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

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Inspired

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 4:32 am

mommy62 wrote:

mummy wrote:

I will iy"H be making Aliya in 6 weeks. I will not be shipping any thing, only taking our baggage allowance. I am trying to figure out what I should be taking with me. For example, my high chair and baby swing are both fairly new. I also have clothes from my 3 year old that will fit my 2 year old soon.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I was born and raised in israel. I live in the states now and I can tell this.
TAKE EVERYTHING YOUR BABY WILL NEED! stroller car seats high chair...crib, toys because the prices in israel are crazy! infant car seat that you can get here for $50 at walmart are 1000 and up in israel!!!!
get a kitchen aid here its 4000-5000 shekels in israel , buy a washer and a dryer, oven and refrigerator, its very expansive in Israel.... the ovens in israel are tiny!!!! if u celebrate thanksgiving you wont be able to cook a turkey...
sofas are pricey too and for a nice one youll have to pay 7000+
if u need more advice feel free to ask.

Please stop the hysterionics. The seats you can get in walmart for 50$...which seat is that? The only seats that come close to 1000 SHEKEL are those that cost well over 100$.
Lets compare seats from evenflo. A good middle of the road car seat brand. And personally I love my evenflo triumph advance.
Price on amazon.com 158 dollars http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-.....r=1-7 not including shipping.
Price on zap.co.il 688 shekel, including delivery: http://www.zap.co.il/model.asp.....95So, thats less than 100 shekel more.
I would not advise bring a crib. You can get that here for a decent price and good quality. Its a big thing to shlep.
I would bring a pack and play if you have one.
Also, Op is not in AMerica, afaik there are no walmarts in London.

The price of things like that here is often double for the exact same item. But there is usually a cheaper version available. Many things are worthwhile to bring but nothing to get excited about if you can't. You can sometimes even buy used at moving sales and the yad2 site.

I totally, totally do not reccomend bringing large appliances. Especially if you weren't planning a lift at all. They might be a little bit more costly than you are used to but you have achrayoot (warranties) that you can't bring from over seas and you know that the repairmen here can get the parts for the appliane you buy here. Once you are here all the Israeli ladies can advise you on appliances. A mixer, maybe bring, but only if you can get a 220 volt cheaply.

I am not sure when you left Mommy62, but there are plenty of ovens here now that are big enough to cook a turkey.

With whatever due respect I can muster I don't think someone who left EY is the one Op should be asking advice from. Those who left the land of walmart and now happily cook in ovens that are sometimes too small to fit a turkey, and ususally can't get a whole turkey unless they special order it at the butcher are more than happy to advise Op on what she needs to make a life here.

amother

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 4:40 am

mummy wrote:

I will not be shipping any thing, only taking our baggage allowance.

Hello...ladies...she said she's not taking a shipment!!!!

You can not fit a bike in your suitcase, btw. She just feels bad that she's not taking her kids bikes. Just make her feel better and know she can buy them here. BTW, she wants to know what to bring with her on the plane!!!

And to the lady who recommended shipping all appliances. That's bad advice. Who's servicing the warranty on all those appliances? Which by the way may not even fit through the door of your typical Israeli apartment or fit in the designated location in your apartment. Oh, and you should know you can cook a turkey in a regular Israeli oven, they are small but not that small. lol

merelyme

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 4:56 am

mummy wrote:

Wow, thanks for all your replies. I feel a bit calmer just knowing thay you are all out there.

We will be coming from London. If any of you have info on partial lifts I would be interested. I will also post on the nefesh b'nefesh group.

She's considering a lift, so we mentioned the bikes and the like.

I agree with the advice about not sending large appliances. I think England uses the same 220v electricity as Israel (though with a different plug), so you might consider bringing small appliances, but only if you own them or it's a great buy. You'll probably be just as happy buying in Israel.

Inspired

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 4:59 am

amother wrote:

mummy wrote:

I will not be shipping any thing, only taking our baggage allowance.

Hello...ladies...she said she's not taking a shipment!!!!

She is leaving in 6 weeks. She has time to change her mind if she gets advice that its worth it and she sees its feaible for her.

Quote:

You can not fit a bike in your suitcase, btw. She just feels bad that she's not taking her kids bikes. Just make her feel better and know she can buy them here.

