Is Ra’anana Turning Its Back on Aliyah? |
Over the years, Ra’anana has prided itself on being one of Israel’s leading cities in welcoming Olim from around the world. The absorption center, otherwise known as the Mercaz Klita in Ra’anana, consisting of an Ulpan and residential apartments, opened its doors in the 1970s and has served as a central hub for the absorption of Olim ever since.
The Mercaz Klita is not just another piece of real estate, but an iconic and historic landmark in Ra’anana. For decades, it has been a visible symbol of the city’s commitment to aliyah, absorption, and shared national responsibility. Generations of Olim have passed through its doors, making it a place deeply woven into the social and moral fabric of the city.
Yet it has become evident to those paying attention that the current Ra’anana municipality seems to be actively seeking to end the city’s role as a center for aliyah.
Recently, the Ra’anana Municipality has filed a lawsuit against the Jewish Agency, seeking a court order to remove it from a 19-dunam site in the city center on which the absorption center has stood since the 1970s. In the legal filing, the municipality claims that center “constitutes a waste of an essential public resource.”
In a Facebook post on December 29, 2025, Ra’anana’s Mayor stated:
“The absorption center in Ra’anana was fully occupied in its early years. But over time, Israel’s absorption policy shifted to direct absorption in private apartments. Gradually, absorption centers lost their role.”
However, today the Mercaz Klita is home to approximately 400 olim, about half of them lone soldiers who came from abroad to defend Israel and have no family home to return to, and the other half primarily young olim at the start of their lives in the country. The center contains about 144 apartments, typically housing on average around three young people or young couples per apartment, and this community enables them to foster friendships and connections while they acclimate to Israel. Many residents of these apartments participate in year-long absorption programs, while others........