Moving to Israel. | Imamother

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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Moving/ Relocating

Moving to Israel.

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amother

Salmon

Tue, Nov 22 2016, 6:48 pm

My husband is Israeli and I know within the next year or two we will end up moving to Israel. So really I want advice from you guys! What should I be expecting - the reality of it! Don't want to move there thinking it's all awful/amazing. Most probably going to be living in the centre- bb ramat gan petach tikva etc. Any advice words of wisdom you can give me would be appreciated!
-any way I can "prepare" before I move there. What do you wish you had known before you moved?
TIA

MitzadSheini

Tue, Nov 22 2016, 7:28 pm

This post made me think - it's like saying, I'm about to be born. Don't want to think it's going to be all good or all bad, tell me what to expect.....

Except the unexpected!!! It is such a privilege to have the mitzvah of yishuclv etetz Yisrael. Moshe rabbeinub didn't get to do this.

Hatlacha rabba.

essie14

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 6:04 am

There's a "Life in Israel" forum here - you can request to join.

Your post is really vague - do you have specific questions or concerns?

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 6:43 am

essie14 wrote:

There's a "Life in Israel" forum here - you can request to join.

Your post is really vague - do you have specific questions or concerns?

I think you can only join if you have 35 posts or something like that.

OP, yes, your post was extremely vague, but I will say this much: If you have a few years then get your hebrew up to par. Thats so important.

Other than that, what would you like to know

DrMom

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 6:59 am

amother wrote:

What do you want to know about?
- Employment?
- Schools?
- Infrastructure?
- Housing?
- Cultural differences?
- Food?

And if your DH is Israeli, why don't you just ask him?

jerusalem90

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 7:01 am

It's really hard to deal with costumer service and beurocracy, just know that it's hard for everyone and it's not like Israelis are out to get you specifically.

amother

Lime

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 7:03 am

I hate it here...

essie14

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 7:09 am

I love it here. Love the medical system. Love the feeling that everyone is family. Love our simpler lifestyle. Love that my kids love living here and feel that Israel is the greatest place in the world to live. Love that my kids will be serving our country with love and pride and that they can't wait to do it.

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 7:16 am

amother wrote:

I hate it here...
doctors, everything and how the system works
a lot of type of people I'm even scared of, behaving like arabs
everything is more exspensive (zara, h&m etc are more exspensive)
you can work very hard and not make money

its hard everywhere but Israel tops the list

Im sorry you feel this way amother. What do yo uhate about doctors and "everything and how the system works"?
Ive been here almost 14 years, both single and married, and have only had wonderful doctors. Ive had hospital stays (not talking births) and dealt with surgeries and fertility doctors. All have been actually wonderful.
And what does that mean "how the system works"? what system? I find that if you know what you need for something, yes, you may have to go back to an office three times, but it all gets done in the end.
What does that mean, behaving like arabs? Im sorry, but that statement was just plain rude. I dont love all arabs, but please realize that not all arabs are bad people.
And most definitely not everything is more expensive here.

I feel like amother you need some TLC, maybe us israeli posters can help you out. Sad

And I completely do not agree that israel tops the list of hard places.
Also, if you hate it so much, why are you here?

Iymnok

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 7:44 am

If you hate the system, you really have to learn it better and accept certain parts that likely won't change. -Though some things are surprisingly changing.

If you are constantly comparing everything to America, you'll be unhappy. What's uncomfortable?, find an alternative that's better. Be that a Dr or kupa, place and method of buying clothes, ways of cooking...

Tablepoetry

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 8:12 am

amother wrote:

So sad to go through life like this. Why dont you move somewhere else?

amother

Lime

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 8:12 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

And I completely do not agree that israel tops the list of hard places.
Also, if you hate it so much, why are you here?

ill explain

Teomima

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 8:14 am

There's something my mother loves to say about Israelis that really sums up the culture here. She says (and this is completely true) that Israeli bus drivers will yell and be rude, but if G-d forbid there were a terrorist on the bus, they'd be the first person to risk their life to save the other passengers.

Israelis come across as loud, pushy, opinionated, and rude. But it's the kindest, most loving version of rudeness. It's like how you may go to your in-laws and be kind, polite and respectful, but when you visit your own parents you may fight with your sibling, burp at the table, disagree with your mother...but it's family. You tease and argue but you love and care. And you know when you've officially graduated from olah chadasha status when you can be just as loud and pushy as the rest of them.

amother

Yellow

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 8:19 am

amother wrote:

ill explain (my English isn't the best so I know I can come across different)
there is this bucherim behaving so badly I'm scared of them, I have lot of stories
1 example, saw a boy just go up to girls and hit them, I had this exact story with an arab not in Israel
docters-you can change once in 3 month, if you want a top dr you need to pay, no dr when giving birth, and every single dr I went so far I didn't like

So you live in a neighborhood with badly behaved young people and you don't like your doctors.

