Making Aliyah: What to bring and what to buy there?

aussie2

Sun, Apr 30 2017, 2:03 am

Yes, Israel is not a 3rd world county but as someone else mentioned if you have spices/spice blends you particularly like bring that..
*I brought tons of shout gel (stain remover).. honestly I have tried many things here but don't like them as much.
*conditioner, shampoo, body wash you can buy all that stuff here.. They have Pantene, Dove, head & shoulders etc..
*makeup I would bring as it costs wayyyyyyyyy more here..
*bring good quality linen (if it will fit the beds you have here) and towels..
*kids clothing prob makes sense to bring all of it.. as well as your own unless it's stuff you really aren't using..
*Electronics.. be careful to check what can be used w/ a converter without ruining the appliance.
*Prob your best bet is what you said sharing a lift with someone..
hatzlacha!

Rappel

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 9:41 am

starrygirl wrote:

Thank you all for the insight! I probably will not be bringing a lot because a lot of my stuff is very old and on it's last leg...
Maybe I'll see if someone has space on their lift for my dishes and kids toys and pay for the space..
Thank you all for your help!

That sounds sensible.

At the end of the day - Israeli furniture and israeli appliances are built to fit Israeli homes, and you'll be much more comfortable if you use them. Unless you have something heirloom, like your fancy dishes, or high quality toys that aren't worth reselling, then there's nothing really to bring except clothes, and anything you'll need to live, like your favourite pots or books.

Rappel

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 9:45 am

amother [ Maroon ] wrote:

How do you bring a washer and dryer from the us if they’re 110V- buy one made for Canada or smth?

Practically, how does timing of lift works: do movers come and empty out the house while you’re still There, and you go on the plane the same day, or spend a day in a hotel before your flight?

What do you not put on the lift, rather take with you ina suitcase?

I don't recommend bringing a washer. Aside from the power problem, Israeli washers are much more water efficient. They take much longer to do the wash, but they'll Save you a ton of money on your water bill and electric.

I didn't do a lift, but I understand that it takes several months from when they pack up until you can unload on the israeli end. So people need to fill their home with cheap temporary furniture for those few months anyway... Unless something is really valuable to you, it seems like too much bother.

amother

Burlywood

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 9:49 am

Have you considered taking a partial lift? There are companies that will allow you to just send a few things- dolphin, strand, sonigo.... we took most of our stuff on our lift and we were happy we did. The only thing was probably worth it financially was bringing out dinning room table. We probably could have gotten everything else in Israel for a similar price to what we spent on the lift. On the other hand, it can be extremely stressful to have to go running around from store to store with kids in tow and HAVE to buy your basic essentials. When we first came we had to buy large kitchen appliances (fridge, oven, washing machine...), bunk beds and hi risers and that was stressful enough. Not knowing where to find appropriate stores and where to find good quality and good prices can make life stressful. To find the hi risers I “just” schlepped to 2 stores, but it involved taking a double stroller on buses in the heat and having trouble finding the store- not to mention trying to haggle on prices...
One thing I’ve heard people recommend is buying things from IKEA in the US (cheaper and prob easier for you to schlep) and send on lift in flat boxes- this way it takes up little space.

Also, check out next.co.il
In my experience they usually deliver within 2 weeks. I recently got pillows and a blanket from there that seem to be pretty good quality. It can give you an idea of some home products (clothes, shoes, linen....) you can easily get in Israel.
Good luck!
I wish you a smooth and successful Aliya!

amother

Hotpink

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 9:51 am

amother [ Maroon ] wrote:

FYI, Canada also uses 110 voltage.

It takes about 6 weeks to ship a lift. So you let the movers take your stuff, and then you need to decide where you'll be until your stuff arrives in Israel. Many people use the time to travel, but if you are going straight to Israel, you will have to borrow/rent a table and chairs, mattresses, a mini fridge and toaster oven, and camp out in your empty house until your lift arrives. Many communities have gemachim for this purpose.

Bring important documents and prescription medication in your had luggage. Pack linens and towels, a few pots and pans, and clothes for a few weeks in your suitcase.

essie14

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 9:52 am

amother [ Maroon ] wrote:

Don't bring anything that is not 220. There are sellers who sell 220 appliances in N. America and you get it delivered straight to the shipping company and bring it on your lift. I don't understand why anyone does this. I prefer buying my appliances locally and they have a warranty and I know the seller personally.

