modiin. Nefesh B'Nefesh's Hashmonaim page lists an Anglo oleh coordinator and volunteer Anglo families, and says there are no municipal incentives for olim at this time.

Small things that help

• Furniture for disposal goes only in the garden-waste corners, which are cleared on Tuesdays.
• A community dog park opened in 5786; register and show a valid rabies vaccination to get the entry code.

The newcomer checklist keeps track of all of this on your own device. If something here is out of date, tell me with the corrections button and I'll fix it.