ISO Communities with lots of British olim?

amother

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 2:40 am

We're considering aliya and want to know if there are communities in Israel that have a significant number of British olim. I know there are anglos everywhere, but it's very important to us that there are a number of British families there, as we feel that that's where we would fit in best and feel most at home.

Please no bashing. We ave thought a lot about this, and have good friends who made aliya to a community that has plenty of Anglos, but they are almost all Americans, and while they may speak the same language as us, we do not have much in common culturally. It really does make a difference.

Anyone know where there are concentrations of British families (young-ish, with kids in primary school)?

Thanks

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 2:43 am

what kind of community are you looking for? Yishuv? City? Up North? The Mercaz? MO? Charedi?
you have to tell us a little bit about what you are looking for first.
And when you say british olim, how many? and you want new olim? or just brit, no matter how long they have been here?

DrMom

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 3:00 am

Contact the BOS (British Olim Society):

UJIA Israel - British Olim Society (BOS)
National Office
76 Ibn Gvirol Street
Tel-Aviv 61162
Tel: 03-696-5244
Fax: 03-696-7049
Web Site: http://www.ujia.org.il/

amother

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 3:12 am

Thanks DrMom.

Shabbat, you're right, I forgot some important info! We're shomer mitzvot, I cover my hair, DH works and has chevruta once a week and goes to shiurim regularly, I want our kids to have a strong religious education but not at all at the expense of their secular education. If things continue as they are, I see my boys going to hesder when the time comes (beH that won't be necessary but we've got to be realistic here!) I do not identify with the way charedi way of life, but I consider myself no less frum than anyone who calls themselves charedi. So which box does that place us in?! Shtark MO?

We are used to city suburb life so don't want to be cut off from a city but don't really want to live in a city itself.

chanchy123

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 4:18 am

amother wrote:

I think there seem to be many British people in Efrat. That's a nice suburb of Yerushalayim.
My friends in Ramat Beit Shemsh seem to have many British friends as well.
I think also, with time it will become less important for you.

hila

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 5:54 am

Lots of English where I live in Efrat (including me) and most as you describe yourself. Good schools, some young familes - but a big mixture (Dekel area of Efrat) .

Lots of English speakers.

Actually I married out(an American) so my kids are a mixture. And now I dont really feel there is a difference between Anglo Olim who have been here a long time. Well except for the humour and spelling.

We do discuss the merits of Marmite and Root beer (yummy and yukky) in our house. Actually the kids will taste neither of them Wink

Feel free to pm me with more questions.

chanchy123

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 1:55 pm

amother wrote:

Hila - is Efrat mostly Brits who have older children now, or are there still plenty who have little ones?

I know at least one Brit in Efrat with young kids, very early thirties.

hila

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 2:16 pm

There are quite a few. I know one young family with little kids in our shul, she is English, he is South African.

The British only couples are older in our shul I think. But there are lots in Zayit. And teh appartments there are cheaper.

Tamiri

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 2:30 pm

Once Brits get here, the Americans make them realize the error of their ways and those Brits correctly adapt to the American way of life. It's never a problem. Case in hand: Hila. She even married an American! Rolling Laughter

hila

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 2:58 pm

Tamiri wrote:

Most of my British friends are in mixed marriages !

Maybe British guys are too stuffy !

And a lot of men I British men I knew married sefardi girls .. now what does that say ?

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 3:39 pm

Tamiri wrote:

I love this post tamiri Smile

My husband married an american Smile

(he is south african but same difference) but he would say it the other way around that I was "lucky enough" Wink

to marry out, not that he married in Smile

mixed marriages are fun Smile

shalhevet

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 3:47 pm

Tamiri wrote:

Mrs Bissli

Fri, Feb 08 2013, 12:05 am

I have a very good friend who moved to Yad Binyamin with young children and they seem to be happy and thriving there. Or communities around Maale Adumim? Other locations are already mentioned--the british family who moved Ranaana I know are MO/dati leumi, RBS seems more thriving but more to the right/chardal. I also met a S.African family in Har Homa. Majority of British olim I know tend to be older, well-off Hampstead/SJW types, and they pretty much moved to Herzlia.

Isn't that hard enough to find an enclave with right hashkafa, esp if you are not clear-cut DL or Israeli chareidi? Why make it more difficult with british vs american anglos? Israeli mothers can correct me, but isn't hesdar yeshiva considered DL?

I would definitely check with Nefesh b'Nefesh UK --they occasionally host "Aliya Fair" if you check JC and the like.

Mrs Bissli

Fri, Feb 08 2013, 12:15 am

Tamiri wrote:

Rest assured, surely those Brits wives will be introducing their husbands to the delight of salad cream, brown sauce, chicken tikka masala and crumpets while educating them why it's wrong to switch over forks to the right hands and how it's unnecessary to put ice in their drinks...

DrMom

Fri, Feb 08 2013, 12:46 am

Mrs Bissli wrote:

Tamiri wrote:

Chicken tikka masala sounds delightful. I'm afraid to ask what "salad cream" is....

asm712

Fri, Feb 08 2013, 2:46 am

Modiin has a lot of Brits in the Buchman and Kaiser neighborhoods. Religiously, there are a lot of families like you described and some are more modern. Kaiser has families with younger kids, ie more families with kids under 10, and Buchman has families with slightly older kids.