It depends what you mean by "bike". You can fit a small bike in a big suitcase or box. I use boxes not suitcases when I have traveled with lots of stuff. The second biggest uhaul size was exactly the size of using a box as luggage, and the box itself weighs next to nothing.
Make her feel better that she can buy them here? I don't think its worth it to leave them behind and upset her kids and then purchase something she already owned, if just shipping or bringing what she has is at all possible.

Quote:

BTW, she wants to know what to bring with her on the plane!!!

And we are all just trying to give her good, useful advice!!!! under our own screenames!!!!

Quote:

Oh, and you should know you can cook a turkey in a regular Israeli oven, they are small but not that small. lol

The oven I started out with would not have been large enough to cook a whole turkey. Which worked just fine because I couldn't buy a turkey without ordering it special and waiting 2 weeks for it to be available at the butcher. But tha is not really relevant because there are ovens bigger than the small standard ones.

sarahd

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 5:02 am

freidasima wrote:

Beds are a problem. Rooms here are sometimes very small and while an average american bed might measure 39 inches an average Israeli bed is 24 inches.

FS, 24 inches is 60 cm. I really, really hope you aren't sleeping on a 60 cm. mattress. My kid's crib mattress is 70 cm., which is standard European (not even American) crib size. OTOH, one of the things I forgot to buy in Israel this time, which really aggravates me, is 80 cm mattress protectors. Our guest room beds are 80 cm and you can't get that size protectors here. In Israel, that's standard.

merelyme

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 5:09 am

sarahd wrote:

Our guest room beds are 80 cm and you can't get that size protectors here. In Israel, that's standard.

You can find 80 cm kids beds, but I think 90 cm is considered standard - 35 inches. Wider beds are available but not as common.

cubbie

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 5:15 am

go to M&S and buy all your basic whites, including a ton of tights, and thermal underwear for the kids there is nothing here even close to M&S and it's those basics that I miss the most. Right now because the pound is so week, England is much cheaper than Israel to buy things (which wasn't the case when I made aliyah) so it would probably be worth bringing as much as you can - even if it means rethinking and sending a shipment or sharing a shipment.

cubbie

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 5:19 am

Also baby/kids stuff from primark, it is so cheap and better quality than the expensive stuff here, my #3 is wearing primark stuff that #s 1&2 wore, yet stuff that she got as gifts from here were garbage after a few washes.

Raisin

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 5:35 am

I was also going to say stock up in primark or m&s. Next also if you can get stuff on sale. (maybe go to the outlets) you can get socks, underwear and pjs for the next few sizes in primark.

and things like marmite, english cheese if you are a fan.

freidasima

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 5:42 am

Sarahd I know lots of Israelis sleeping on 70 cm mattress myself included. So are my kids depending on the size of the room. We have a very small apartment and if you are talking a three meter wide room and a closet in the room which takes up 60 cm depth, so if you have two 70 cm mattressed in bed frames (separate, we are married after all) that's almost 1.90 of beds and closet. which leaves you exactly 60 cm on either side of the bed. However as we have to have at least one nighttable as well my bed is pushed to the wall with my husband's bed next to mine and the nighttable next to his so that you can actually get in and out of the room. On his side. Yeah when I get out of bed at night I have to slither out of the bottom.

Lo nora. After 30 plus years you get used to it.

Welcome to small Israeli apartments.

But even with that, I still recommend some foreign appliances. As I wrote fridges are fine here these days but I hate Israeli ovens if they are one piece, I haven't yet seen an Israeli standing oven wide enough for me, those which are 30 inches are incredibly expensive!!! The average Israeli oven is 60 cm wide, some even come at 50. The average American stove to which I was used was almost a meter! 36 inches!

It was worth the price for me to have a personal import.
Now for the warantees.
They aren't worth the paper they are written on sometimes in EY, hence it made no difference to bring from abroad. For the frst few years most appliances are fine anyhow and by then almost all warranties are no good any more.

Washing machines are imported anyhow so if you can get much cheaper abroad it might be worth bringing.
Dryers. Can't get a gas dryer here if that's what you are used to. Israeli electric dryers (meaning the turkish or croatian imports, we have no local brands I know of) are very lousy in terms of non crease, everything comes out awful unless you put three things in only. When I had my american dryer I would put in a full load and nothing would be creased at it was gas criss cross...alas it broke and to get one here would be over NIS 15,000!! So I went with a crystal import, a big expensive one for NIS 4,000 and everything is creased.