Timing the lift - where do you have a place to stay? Many people have the lift pack up a month before their flight, move in to your parents or an AirBNB or something, then the lift should arrive shortly after you arrive in Israel.
Alternatively, you send the lift a few days before your flight and stay in a hotel/AirBNB/family or friends in Israel until your lift arrives.
Or if you are not sending beds, you can move into your apartment in Israel right away and order beds before you fly or as soon as you land.
If you are coming with a family you have 2 suitcases per person and possibly 1 or 2 extra for your whole group. So you can pack some basic pots/pans and other essential kitchen stuff.
If you come in the summer, you can pack your winter clothes on the lift.
Anything valuable or irreplaceable should not go on a lift. The entire boat could drown. You have insurance for this, but don't send anything you don't want to live without.

NO IMPORTANT PAPERS! Those should all come with you on the plane.

SacN

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 10:18 am

I paid 4000$.

I paid per cubic foot, had the stuff taken a month before our flight and we got it a week after arriving.

I sent: books/sefarim, baby gear, toys, non electric kitchen stuff (including for pesach) , couch, beds (Israeli mitah v'chetzi size, 48inch, which you can buy sheets for), crib, folding chairs and table, good hangers (skirt ones especially).

I believe replacing all that would have cost me the money I spent, I still have/use all of it (minus the baby stuff) years and years later, and was so happy to have my own stuff and not need to start toveling all new kitchen stuff and finding stores from scratch.

I bought all my appliances here, as it made no sense to me to ship them. I rent my apartment, so I didn't know what there would be space for.

Honestly, you can buy everything here and these days, it's not a fortune. Bring what you personally want with you/can't replace, and leave the rest.

amother

Beige

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 11:58 am

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

If you only have a few things, see about sending a couple of boxes in someone else's lift.

We brought beds because we were bringing a houseful of furniture. You do need to know that the standard Israeli twin mattress is narrower than an American one, so if you bring beds, bring extra sheets.

Re: the latter comment, you can even turn flat sheets into fitted ones with bed-bands or bed-straps, (though bed-bands are expensive too.) But people say they're worth it. So I would assume that bed-bands would work with oversized fitted sheets too.
I'd like to know, though, are there really comfortable mattress toppers there, and are they affordable?

Now about the first comment:

Which forum (or org.) lets people arrange for sharing a lift?
Or alternatively, if Dolphin/Strand/Sonigo lets you send a smaller container, what are their sizes and pricing?
And which would be the more affordable or easier option - lift-sharing, or Dolphin/Strand?
And what if both parties sharing the lift have opposite destinations, such as, say, Jerusalem and Northern Israel?
And is there any Gemach which offers a warehouse allowing olim to store a certain amount of stuff for a set time at cost price, just in case their apartment in Israel isn't yet available? I mean they do have gemach-warehouses there for food-distribution, so that's why I was wondering if this is available too, or whether they have room to allocate a certain amount of space in the food-warehouse for temporary storage for olim.

[u]

amother

Burlywood

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 12:07 pm

The way it works is you contact the lift company, they give you a quote for a partial lift and they do the rest. You don’t have to worry about who you are sharing with..... I think there can be legal issues with sharing a lift unofficially.
If you do this, get quotes from at least 3 companies and compare what they’re offering.
Often, if you do a partial lift you can get around 30 days of free storage in the US and in Israel- not so with a full lift.

Oh and about the mattress topper, I can’t vouch for comfort, but check out what they have at next.co.il . That would probably be a relatively inexpensive option for a mattress topper. Usually arrives within 2 weeks.

amother [ Beige ] wrote:

Which forum (or org.) lets people arrange for sharing a lift?
Or alternatively, if Dolphin/Strand/Sonigo lets you send a smaller container, what are their sizes and pricing?
And which would be the more affordable or easier option - lift-sharing, or Dolphin/Strand?
And what if both parties sharing the lift have opposite destinations, such as, say, Jerusalem and Northern Israel?
And is there any Gemach which offers a warehouse allowing olim to store a certain amount of stuff for a set time at cost price, just in case their apartment in Israel isn't yet available? I mean they do have gemach-warehouses there for food-distribution, so that's why I was wondering if this is available too, or whether they have room to allocate a certain amount of space in the food-warehouse for temporary storage for olim.

