aliyah- so confused on what to bring and not bring!! help!!!

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Israel related Inquiries & Aliyah Questions

Aliyah- so confused on what to bring and not bring!! help!!!

1 2 3 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Sun, Feb 05 2012, 8:10 pm

I by accident posted this in the labor section?? Woops, dunno how to erase it!! But reposted here!!

Im planning to make aliyah and iyh plan to send a small lift. Ive done much research on different threads in regards to what to bring and what to bring but everyone has different views that its very frustrating to figure out whats rlly right for me. Im very much on a budget and being that EVERYTHING is more expensive in Israel it might be worth it for me to buy things here.For starters many ppl say dont bring a washer and dryer bc if it breaks down its a fortune to fix and it cant heat up its water? But some ppl said that american washers and dryers are the best bc they dont take forever and they are much bigger. My question is when it comes down to it..is it worth it or not?? My washer and dryer are brand new. Cant it just heat up water from the dud?

Now, what about my freezer? Will I have problems running it bc of the voltage difference. Same goes for microwaves, toasters, sandwich makers, mixers?? Is it rlly worth it to bring this stuff and will they work ok bc of the voltage difference. Im not considering buying 220 appliances, I heard they break very easily.

What I so own that is very precious to me is my babys crib which was a very very expensive and stunning gift. I prob will be living in bnei brak for the first year at least. Its my experience that apt are very tiny? IYO is it worth it to have a nice piece of furniture even if it takes space?

My dining room table is junk! Is it worth to buy a new set and send to israel in a lift?

What are other things that will SAVE me money in the long run, if I buy in america and bring with me. Im not talking ziplock bags, im talking furniture, appliances, things for my kids, clothes?? Iron, pots, microwaves? Keep in mind limited space as well so I dont plan on stocking up on peanut butter or bounty!! Things that are a necessity pls!!!

Thanks to all!!!!!!!

Hoping to share in the zhus of living in the holy land with you soon!!

amother

Sun, Feb 05 2012, 9:06 pm

Anyone? At all??? Sad

supermama2

Sun, Feb 05 2012, 10:41 pm

I do not have answers to all of your questions but a year and a half later I am still kicking myself for listening to people tell me to NOT bring my dining room table...I loved it... NOW I have a 'portable' table until I can come up with the means to buy a decent table here. Also, I would have brought my living room furniture as I am still not familiar with the quality standards here and furniture seems really expensive. Hatzlacha!!

amother

Sun, Feb 05 2012, 11:44 pm

Thanks you! So far ur the only one that answered. Smile

. I thought id get more answers but...guess not. Then again it is early morning in Israel now...

hila

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 12:43 am

You posted at 3am our time. And we do love olim, but not enough to miss a night's sleep just in cas someone might post on imammother Wink

I would not bring your large appliances
- one the voltage problem is a real one. I dont think they will work on adapters, so unless you can have them converted to 220-240 V dont bring them.

- they take u a LOT of lift space.

- your gurantee probably does not hold outside the US

- they are probably big and wont fit in a small Bnei Brak appartment.

If it is not too big - bring furniture that you like. And a new dining table would probably be a good idea.
But remember the cost of shipping is high per volume. So use the spaces too. Even though you said you wont bring Bounty (and it is available here), stock up on your favourite deodorants, sports and other shoes, kids clothes for the next year, coats, etc. I would also bring folding chairs (I wish my dh had brought more that 4 of those metal folding chairs) . And a good quality folding table - for the sukka and the extra guests.

Bring a few of your favourite cosmetics - till you get used to buying here, and large containers of your favourite spices.

I am sure that others who have made Alya more recently than 30 years ago will have more advice Smile

Hatslacha
(BTW - do you know about the climate in BB ?)

rovacat

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 1:05 am

first of all, good luck with your move! before I would bring any big appliances, I'd find out first how big my apt. is. apts in bnei brak can be small. unless you plan on renting a storage room, I can't imagine an american washer/dryer will fit into the apt. you can get them adjusted to israeli currency. I know people who put on their timer for their hot water for the morning, and then that's when they put in their wash-once the hot water's already on. and, if you have a dud shemesh, you will always have hot water, as long as the sun is shinging- which is most of the year. I would not bring small electric appliances. like sandwhich makesrs, hot water things..I find most things do break. look on the back of them and see if it says 220-240. if it can adapt to both, you can just put in a small converter piece. I have an ipod speaker like that and it's been fine for me. but if it's not, then you need a big transformer thing, and it's annoying, and easy to break. I find it much easier to just use the israeli appliances. I have my european washing machines, and I'm fine with them. they fit into my tight space, and they've been easy to move around with me with all my moves.
I agree with the above posters, that shoes and clothing are important. they take up litle space, and you'll love them. get a years worth of shoes for your kids if you can (especially on sale) shoes here are expensive and not the same quality. the same goes for clothing. you can get peanut butter here, and most food items.
I would suggest bringing one large container of each spice so you'll be good for a while.
also, bring your linens and towels. especially if you already have good ones. anything you have for the home that you own already, it's worth it to shlep. it'll make your life easier when you get here. and you'll have familiar things which will help your transition.
good luck with everything!

grace413

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 1:22 am

Glad to hear that you will be joining us.

