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Home / Rights & Programs / National-Civic Service for Community Youth

National-Civic Service for Community Youth in Safed

Alternative to the army: 1-2 years serving the community (education, welfare, health). The subsistence payment is ₪810 a month, plus a tiered maintenance allowance and free travel.

About Safed

Safed, the Galilean mountain city known for its spiritual heritage, hosts a small Israeli-Ethiopian community. The real-estate market offers properties at accessible prices relative to the quality of the environment, with unique tourism potential.

More about the city →

When is it the right path?

  • When the army doesn't fit (medical, psychological, or religious exemption) — or when civic-service track is preferred.
  • For women — legally easier to enter civic over military.
  • For older immigrants — drafted but prefer service in their hometown.

Benefits

  • Subsistence payment: ₪810 a month (raised from ₪540 in March 2025, backdated to January 2025)
  • Maintenance allowance (דמי כלכלה): paid in addition, tiered by housing and meals. A lone volunteer receives a supplement of 50% of the rate for a volunteer living at home
  • Travel: free on trains and buses
  • Housing in kind: for volunteers placed far from home

In total the cash components run roughly ₪800-2,100 a month, depending on the mix.

This page previously said "~₪5,000/month" — about five times the real figure. It also claimed "benefits identical to standing-army soldiers" and a "tax exemption for the first three working years"; no source was found for either and both were removed.

How to start

  1. Registration: via sherut-leumi.co.il → "Candidates"
  2. Choose a role: from the list of recognised host organisations on the authority's site. (An earlier version said ENP, Tene Briut, Tebeka and Olim Beyahad were "most of them" — there are hundreds of host organisations, so that was not true.)
  3. Interview: with the host organization
  4. Start: usually 1st of the next month

Idea for community youth: Service at ENP/Fidel/Tene Briut = direct community work + career development in education/welfare/health.

Ethiopian community in Safed

Community population
~1,000
Share of city
~5%
Main neighbourhoods
מרכז, קנדה
Community services
ENP, מרכז קהילתי

More rights in Safed

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FAQ — Safed

How many Ethiopian-Israelis live in Safed?
The Ethiopian-Israeli community in Safed numbers approximately ~1,000 residents — around ~5% of the city's population. Main neighbourhoods: מרכז, קנדה.
How do I claim National-Civic Service for Community Youth in Safed?
Apply via the relevant government body in Safed. For support: ENP, מרכז קהילתי.
What community support is available in Safed for this right?
In Safed, the following organisations can assist with paperwork, translation and entitlement: ENP, מרכז קהילתי.