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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Israel related Inquiries & Aliyah Questions
Please help plan Kiwi13's Aliyah!
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amother
Impatiens


 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 1:25 am
Disability for a child is not hard to prove if you have good documentation.
Besides for the monthly stipend you get other benefits as well(such as 33% off property tax - arnona) and something in the water bill.

Disability for yourself- the main thing to prove is that it affects your ability to work and bring in an income.
I recommend filing as soon as you get to Israel, because disability for an oleh chadash (for the first year) is much more lenient. The only thing to prove is that it affects your day to day life.


Car insurance, including everything - we pay about 5000 shekel per year. Including registration fees and yearly test.

Insurance -you can pay nothing and have basic health insurance , or upgrade within the kupa and pay something .
We pay about 400 shekel a month for the highest level of Meuhedet (family of 6) and copays for specialists (nothing for GP or pediatrician) are about 30 shekel per quarter.

The medications we use are covered 85%, but you have to check the "medicine basket" to see.

Private doctors - we can get back 80% 4 times a year (per specialty), there is a cap but I can't remember what it is.

Food- family of 6, spend 1000-1200 shekel per week, not frugal at all.

If you have any reason to suspect that you are affected by Israel specifically, such as Jerusalem syndrome, please talk to some doctors before you come
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 2:15 am
I have bipolar, and need a handful of meds every day just to stay basically functional.

Maccabi insurance has the most Anglo doctors, in my experience. I just have the basic plan, and that is fine for my needs. My meds are 1/10 th of what I paid in America, so that's a huge savings right there.

I had to jump through some hoops, but I did qualify for Bituach Leumi (disability). Also, if you get SSDI in America, you can keep your payments here as well. It won't impact your BL payments. Just have the SSDI direct deposited to an American bank account. (You'll want to keep one in the US, and another account in Israel.)

I highly recommend Bank Leumi. Bank HaPoalim is the WORST! I absolutely hate them with a passion. Don't even get me started. Mad

If you move to Beit Shemesh and want to start the disability process, I can give you all the contact info for the agencies who helped me. There is a LOT of help out there, and many wonderful, caring people who will guide you.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 2:28 am
Please do your research as to which kupa serves your needs best. Most doctors know some English. Many are fluent. Each kupah is a bit different when there is a specific, less common condition. Also it depends on location. Meuhedet is very robust in the Jerusalem area. It is hard to find in the north.
Since you likely have a few years, calmly do your research and find a couple of scenarios that you would be happy with.
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amother
Mayflower


 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 2:32 am
Iymnok wrote:
Please do your research as to which kupa serves your needs best. Most doctors know some English. Many are fluent. Each kupah is a bit different when there is a specific, less common condition. Also it depends on location. Meuhedet is very robust in the Jerusalem area. It is hard to find in the north.
Since you likely have a few years, calmly do your research and find a couple of scenarios that you would be happy with.


Btw if you move or just decide you want a change, you can switch kuppot.
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Shoshie




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 4:07 am
amother [ Chestnut ] wrote:
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/.premium-an-inconvenient-truth-about-air-pollution-in-haifa-1.5439115


If you right-click on the link and press "Open link in incognito window", you can read the entire article. The part copied and pasted previously is not the entire article.

I know nothing about the quality of air in Haifa in 2021, but the article is more than three years old.
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Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 10:31 am
amother [ Bluebonnet ] wrote:
Do you think your sn child will be able to learn Hebrew? If not, Beit Shemesh/RBS is really your only option to get the services you need.


He's young, so I hope so. But he had a hard enough time learning to speak and understand language at all, so I really don't know.
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Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 10:52 am
amother [ Impatiens ] wrote:
Disability for a child is not hard to prove if you have good documentation.
Besides for the monthly stipend you get other benefits as well(such as 33% off property tax - arnona) and something in the water bill.

Disability for yourself- the main thing to prove is that it affects your ability to work and bring in an income.
I recommend filing as soon as you get to Israel, because disability for an oleh chadash (for the first year) is much more lenient. The only thing to prove is that it affects your day to day life.


Car insurance, including everything - we pay about 5000 shekel per year. Including registration fees and yearly test.