[u]

amother

Beige

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 12:55 pm

amother [ Burlywood ] wrote:

Burlywood, when you mentioned "legal issues" were you referring to the "partial lift" - or were you referring to people doing it with each other unofficially?
And if the latter - is that because of Corona? Or was that always the case?

I really appreciate your helpful info - thanks!

Regarding next.co.il my Hebrew is not up to par (much as I tried hard decades ago), but also I never mastered a Hebrew keyboard, assume I can download it. I don't feel I have time to start mastering it. I can always work on that when/if I'd manage to get to there.
FYI, long ago, in my desperation to master Ivrit, I had approached the woman in charge of a haredi girls school in Israel, and asked if I could borrow a child's book so that I can try to teach myself Ivrit. She stared at me with gimlet eyes, and then refused my request. At that time, I did have time to learn, and in fact was bored out of my mind & depressed. But nowadays, I lack the time, back here in the States. I also had tried several ulpanim, and all of them proved to be a nightmare, including lack of heat in one, stress to keep up with brighter classmates, bad teaching techniques, shaming me similar to Hodgson-Burnett's Miss Minchin (not my fault that the previous ulpan failed to relinquish credits to the next one despite having been requested to), a classmate having swiped my coat off the hook instead of her own in her rush to catch the bus & ensuing fiasco...it was all not worth it, except to teach me for the zillionth time the nature of humanity. Suffice, I'm the type who's best off teaching myself, because barely anyone except a long-ago swim-teacher understands my way of learning and thinking.
Can't Believe It

amother

Beige

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 4:16 pm

essie14 wrote:

Next has an Israeli site in English.
https://www.next.co.il/en

Essie thanks for pointing that out! Smile

This https://www.next.us/en/style/s.....98060 looks like it may be comfortable, though others might be more so. If it's listed as $50 for a twin, would that be 200 sh? And fit Israeli beds? It doesn't look trimmable the way memory-foam toppers are.
...And assume I'd get to Israel & only have an Alcatel SmartFlip phone, what would be the process of ordering it? Is that possible with such a limited phone?
Previously, I'd asked on various venues how to get set up with Hot Cable (I didn't understand the various phone plan comparisons on an ivrit "Mokad Takshoret" site given to me, though I have the printout). I don't know whether to bring my probably old-fashioned modem & router, whether to order a small laptop, whether to bring my old-wonderful Panasonic corded phones to use with cable, and so forth. I wish as much as possible to avoid WiFi for health reasons.

I did come across this excellent video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaQYMzzbAXc
...but I don't know where to get all the components as I'm not so technical.

amother

Beige

Mon, Jun 29 2020, 6:05 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

I just looked at the OP, it was from 2017. Hopefully the OP made aliyah and is finding life here to her liking.
I also looked at the OP has not posted anything since 2017. Oh well. Smile

What's the diff.?

If the subsequent 2020 posts are very relevant to "what to bring and what not", those searching for answers can find a list of hopefully-helpful info.

My personal issue, is when respondents repeat overlapping advices many times within a thread, because that can add up to alot of time. For example, advice about linens and beds can be sorta summed up into one post stating "you can bring U.S. twin-sized linens along with bed-bands or bed-straps to enable them to fit on the narrower Israeli beds, though you may want to consider bringing your U.S. beds if you must have your own comfortable bed. But with that said, do note that some very comfortable mattress toppers are available in Israel, and here's an English-language site for same.
I recommend XXX mattress topper, as it's durable and comfortable.
And yes, the topper even fits on Israeli beds of various sizes!"

Of course, even that leaves a loose-end (Catch-22?) because not everyone will have internet access right away upon arrival (if at all, for religious or affordability reasons) - so how do they get to order all these goodies?

amother

Burlywood

Tue, Jun 30 2020, 5:10 am

When you do a partial lift and arrange it with the lift company all is good. Putting your stuff unofficially on someone else’s lift is illegal. You’re allowed to bring 3 lifts tax free to Israel within a certain amount of time after making Aliya. Your stuff on the lift has to be in your name.

Sorry about the Hebrew link. I usually use the English website myself!
In terms of ulpan, I highly recommend ulpan l’inyan. They have classes all over the country. Google them to look into their method.

amother [ Beige ] wrote: