American life in Tel Aviv: community and holidays

Short answer: you won't be the only American in the room. Israel has a large US-citizen population, and Tel Aviv makes it easy to keep one foot in the States while you build a life by the Mediterranean.

The short version

Big community: Republicans Overseas Israel says it's reaching out to more than 500,000 eligible US voters in Israel for the 2026 midterms [4]. That's the group's own figure, but it gives a sense of scale.
Thanksgiving is a workday in Israel, where the week runs Sunday to Thursday. Most Americans celebrate on Friday or Saturday instead.
AACI, the Association of Americans & Canadians in Israel, is the long-running support group for North American immigrants [5].
Both parties are organized here: Democrats Abroad Israel and Republicans Overseas Israel help Americans register and vote [3][4]. There's no in-person US voting in Israel [3].
Two US diplomatic offices: the Embassy in Jerusalem and the Branch Office in Tel Aviv on HaYarkon Street [1].

Holidays: doing Thanksgiving and the Fourth in Israel

Thanksgiving

The fourth Thursday in November is a regular workday here, and kids have school. So Tel Aviv Americans get creative:

Friday-night Thanksgiving. Many families fold the turkey into Shabbat dinner, so the long table, the extended family and the leftovers all come naturally.
Saturday potlucks. Friends-giving with Israeli friends who are curious about sweet potatoes with marshmallows.
Restaurant dinners. Some American-style restaurants and hotels run Thanksgiving menus; book early.

Turkey is easy to find, since Israelis eat plenty of it year-round. Canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce and stuffing mix are another story. Stock up from specialty shops weeks ahead, or bring a few cans back in your suitcase after a trip stateside. Our guide to American food in Tel Aviv has more on finding the classics.

The Fourth of July

July 4th falls in the heart of Tel Aviv summer, when it's often 30°C (86°F) and humid. It's not a day off, so most celebrations are backyard barbecues, beach hangouts and community events on the nearest weekend. Bring the flag napkins and the hot dogs; the watermelon is local and excellent.

Other holidays

Memorial Day, Labor Day and Presidents Day pass without notice. On the other hand, you'll get Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Passover off, and the whole country runs on the Jewish calendar. Most Americans end up loving the double set of holidays.

Finding your people

AACI

The Association of Americans & Canadians in Israel (AACI) has supported English-speaking immigrants for decades. Its counselors help people make aliyah and settle in Israel, and it runs community and educational programs [5]. Its main center is in Jerusalem [5], but its services and events reach Americans across the country, including the Tel Aviv area. It's worth a visit early on, even if you're not making aliyah.

English-speaking networks

Tel Aviv's English-speaking world is big but scattered. You'll find it in:

Synagogues and community centers with English-speaking members, from Orthodox to Reform.
Tech meetups in the startup scene, where English is the default at many companies.
Parents' groups at the international and bilingual schools; see schools in Tel Aviv.
Hebrew classes. Your ulpan classmates may become your first friends. See learning Hebrew: ulpan options.
Ra'anana and Modi'in, outside the city, have large English-speaking communities if you want a more suburban feel.

And of course there's our community group for Americans in Israel, where people swap tips on everything from turkey to tax forms.

Sports: football, hoops and late nights

Watching US sports

Time zones are the catch. Tel Aviv runs 7 hours ahead of New York for most of the year, so the Super Bowl usually kicks off around 1:30 a.m. Monday Israel time. Hardcore fans stay up at sports bars or with friends and go to work bleary-eyed on Monday morning. NBA playoff games and Monday Night Football fall in the middle of the night too. Streaming services with a US account often work here, but check what your subscription allows abroad.

Playing American football

Israel has its own tackle league. The Israel Football League (IFL) is an amateur gridiron league with eight teams, and its championship game is the Israel Bowl [6]. The local team is the Tel Aviv Pioneers [6]. The Kraft family, owners of the New England Patriots, donated Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem to the league [6]. There's also a lively flag football scene, popular with American kids and adults.

Basketball

Israelis love basketball, and Tel Aviv has two big clubs, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv, with a long tradition of American players on their rosters. Catching a game at Menora Mivtachim Arena is a great way to feel at home and local at the same time.

Baseball and softball exist too, through volunteer-run leagues with lots of American parents behind them. Ask around in community groups for the current season.

Politics and voting from Tel Aviv

You keep the right to vote in federal elections from abroad, using your last US address. Here's how it works from Israel:

No in-person voting happens in Israel for US elections. You request an absentee ballot each year through the Federal Post Card Application, and Democrats Abroad points voters to its online tool for that [3].
Mailing ballots back can be slow. Both groups have offered help with ballot returns from Israel [3][4].

Both major parties have organized groups in Israel. We list them side by side, neutrally:

Group	Who they are	What they offer in Israel
Democrats Abroad Israel	The Israel country committee of Democrats Abroad, the official Democratic Party arm for Americans overseas [3]	Voter information, ballot request help, member events and volunteering [3]
Republicans Overseas Israel	The Israel chapter of Republicans Overseas [4]	Voter registration help, ballot guidance and a help line by WhatsApp and email [4]

Neither page we checked listed a separate Tel Aviv chapter; both operate as Israel-wide groups [3][4]. If you want the national organizations, they're Democrats Abroad and Republicans Overseas. Whatever your politics, our guide to voting from abroad explains the official process through FVAP, which doesn't depend on any party.

The US Embassy and the Tel Aviv Branch Office

This one confuses newcomers. The US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018 [2]. The old embassy building in Tel Aviv became a Branch Office and still does a lot of work [2].

Office	Address	Phone [1]
US Embassy Jerusalem	14 David Flusser, Jerusalem	02-630-4000
US Embassy Branch Office Tel Aviv	71 HaYarkon Street, Tel Aviv	03-519-7575

The Tel Aviv branch is one of the busiest consular operations anywhere: it handles a huge volume of nonimmigrant visas and has a large US citizen services unit that processes passports [2]. Jerusalem is about 60 km (37 miles) away, so for Tel Aviv Americans the branch is often the more practical stop. Book through the embassy website, which will tell you which office handles your appointment.

For emergencies involving a US citizen, the embassy's number is 02-630-4000, including after hours. From anywhere, the State Department's 24/7 lines are +1-202-501-4444 from abroad and +1-888-407-4747 from the US and Canada [1].

Enroll in STEP

Do this the week you arrive. The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) sends embassy security alerts straight to your email. The embassy issued several alerts in October 2026 alone [1]. See STEP and help from US embassies and our guide to shelters and alerts in Tel Aviv.

The embassy is also where you'll register a baby's US citizenship (the CRBA) and renew passports for the kids. Israeli hospitals see a lot of American parents, and the paperwork is routine.

Your first month: a checklist

Enroll in STEP and save the embassy numbers in your cell phone.
Find a Thanksgiving crew before November sneaks up on you.
Visit AACI or its events for practical help.
Request your absentee ballot for the year.
Pick a team. Maccabi or Hapoel? Choose wisely.

American life in Tel Aviv: Thanksgiving, football and finding your people