I don't know where you are from, but insurance or government health care almost always limits access to doctors in some way. It sounds like you need to get a good recommendation for a new doctor.

I have never seen the kind of violence you describe. Do you live near a bar or drug dealers? There are plenty of well-behaved kids in Israel.

amother

Salmon

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 8:50 am

DrMom wrote:

What do you want to know about?
- Employment?
- Schools?
- Infrastructure?
- Housing?
- Cultural differences?
- Food?

And if your DH is Israeli, why don't you just ask him?

I want to hear from other ladies like me who live their day to day lives there.
I am more or less fluent in Hebrew.
How hard is it to get a job? If I am fluent in bygone languages? What type of job am I likely to find. What type of pay would I be getting?
My husband has explained more or less prices of houses to buy. But renting? What's the prices to get a nice sized 2 bedroom flat? Really don't want a tiny squishy flat!
Schools- I've got one 2 year old so by when we move he will probably be ready for school. What are the costs like? If I wanted to work full day what are my options with schools finishing early? And if I was sending to some sort of after school club/babysitter how much extra is it?
Health care- how does the system work. I heard they changed the system recently?
Prices of food- I'm from the U.K. So I've heard in comparison the food in israel is cheaper but your not making as much- how does it work out in comparison to what you work is it expensive. Meat/fish/ general groceries- sounds funny but what about shampoos soaps things like that?
Cultural differences- I know there are plenty!!

Thanks for all the replies!

GramaNewYork

Wed, Nov 23 2016, 8:54 am

This is a reply to OP (Salmon) and Lime.

You can expect lots of wonderful things about being here from all that posters have written.

One thing you cannot expect is empathy for your brand new status as a new immigrant moving across the world to face a new culture.

People who have lived here for awhile and have had years to get used to things seem not to remember any of what they went through the first year and may say things to you when you complain after being here for two weeks, "you've got to stop thinking like an American."

People who came here in their youth can also not be expected to empathize because they were young, idealistic, energetic, etc., different then someone who comes as an older person or a person with built-in responsibilities as a parent or perhaps the child of a senior citizen.

Any negative comment you may make when you first arrive may well be greeted by, "nobody said it would be easy. The Land is full of yisurim."

If you can come here and expect that life, at least for the first few years, will be difficult (because all adjustments are difficult), you may find that all beginnings are also lovely. You will get both and your emotions will be forced to go from top to bottom constantly which is very intense and can be difficult for some people. The lack of respect you experience, the out and out chutzpa, will sometimes be offset by amazing acts of chesed.

You must be prepared for how you and your spouse will respond to the conditions and the way you will be treated. There are so many wonderful things and there are so many extremely, extremely difficult things. There are some wonderful doctors and some truly frustrated doctors who lack any sort of compassion. People who have had only good experiences may not be aware of others; some with chronic conditions who are treated very badly or those who have been made to feel so badly, that they allow themselves to deteriorate rather than to continue taking the abuse and neglect they have received.

To Lime, I understand you completely. Please only confide your sad feelings to someone you really trust to validate your feelings and not make you feel worse. If you want, you can PM me because while I am happy to be here on the one side, I have experienced so much pain on the other side and I will not ask you why you are here if it is so difficult. I know why you are here. For one of the many reasons why Jews come here.

Hatzlacha to both of you.

amother

Salmon

Sat, Nov 26 2016, 2:22 pm

bumping this up again.
anyone have answers to my questions?
TIA

shabbatiscoming

Sat, Nov 26 2016, 2:40 pm

amother wrote:

You ask what type of job can you get? Well, what are your skills? Do yo have a degree? That all depends then on how much you could/would make.
Renting prices vary all over the country. Where would you be looking?
School costs also vary. For example, if you send to a public religious school, actual tuition is free. There are some fees but it is not all that much. (we pay about 2000 shekels the entire year and that includes a food program). I know nothing about charedi schools though.
Again, after school programs vary all over the place. There are private programs run by local teens, there are subsidized chugim from community centers. It all completely depends.
health care - it is not very expensive at all. everyone in israel is covered. it is socialized medicine.

Tablepoetry

Sat, Nov 26 2016, 2:46 pm

amother wrote:

bumping this up again.
anyone have answers to my questions?
TIA

Your questions are really vague. For example, the rent for a 2 bdrm apartment will vary widely depending if we are talking about the outskirts of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv proper, or Tzfat or Afula.

I have no idea how much money you will be making based only on the fact you are bilingual. Unless I missed it, you did not seem to mention what your profession is.

In general, I think life here can be very good. At least I'm b'h happy here. But there are people unhappy here, just like in any other country in the world. (just for comparison though, we always rate way way higher than the states in quality of life studies or happiness index statistics).

amother

Salmon

Sat, Nov 26 2016, 2:49 pm

So I think I mentioned earlier looking in bnei berak Ramat gan area.
Regarding jobs - no university degree but have done a year long graphics course and another interior design corse would be looking office secretarial job - Maybe something that would be able to move up the ranks in. Thanks!

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