Does Vastu work in Israel?
Yes. Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Israel as in India, so its guidance applies to an apartment in Ramat Gan as much as to one in Mumbai, near the Konkan coast where many Bene Israel families trace their roots. A compass here points about 5° east of true north, a small correction that VastuIQ applies for you. Israeli apartments bring their own rooms: the mamad, a reinforced safe room that most newer apartments have, and balconies placed so that a sukkah can stand open to the sky. The report reads both the way they are used.
Israeli homes, read correctly
The report uses the names on your plan and reads them the way a home here is built:
Read as a bedroom by default, because most families use it as one; if yours is a study or a store room, change it on the confirm screen. Traditionally best for a bedroom: West, South or South-West; North-West suits guests and older children.
Read as an outdoor area. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
The service balcony (mirpeset sherut) is read as a utility area. Traditionally best: North-West or South-East, the air and fire zones.
The salon is read as the living room, with the kitchen corner scored as a kitchen by its own position. Traditionally best for cooking: South-East, the zone traditionally linked with Agni (fire). North-West is the usual second choice.
Bathrooms and toilets are scored by their direction. The north-east and the centre of the home are the places tradition avoids.
Your own front door is the main door that is checked, with its exact position (pada) on its wall, not the door of the building.
Buying "on paper" or after an urban renewal project
Many apartments in Israel are bought before the building is finished, from the developer's plan, and in urban renewal projects (TAMA 38 or pinui-binui) existing owners receive a new or enlarged apartment from a plan. That is exactly what VastuIQ reads: upload the plan, set north from the site plan or a map of the building, confirm the rooms and compare units or layouts free before you sign. In a renewal project, check whether the new mamad or the added room changes the centre of your apartment.
The sun over an Israeli apartment
Israel lies north of the Tropic of Cancer, so the midday sun is always to the south of the sky: about 81° above the horizon in Tel Aviv in June and 34° in December, with daylight from about 10.0 to 14.3 hours.
These are measurements for your city, shown next to the Vastu reading, not Vastu rules. A light, open north and east, which classical Vastu asks for, also stays cooler through an Israeli summer, and rooms and balconies facing west carry the afternoon heat.
New to Vastu? What it is, in brief
Vastu Shastra is a traditional Indian system of architecture and home layout, set out in Sanskrit texts such as the Mayamata and the Manasara. It divides a home into eight directional zones around its centre and suggests which rooms and activities suit which zone. Many Indian families use it when they buy, build or arrange a home, and so do people of other backgrounds who are curious about how a home is laid out.
Kept the lightest and least cluttered part of the home; a good place for prayer or quiet.
The zone traditionally linked with Agni, fire, so it is the classical place for cooking.
Linked with weight and stability; tradition places the main bedroom and heavy storage here.
It is a cultural tradition, not a science, and it does not promise outcomes. VastuIQ shows what the classical texts recommend, measured accurately for your home and your city, and you decide what to do with it. Most of the report's fixes need no building work: they are about how rooms are used and arranged.
The house committee and building rules
In an apartment building, the house committee (va'ad bayit) and the building's shared-ownership rules cover the outside and the shared parts, and building work may need a permit from the local authority. Choose Own it (building rules) in the tool: the report leads with fixes inside the home and marks anything structural as "If renovating". Renting? Choose Renting and every fix is one you can make yourself.
Compass vs true north in Israel
Across Israel a compass points about 5° east of true north, almost the same from the north of the country to Eilat. Your score still uses the exact figure for your city.
| City | Compass vs true north | Daylight, mid-winter to mid-summer |
|---|---|---|
| Nahariya, Northern District | 5.1° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Haifa, Haifa District | 5.1° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Nazareth, Northern District | 5.1° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Hadera, Haifa District | 5.1° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Netanya, Central District | 5.0° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Herzliya, Tel Aviv District | 5.0° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Ra'anana, Central District | 5.0° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Kfar Saba, Central District | 5.0° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Petah Tikva, Central District | 5.0° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District | 5.0° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv District | 5.0° east | 10.0 – 14.3 h |
| Rishon LeZion, Central District | 5.0° east | 10.1 – 14.2 h |
| Ashdod, Southern District | 5.0° east | 10.1 – 14.2 h |
| Jerusalem, Jerusalem District | 5.0° east | 10.1 – 14.2 h |
| Beersheba, Southern District | 4.9° east | 10.1 – 14.2 h |
| Dimona, Southern District | 4.9° east | 10.1 – 14.2 h |
| Eilat, Southern District | 4.7° east | 10.2 – 14.0 h |
Calculated for 2026 with the World Magnetic Model WMM-2025 (NOAA / British Geological Survey) and NOAA solar equations. "East" means a compass points to the east of true north.
Check one home, or compare your shortlist
- Score out of 100 and its band
- Your top three issues
- True north correction for your city
- Every room scored, with no-cost and low-cost fixes
- Your floor plans with the zones at true north
- Centre, front door and pada
- Action plan, 90-day plan and checklist
- Two or three homes side by side
- Which home fits Vastu best, and why
- Plus the full report for the home you choose
Prices are charged in US dollars and your bank converts them; local amounts are a guide.
Vastu in Israel: questions people ask
Does Vastu work in Israel?
Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Israel as in India, so its room-by-direction guidance can be applied to an Israeli apartment or house. What matters is setting north correctly on the plan and reading local rooms such as the mamad properly. Vastu is a tradition; it does not promise outcomes.
How does Vastu treat a mamad?
The mamad is read as a bedroom by default, because most families use it as one. If you use it as a study or a store room, change it on the confirm screen. Its walls cannot be changed, so the report never suggests moving it.
Do I need to correct my compass for Vastu in Israel?
A little: about 5° east in Tel Aviv, 5° east in Haifa, 5° east in Jerusalem, 5° east in Beersheba and 5° east in Eilat (World Magnetic Model). That only matters for a room near a zone boundary, and VastuIQ applies it automatically.
Is the sun ever overhead in Israel?
No. Israel lies north of the Tropic of Cancer, so the midday sun is always to the south, though high in summer: about 81° above the horizon in Tel Aviv in June, and about 84° in Eilat.
Can I check an apartment I am buying on paper?
Yes. Upload the developer's plan, set north from the site plan, confirm the rooms and you get a free score in a few minutes. To choose between units, use Compare 2–3 homes: the comparison is free, and Home Buyer Compare (US$79, about ₪246) adds a PDF that ranks them and includes the full report for the one you choose.
Which way should the sukkah balcony face?
Vastu has no rule about a sukkah. For the balcony as an outdoor space, tradition prefers open areas to the north and east, so a balcony on those sides fits the classical layout well.
Vastu for homes in other countries
Written by Manoj Jangra, founder of VastuIQ. Last updated 20 October 2026.
Vastu Shastra is a traditional and cultural practice. VastuIQ reports are not engineering, legal, financial or medical advice and do not promise any outcome.