How far in advance did you plan your aliya?

amother

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 9:07 am

During these unusual times with covid and all, I want to plan our Aliyah as far in advance as possible. Really, though, we don’t have that much time. Our youngest son graduates in 2 years and wants to join the army, so that’s the timeline I’ve set in my head. I’ve started researching different areas to live in, making lists with pros and cons, keeping track of our finances and setting semi-strict budgets, Hebrew classes (we know the basics, but need much more), etc. My husband thinks I’m crazy for doing this now. He thinks it’s too early. Is it? Am I doing it wrong?

shabbatiscoming

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 9:13 am

There is no right or wrong way to make aliyah.
You can drag it out for as long as you really want Smile

Do all of your research and then if you see you need more time, add time and if you see you need less time, come sooner.
Personally, I came as a single female having graduated college only 6 months prior. I did everything in 3 months, if I remember correctly.

amother

Aconite

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 9:18 am

There's no right or wrong. My experience is that people who need to have everything totally planned out will have a harder time once they get here, because part of aliyah is learning to be flexible.

It's never to soon to start learning Hebrew and paring down your possessions. As soon as visiting becomes possible, I would come check out communities.

BadTichelDay

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 9:26 am

No, no, I think it's excellent to start early, and 2 years isn't that early anyway for moving to a country that's very different to where you came from. I started planning a year ahead of time, but I was single then. Especially, I put effort into exploring my employment options and I did a pilot trip half a year in advance to talk to prospective employers.

amother

Gladiolus

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 9:31 am

From when we made aliyah it took about 1 1/2- years for the IDF to draft my boys. It was a very boring time for them to be honest. It's not uncommon.

Reality

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 9:33 am

Talking things over? About 2+ years

Getting our paper work together? About 1 year

Nitty gritty details? About 6 months

amother

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 9:37 am

amother [ Aconite ] wrote:

This is what I’m afraid of. I am the type who needs to plan most things in advance and come at them in multiple ways. I can’t help it Sad

My husband is the complete opposite and can do anything on a whim.

Reality

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 9:40 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

This is what I’m afraid of. I am the type who needs to plan most things in advance and come at them in multiple ways. I can’t help it Sad

My husband is the complete opposite and can do anything on a whim.

Don't feel bad. People making aliyah as a family need to plan. If they don't it will be a disaster. I am so happy we planned things out. It doesn't mean we are rigid. Not everything goes according to plan but there was a rhyme and reason for the things we did. I know other people that winged it and their kids are really suffering.

essie14

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 9:44 am

If you're coming with kids you must plan. 2 years is perfect. It gives you time to research and then time to plan a pilot trip.
For all your planning you must also realize that you will have to be flexible. Thungs can change so much while you're planning.
B'hatzlacha!

ora_43

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 10:27 am

I think it depends on the type of planning.

It's never too early to learn Hebrew and save money. The more of that you can do the easier it will be, so why not?

It also makes sense to look at communities in advance, even a year in advance if you're planning a pilot trip. You want a couple months to think over what you want, then at least a month to talk to people and get ideas, then another few weeks to plan your itinerary...

Just keep in mind that there are limits to what planning can do. Eg you can't say 100% whether you'll like a community before living in it. And some things (renting a house, finding a job) will be much easier after you arrive.

SG18

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 10:32 am

8 months to get all requirements in order, but offices closed due to Covid and we were delayed an extra year and a half.
I would recommend starting ASAP so that if it takes longer, you won't be delayed.

amother

Aconite

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 11:16 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

This is what I’m afraid of. I am the type who needs to plan most things in advance and come at them in multiple ways. I can’t help it Sad

My husband is the complete opposite and can do anything on a whim.

Great. Between the two of you, you'll have things covered.

If your son is planning to draft right away (as opposed to going to hesder, for example) it's not too soon to talk to nefesh bnefesh. If he's going to hesder, he will need to be a citizen when he starts for his first year of learning to count as army time.

I didn't mean to scare you, just to prepare you for the fact that you can't control everything when making aliyah. There will always be surprises, but hopefully all good ones.