Should have done personal import and gotten a gas dryer. The last one lasted for 29 years...

All depends on what you want.

Getting through the doors? Just keep in mind that most normal Israeli doors measure at least 80 cm so plan accordingly. You can always take off the door frame if you have to.

ausmum

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 5:58 am

Don't take your high chair. I brought mine and it takes up to much space in the apartment. You are much better off buying one that sits on a regular chair. Definitely bring clothes for the toddler. The last thing you will feel like doing is clothes shopping. The kitchen stuff forget about. You will have to face the supermarket no matter how much you try and shlep. Good luck. it is going to be fabulous and challenging.

mummy

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 6:55 am

cubbie wrote:

go to M&S and buy all your basic whites, including a ton of tights, and thermal underwear for the kids there is nothing here even close to M&S and it's those basics that I miss the most.

I have a fair amount of money in M&S which I got as baby gifts. I couldn't face spending 20 pounds on a tiny dress just because I have the gift card. Thanks for the advice, now I know why everyone chose to give me M&S gift cards.

sarahd

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 7:01 am

merelyme wrote:

sarahd wrote:

Our guest room beds are 80 cm and you can't get that size protectors here. In Israel, that's standard.

You can find 80 cm kids beds, but I think 90 cm is considered standard - 35 inches. Wider beds are available but not as common.

But 80 cm is at least standard something in Israel - where I live, standard children's beds are also 90 cm and it's impossible to find any accessories to 80 cm beds.

mummy

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 7:06 am

[quote="freidasima"]Beds are a problem. Rooms here are sometimes very small and while an average american bed might measure 39 inches an average Israeli bed is 24 inches. Linens, the good stuff here is incredibly expensive, as are towels etc.quote]

This is one thing that I am worried about. I am so used to my big, double bed all for myself. I can nurse my newborn and have my toddler next to me in comfort.

kalsee

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 7:06 am

freidasima you are definitely an old timer. those are not the sizes of things I know people are buying nowadays. 35 years ago, yeah.

Inspired

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 7:07 am

80 cm is a standard yachid bed. 90 is a bigger yachid. 70 cm is a "noar". mita vachetzi is very common as well. I think they are 120 cm.
American single is about 98 iirc.

freidasima

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 7:11 am

Well considering that I live in a building that was built almost 40 years ago, I can say that my apartment is an "old timer" as well.

Everything depends on where you live. If you have a small bedroomed apartment you have to get small beds. If you have three and four children in a bedroom you have to get small beds. Remember that the average Israeli "double bed" measures 140 cm which is only 70 per person!

Sure if you have a big house with big bedrooms no problem but if you can only afford an older building you can be sure that the rooms will be small. Everything depends on where you are going to live. If the building is ancient that's a different story. In the 1940s and 50s they build larger three room apartments than some of the five room ones being sold today! But in the 1970s they cut down and until the 1990s they didn't start building bigger...who could afford it?

Inspired

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 7:14 am

mummy wrote:

freidasima wrote:

Beds are a problem. Rooms here are sometimes very small and while an average american bed might measure 39 inches an average Israeli bed is 24 inches. Linens, the good stuff here is incredibly expensive, as are towels etc.

This is one thing that I am worried about. I am so used to my big, double bed all for myself. I can nurse my newborn and have my toddler next to me in comfort.

I do the same and I have not had a problem fitting my double plus dh's 80- 90 cm single in the room in very small, very old apartments. We have even had those plus a crib. Yeah the room is crowded, but we all sleep comfortably. I would say bring your bed, if possible and bring your linens.

Last edited by Inspired on Wed, Oct 20 2010, 7:22 am; edited 1 time in total

freidasima

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 7:14 am

Inspired, I remember when the mita vacheti's came out.
My friends would buy them and put two kids into one! Cheaper than two beds and better in terms of space in a room.
I guess we are of a generation in which sleeping space was of a premium in EY...

freidasima

Wed, Oct 20 2010, 7:16 am

Inspired, if you have a bedroom measuring 3x3 meters how in the world could you fit both a double and a 90 cm bed and a crib into a room? a double is 1.40, add to that 90 and you have 2.50. Did you not have a closet in the room as well? Maybe if you don't it's possible but we have a closet in every bed room otherwise where do you put your clothes?

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