Insurance -you can pay nothing and have basic health insurance , or upgrade within the kupa and pay something .
We pay about 400 shekel a month for the highest level of Meuhedet (family of 6) and copays for specialists (nothing for GP or pediatrician) are about 30 shekel per quarter.

The medications we use are covered 85%, but you have to check the "medicine basket" to see.

Private doctors - we can get back 80% 4 times a year (per specialty), there is a cap but I can't remember what it is.

Food- family of 6, spend 1000-1200 shekel per week, not frugal at all.

If you have any reason to suspect that you are affected by Israel specifically, such as Jerusalem syndrome, please talk to some doctors before you come


I only heard about this well after the fact, and I don't know enough about it. I probably need to look into it. My best guess is that it's a similar phenomenon to seasonal affects on existing mental illness, just a spiritual version of it. I wasn't diagnosed yet, so I was just winging it, lol. I remember feeling a distinct difference internally the first time I visited Israel when I was 13. The best way I can describe it was like the rest of the world was weekdays and Israel was Shabbos, but in a way as if I'd never even knew what Shabbos was. Almost electrifying (Shabbos-friendly electrifying, lol).

When I came back for seminary it was even more powerful. Like a nonstop high of euphoria, but infused with a sort of desperate searching/yearning. I was focused on spirituality literally every minute of every day. I almost didn't leave in time to get treatment because I was scared I might never come back, or at least not for a long time. I didn't want to go back to what felt like comparative darkness and coldness and weekdayness.

Anyway, yeah, bipolar affects my daily life, but not every day. So how does that work? Can I qualify if I'm more or less okay until I have a hiccup with meds, or Chas v'shalom an episode that incapacitate me for months? Certain aspects of it have become more severe over time, but overall I manage it better. It still interferes with life though. I'm usually on the defense about all of this, playing up how well I function and how nobody would know my struggles with it unless I told them. In the workplace though, that's not true. I'm not able to hold the kind of consistency needed for ongoing, full-time or even regular part-time employment. Is there a stigma in Israel about this stuff? Is it better if I try to tough it out and make do with less, or is it not a big deal to file for disability? In other words, are there consequences to it?
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Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 10:54 am
FranticFrummie wrote:
I have bipolar, and need a handful of meds every day just to stay basically functional.

Maccabi insurance has the most Anglo doctors, in my experience. I just have the basic plan, and that is fine for my needs. My meds are 1/10 th of what I paid in America, so that's a huge savings right there.

I had to jump through some hoops, but I did qualify for Bituach Leumi (disability). Also, if you get SSDI in America, you can keep your payments here as well. It won't impact your BL payments. Just have the SSDI direct deposited to an American bank account. (You'll want to keep one in the US, and another account in Israel.)

I highly recommend Bank Leumi. Bank HaPoalim is the WORST! I absolutely hate them with a passion. Don't even get me started. Mad

If you move to Beit Shemesh and want to start the disability process, I can give you all the contact info for the agencies who helped me. There is a LOT of help out there, and many wonderful, caring people who will guide you.


Can I PM you some specific questions about managing bipolar in Israel? (meds, disability, etc.)
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amother
Molasses


 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 11:02 am
Here is my 2 cents. I strongly believe in living in Israel, and I thank Gd every day that we were able to pick up and move here which seems insane every time I think about it. Only nissim and sweat and tears got us here, and I couldn't be happier. But there is a but. A pretty big but. Being an immigrant is like having the earth ripped out from underneath you and constantly falling into an abyss. There are times when you feel it less than others, but for the most part, certainly in the beginning, it is like being thrown into an alternate reality where you don't even have enough wherewithal to even know up from down. A new language, culture, code of laws, etc can really challenge your ability to function normally. There is a huge transition, and it takes guts, commitment, and a ton of work to get through it. It is not for the faint of heart.

It is doable. And people should do it. But you need to know going in that it is crazy hard. You need to acknowledge the struggles and make choices that simplify things as much as possible. Do not underestimate moving to a place that is familiar with olim and can provide support for them. Don't expect your life to look like it did before, but with a different backdrop. Understand that until you can once again feel earth underneath your toes, you won't be the you that got on the plane to get you here.