If you have furniture that is in good condition bring it. Don't ship junk. Bring the crib. If you buy a new dining room set, think small, not massive.

None of your appliances will work here. There is not as big a price gap in appliances as there once was. Odds of having enough space for a full size American washer/dryer are minimal. I have a stacked Maytag washer/dryer (smaller size) but most places don't have space for that and I understand the new ones are not that great. I wash everything in cold water.

Buy your appliances here. They will work better and you will have a warranty.

Much as I hate to disagree with Hila, I have metal folding chairs that I brought and I think I'd be better off with the Keter stacking plastic chairs.

Bring dishes, cutlery, pots/pans, kitchen gadgets. Bring your cookbooks. Bring towels, bath rugs, shower curtains. Sheets - if you buy beds here they will probably be narrower than standard twin in the states but you could still use twin sheets on them.

Bring (not in the lift) a few months supply of over-the-counter medications and toiletries that are used to.

Good Luck.

hila

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 1:25 am

Hey Grace - send me a pic of your folding chairs and I if I like them, I will buy you new Keter Plastic chairs instead. I find them very uncomfortable.

Hila (about to make shabbat Sheva brachot for 26)

shabri

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 2:27 am

We made aliyah and sent a small lift this summer after living here as students for 5 years so I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to bring. The only investment that I did make was a 220 washer/dryer. I bought it new and it is under warranty. I got a fridgedair stacked 10 kilo model and I love it. I have 3 young kids and expecting my 4th and I spend my life doing laundry. In the long run, I think I will make back my investment since I can basically fit 2 of my old loads into 1 and it takes less than half the time to do the load. So in addition to my sanity, I do believe it is money saving. We did need to do some work both with the electrician and plumber to make it workable total about 600 shekel.

In terms of small appliances I spoke to the guy at Bondy who sells the 220 appliances. We had a bunch of wedding presents in storage that were not used since our wedding 5 years prior including a kitchen aid, microwave, blender, food processor toaster oven etc. He told me that for things with a motor--if we use with a converter you basically get half the life of the appliance. So if a kitchenaid generally lasts 10 years you'll get 5 years out of it. So considering that the converter cost us $40 and we didn't pay for any of those appliances and factoring the in the cost of shipping was not too terrible we decided it was worth it.

But he told me things with a heat element toaster oven microwave, crockpot those would 1. need a more expensive converter and 2. would not work as well. So those things we sold/gave away

Really small appliances sandwich makers, hand blenders are really cheap here. Think about 50 shekel. I would def not bring that.

Any good furniture I would bring. But a dining room set I would prob not buy new there unless you know where you are moving and have the measurements.

We bought some really good beds here and did not break the bank.

ora_43

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 2:44 am

I don't know about big appliances. I know someone who brought hers over and is happy she did, they've all lasted nicely. But like previous posters said, look into the size of your kitchen here first, or get a smallish fridge.

I agree with shabri regarding small cooking appliances (crockpot, bread machine, etc). Once you add in the cost of the converter there's no price difference anymore, so you may as well buy here.

I agree with previous posters re: children's shoes. I have no idea why but there's a big price difference there, so head to target and buy a few pairs.

I wish I had more advice but I'm not so familiar with furniture and appliance prices in America these days. If you could share what you would need to pay there for things like beds, a couch, a nice set of dishes, etc, more Israeli posters might know if it would help to bring from there.

chanchy123

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 3:08 am

hila wrote:

I find that keter chairs are more comfortable to sit on, and they don't take up much space.

Chanchy (just spent shabbat with 30 nearest and dearest and got to sit on an American metal folding chair for two meals).

hila

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 3:19 am

My offer is open to anyone - new plastic keter chairs for their good american folding ones.

fish123

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 4:29 am

bring your pots and pans! and down blankets, you can get them here but they are verrrry expensive

ewa-jo

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 4:38 am

Stock up on makeup/perfume/skincare/vitamins/OTC medicines for you and the kids. (obviously, don't over buy and have the stuff expire before it's used) but you will find that these things are very *expensive* here.... and this is stuff that won't take up very much space.

