The Brazilians are coming: Samba rhythm on the streets of Tel Aviv

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Published: 6 November 2017

Last updated: 4 March 2024

THIS SMALL, QUIET TOWN with an easy commute to Tel Aviv may not have Rio’s breathtaking landscapes and beaches. It also lacks the culture and nightlife that makes Sao Paulo famous.
And yet, sleepy Ra’anana — despite its tendency to almost completely shut down for Shabbat — has quickly become the primary destination among the Brazilians who are moving to Israel.

Some 220 Brazilian families reside in this town of approximately 80,000 people, and it is now the the first choice among the 1,800 Brazilians who have started the aliyah process with the Jewish Agency for Israel, an organization that assists the Israeli government with immigration and absorption.

A picnic at Ra’anana Park celebrating the first anniversary of the Kehila Yalla Chaverim group, on October 20 (Samuel Gabbay/JTA)

FULL STORY Why hundreds of Brazilian immigrants are flocking to this Israeli suburb (Times of Israel)