And all of this is ok. It is normal. It is the currency we pay to be zoche to live here in this amazingly magical land. It is the price we pay to make a better more meaningful life for ourselves and our children. It is collateral for walking the land of our forefathers and being so much more connected to Hashem and Am Yisrael.

I hope you are able to come and that your Aliyah is as smooth as it can possibly be. If nothing else, Hashem should shower you with a million brachos for taking this leap. When one makes such a profound effort in their relationship with Hashem, there is no way that He won't respond favorably. Hatzlacha!
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Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 11:31 am
amother [ Molasses ] wrote:
Here is my 2 cents. I strongly believe in living in Israel, and I thank Gd every day that we were able to pick up and move here which seems insane every time I think about it. Only nissim and sweat and tears got us here, and I couldn't be happier. But there is a but. A pretty big but. Being an immigrant is like having the earth ripped out from underneath you and constantly falling into an abyss. There are times when you feel it less than others, but for the most part, certainly in the beginning, it is like being thrown into an alternate reality where you don't even have enough wherewithal to even know up from down. A new language, culture, code of laws, etc can really challenge you're ability to function normally. There is a huge transition, and it takes guts, commitment, and a ton of work to get through it. It is not for the faint of heart.

It is doable. And people should do it. But you need to know going in that it is crazy hard. You need to acknowledge the struggles and make choices that simplify things as much as possible. Do not underestimate moving to a place that is familiar with olim and can provide support for them. Don't expect your life to look like it did before, but with a different backdrop. Understand that until you can once again feel earth underneath your toes, you won't be the you that got on the plane to get you here.

And all of this is ok. It is normal. It is the currency we pay to be zoche to live here in this amazingly magical land. It is the price we pay to make a better more meaningful life for ourselves and our children. It is collateral for walking the land of our forefathers and being so much more connected to Hashem and Am Yisrael.

I hope you are able to come and that your Aliyah is as smooth as it can possibly be. If nothing else, Hashem should shower you with a million brachos for taking this leap. When one makes such a profound effort in their relationship with Hashem, there is no way that He won't respond favorably. Hatzlacha!


Amazing message. Thank you. Yes, that first paragraph has been the set of fears holding me back until now. That, plus practicalities of finances and all the bureaucracy in an unfamiliar place in a language I'm not yet fluent in. (Although to be fair, I'm pretty close to fluent, even with my imperfect dikduk and needing to practice and learn more to fill in some gaps... I'll get there.)

One of my biggest hesitations about leaving America was leaving an excellent medical system for a more socialized one. Well guess what, THAT'S been ripped away from me here to the point where I trust Israel's medical system at least as much as I trust the one here. (Neither is a big vote of confidence, but eh.) Giving up material comforts was never a worry for me until we bought a house. It's my dream house. Light and airy with my own driveway and deck and backyard. Almost 1550 square feet, plus a partially finished basement. I absolutely love it and will be sad to leave it behind. When that day comes, I'll need to focus ahead on where I'm GOING, not where I'm LEAVING.

My heart has always been in Israel. I want the rest of me there too. I know it's a hard process and it's scary to me. I guess the shift now is that I'm willing to let go of the familiar and ride the waves until I'm acclimated. I'm not thrilled about having to be the strong one for my family, but that's nothing new. I'll need a lot of support, but what's really cool is that I'll probably have more of a support network in Israel than I have here. I grew up in a super tzioni community and throughout my childhood, Israel slowly but surely sucked up almost all my friends and much of my extended family. ;-)
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amother
Honeysuckle


 

Post Tue, Jul 06 2021, 11:38 am
We recently bought an apartment in Israel as a "life insurance policy" since we know that everyone will need to get there sooner or later. The time is not yet right for us but we hope it will be soon.
I am happy to contact you offline if you give me an email address and I can tell you about our expenses.

As a general idea, we were told to expect to pay an additional 10% over the cost of the property in fees, etc. We spent a LOT of money on fees and expenses we didn't expect.

As non-Israelis, we were only eligible for a 50% mortgage which definitely meant we needed a cheaper place.
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