There4you

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 4:43 am

bring a converter. it's 100 dollars here, and 30 ish in the states. also like e/o said, no small appliances. it's not worth the converter.
bring good furniture. cheap furniture you can buy here.
toys!!!! it's double or more here!
I brought my crib and I'm very happy about it.
of course bring your kitchen! pots and stuff to use daily are necessities. unless they are junk and need replacing anyway.
bring high chair
if you have anything you love, wether it be a rocking chair, clothing, shoes, etc bring!
ps I brought on the plane a folded folding table. it was amazing! we had a table until our lift came!

also, you can bring 2 bags per person on the plane, with nbn. if you go an all olim flight, and bring an extra 1 or 2 suitcases, it will go through. oh and they didn't weigh my luggage in the airport!

Isramom8

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 4:46 am

Regarding kids' clothes, I find that once the kids aren't so little, they want to dress how their friends dress, in Israeli clothes. American clothes other than for kids in gan don't meet our needs at all.

One funny item that lasted me is my hair dryer from the 80s - we called it a blow dryer. My girls think it looks weeeeird...but they use it.

Last edited by Isramom8 on Mon, Feb 06 2012, 4:49 am; edited 1 time in total

tizunabi

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 4:47 am

1. bring a good dining room set (somthing small that expands well..). IME you just cannot find chairs of a good quality here.. it is like they don't exist.
2. My friend who just made aliya also decided to make a small lift and now she regrets that she didn't bring more. she suggests stocking up on cabinet/closet stuff at ikea. Ikea here is SOOO much more expensive, and it is usually worth the extra lift space

hila

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 4:55 am

I told you peopel would reply ... jut remember there is a time difference op !

Oh and bring plenty of savlanut and sovlanut !
(patience and tolerance)

Isramom8

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 5:02 am

I just walked around my whole house and this is what I found still left from America:

sefarim (obviously sold here too)
a Kitchen Aid (same exact one sold here today, 23 years later)
an oil painting my parents had for decades - portrait of a family member (not replacable)
old photos
old comics
old stuffed animals
yearbook

Which leads me to believe that the only things worth bringing are personal items with sentimental value.

m in Israel

Mon, Feb 06 2012, 7:36 am

I agree with a lot of what's been posted, but not all. With regard to small kitchen appliances, are you talking about buying new ones in the U.S. or appliances you already have? I agree that to buy new 110 appliances is not worth it. But if you already own 110 appliances that you like, it is probably worth bringing them and investing in a good converter. You can buy one converter and use it for all your appliances, and save the cost of repurchasing everything in 220. I have been here for 1 1 /2 years and use my 110 toaster, food processer, immersion blender, waffle maker, hand blender, popcorn machine, etc. Anything that I needed to buy new anyway, however, I bought here in 220.

As far as an American washing machine goes, the issue with the hot water is that many laundry hookups here do not have two faucet attachments, but only one cold water attachment, since European machines heat their own water. That means that if you want to use hot water from your dud shemesh, you will need to get a plumber to run a hot water line to the laundry area. This is obviously in addition to dealing with the voltage issue. Keep in mind that running an appliance on a converter wastes electricity, and for large appliances that is more significant.

I strongly agree with the recommendation to bring a few months supply of medications to help with the transition -- the last thing you want is to be sick in a new country and have to figure out new medications. Additionally if anyone in your family takes daily prescription drugs it is ESSENTIAL to bring a 3 -- 6 month supply along. You may not find a doctor to prescribe replacements right away (especially if you need a specialist -- you may not get an appointment right away), and the exact medications may not be available here so you may need time to find a good replacement.

Deodorant and sunscreen are both very expensive here, with much more limited choices. I also agree with the kids clothing issue -- my kids are perfectly happy with the Walmart polo shirts that I buy for $5 when similar shirts here cost triple the price and don't last as well.

Isramom8 -- I assume that after 23 years I probably won't have too much left from America either -- but as someone much more recently "off the boat" I disagree with your conclusion. The fact that something doesn't last for 23 years doesn't change the fact that in those first few years having things that are familiar to you can significantly ease the transition and acclimation process. Obviously tons of Isarelis are living their entire lives without our "American imports" -- it can be done! But Aliyah is a big step, and if having a bigger washing machine or the beds/ pots and pans/ pillows, etc. that you are used to eases that move, I'm all for it.

Page 1 of 3

1 2 3 Next