Attitude of Israeli to american olim

amother

Wed, Feb 24 2021, 2:02 pm

I am on many nefesh bnefesh facebook groups, and people talk about a general attitude among Israelis of being very helpful toward new olim and very happy to see that people are making aliyah. Now that I am in the process of making aliyah, and trying to get things done from america because we cannot enter the country to make a pilot trip, I am finding the opposite. I have friends in Israel trying to help, but when people find out that the renter/buyer of things is an american trying to purchase/rent from america, the attitude is that they don't want to deal with americans, especially ones who are not there now. Is this the real attitude of Israelis? Is this the welcome I can expect? I am not being difficult with things, people just shut down as soon as they hear "american".

amother

Firebrick

Wed, Feb 24 2021, 2:33 pm

Landlords are often hesitant if you're not in Israel, but it has nothing to do with your being American. It's about dealing with someone who's far away, doesn't have an Israeli bank account, and may have to back out of the deal because life is so unpredictable now. It's just easier to deal with someone you can see.

Hopefully you'll get here soon and see how helpful Israelis can be!

Success10

Wed, Feb 24 2021, 2:34 pm

Or they dont want to rent to someone who might not show up in the end and they have no way of holding you to their contract.

Either way, Aliyah is not for the weak of heart. You have to be able to fight for things and the feeling if being a valued customer will be a thing of the past. If you are tough, Aliyah is amazing.

amother

Ecru

Wed, Feb 24 2021, 2:37 pm

Israel works differently then the US. No one wants to rent to you if you are not willing to take an apartment this month. If you were here you would see people being very supportive its the fact that you may not show up or may be delayed by months etc that is putting them off. It is the same thing with jobs. People are not really interested in talking to you until you are here already. I will say in my experience the larger the anglo community the less likely that Israelis are welcoming. Meaning when you live in an anglo stronghold no one is willing to listen to you speak Hebrew but when you are in less anglo areas people have patience for your broken Hebrew and mistakes.

BadTichelDay

Wed, Feb 24 2021, 2:46 pm

I agree with the other posters - the point is not being here.
Before I made aliyah, I came on a pilot trip and did a round of job interviews. Potential employers told me right there and then that they can't and won't consider me until I've actually made aliyah and live here. And in a way, they were right. No point in making any commitment to someone who might or might not come or might come half a year later than planned...
Once I was here, I found the vast majority of people to be very supportive of new olim. (I'm not Anglo but think that makes no difference in this).

essie14

Wed, Feb 24 2021, 3:02 pm

BadTichelDay wrote:

I agree.
We had to rent a few years ago when the house we bought on paper wasn't ready.
Our Israeli landlord was thrilled to rent to us because we were American "freiers". When we notified him that we were leaving because the house was finally ready, he said "can you find me nice American renters like you?"

I think your issue, OP, is Covid and that you aren't here yet. All the Israelis I have encountered since I made Aliyah are generally really helpful. Life is so unpredictable right now. Unless you have a way to pay him upfront for 6 months or something like that, he can't take a chance on you.

amother

Babyblue

Wed, Feb 24 2021, 3:02 pm

What everyone said. It has nothing to do with being anglo.
Things like renting an apartment or getting a job are done here on the spot. No one will hire you for 3 months down the line, and no one will rent an apartment to someone who isn't here and can't sign immediately and offer a guarantor/security check etc.

Covid just intensified the issue. If I had an apartment, I wouldn't rent it to someone who may not even be able to fly to Israel when the time comes.

amother

Babyblue

Thu, Feb 25 2021, 3:10 am

amother [ Papaya ] wrote:

Is it because you are frum?

I doubt that's the issue. But if she has many young children, then that would be a strike against them when looking to rent an apartment. People naturally prefer to rent to smaller families with older kids.

Also, if one of them doesn't work (in kollel or SAHM) that would also be a strike against them when looking to rent.

Rappel

Thu, Feb 25 2021, 3:15 am

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

I've never come across either of these issues.

I think it's just like other posters said: many people plan on making Aliyah, but so many fall through that until you actually land in Israel, landlords/companies don't believe you will do it. They've been burned by the 10 pipe dreamers before you. Once you're here, everything is open to you.

amother

Babyblue

Thu, Feb 25 2021, 3:20 am

Rappel wrote:

I guess it depends where you want to rent. I happen to know a few landlords (in urban areas) and they really seek out the stable couples with a good income and not too many children. Most people aren't ecstatic at renting out their apartment to someone with eight kids, unless they have no choice.

essie14

Thu, Feb 25 2021, 4:00 am

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

In a place where there are mostly families with lots of kids, the landlords have no choice.
An elderly couple without children are not going to rent a 6 room apartment.

amother

Thu, Feb 25 2021, 8:53 am

Thank you for your replies. I doubt it's a frum/family size issue, as we are no more frum and don't have a larger family then is typical for the area. It is likely that they don't want to rent to someone who isn't here yet. How is the best way to handle it? I don't want to arrive in Israel with nowhere to live. Having only an airbnb for a few weeks is just too far out of my comfort zone. How would I know what to take on my lift and what to get rid of if I don't know where I'm going?

Rappel

Thu, Feb 25 2021, 9:23 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Excellent question. There may be some standard process - perhaps providing a special security, definitely paying from when the apartment becomes available - I'll ask around

essie14

Thu, Feb 25 2021, 9:42 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I totally get your anxiety! Is there a relative or friend who could co-sign the lease? Maybe you could wire that person the security deposit and the landlord would feel more comfortable if the payment came from someone living in Israel?
Then when you actually arrive, you can sign a new lease.