Afula Aliyah | Imamother

queen-b

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 1:10 am

For anyone thinking about making aliyah and looking into orthodox communities I wanted to let you know that Afula is an amazing place.Our kids into the Israeli school system. It's still a pioneering project as ulpan resources are just now in the beginning stages of being put in place. My kids are the first English speakers in their schools and although they only started 2 weeks ago, they had the warmest of welcomes both from the administration and from the kids. I told my kids they could go for partial day, but after the first day, they wanted to stay the full day (despite not understanding much). I'd be happy to answer any specific questions. I have no ulterior motive in posting this. Part of me wants to keep it a secret but I remember before making aliyah and realizing that RBS might not work out due to the lack of real estate (this was just at the end of corona when apartments were hard to find) as well as finding a school for each of my kids seemed overwhelming and I felt a lost in direction of where we can go. Now that we are here in Afula and that I see it has lot of potential I just wanted to share this place as a viable option.
There are a few NBN advisors that are knowledgeable in Afula and the english speaking community.
[Other names and contact info removed by request. - mod]

Last edited by queen-b on Mon, Jun 26 2023, 6:36 am; edited 2 times in total

LovesHashem

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 2:04 am

When my family first moved here it was somewhere all Israeli as well. Me and my siblings were welcomes very warmly and we all were doing well and learned Hebrew really fast.

It was my parents who couldn't learn Hebrew, and the cultural divide them being more jpf, the community very chareidi they were looked at as very modern and were outcasts because of it.

Kids are pretty resilient and many Israelis are accepting, especially in smaller towns that have a more out of town feel.

Theres other factors that must match up though like jobs, the cultural divide for the parents etc.

There's so many cities, and some even have some Americans so the parents can integrate. Pretty much every Israeli city has some sort of Anglo presence and chareidi presence. But as I said there's other factors.

If you match up hashlafa wise to the community and are dedicated to learning Hebrew, integrating, have jobs set up. It's doable. And I wish you much Hatzlacha!

Everyone needs to figure out what will fit best for them. I've already spoken to a few people from afula who are moving to the Jerusalem area, answer questions and try to help them find the right place down here.

queen-b

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 3:51 am

Rappel wrote:

Welcome! I'm glad to hear things are working out so well.

How is the Anglo community supporting each other through the transition process? Did everyone have to make their own way in the end?

We emotionally support each other because we are friends and BH it's an incredible group of people. But yes, we all have to make our own way and choices. We have a wonderful advocate, Rabbi Gold who is the deputy mayor, and really wants to help people transition. He is the one that set up (and attended with us) meetings at the new schools and has also met with the misrad hachinuch to help with resources which will iy"H soon be implemented.

queen-b

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 4:07 am

LovesHashem wrote:

Me and my siblings were welcomes very warmly and we all were doing well and learned Hebrew really fast.

It was my parents who couldn't learn Hebrew, and the cultural divide them being more jpf, the community very chareidi they were looked at as very modern and were outcasts because of it.

Kids are pretty resilient and many Israelis are accepting, especially in smaller towns that have a more out of town feel.

Theres other factors that must match up though like jobs, the cultural divide for the parents etc.

There's so many cities, and some even have some Americans so the parents can integrate. Pretty much every Israeli city has some sort of Anglo presence and chareidi presence. But as I said there's other factors.

If you match up hashlafa wise to the community and are dedicated to learning Hebrew, integrating, have jobs set up. It's doable. And I wish you much Hatzlacha!

Everyone needs to figure out what will fit best for them. I've already spoken to a few people from afula who are moving to the Jerusalem area, answer questions and try to help them find the right place down here.

Well said! As you said, everyone needs to figure out what will best fit for them. I'm glad that you had a nice and warm beginning when you arrived and it sounds like you acclimated quickly, I'm davening it should go well for my kids, too. There are definitely other places similar in regards to anglo presence, I just wanted people to know that Afula is a great option and offers so much in regards to being in the north and the amenities here.

Rappel

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 5:47 am

Mother Bee wrote:

Rabbi Gold who is the deputy mayor, and really wants to help people transition. He is the one that set up (and attended with us) meetings at the new schools and has also met with the misrad hachinuch to help with resources which will iy"H soon be implemented.

That is *amazing.*

I'm glad you have someone helping the beaurocracy go smoother! And the mutual emotional support is no small thing either.

If a new Oleh were to hop straight to Afula today, is there an Anglo WhatsApp group/network/neighborhood that they can already join into? Would they also be helped by Rabbi Gold, or was that just for the initial pioneers?

Bnei Berak 10

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 6:54 am

Mother Bee wrote:

For anyone thinking about making aliyah and looking into orthodox communities I wanted to let you know that Afula is an amazing place. We originally came with the American kehilla but realized that we need more of an integration so we decided to put our kids into the Israeli school system. It's still a pioneering project as ulpan resources are just now in the beginning stages of being put in place. My kids are the first English speakers in their schools and although they only started 2 weeks ago, they had the warmest of welcomes both from the administration and from the kids. I told my kids they could go for partial day, but after the first day, they wanted to stay the full day (despite not understanding much). I'd be happy to answer any specific questions. I have no ulterior motive in posting this. Part of me wants to keep it a secret but I remember before making aliyah and realizing that RBS might not work out due to the lack of real estate (this was just at the end of corona when apartments were hard to find) as well as finding a school for each of my kids seemed overwhelming and I felt a lost in direction of where we can go. Now that we are here in Afula and that I see it has lot of potential I just wanted to share this place as a viable option.

I'm absolutely thrilled to hear that your kids felt so welcomed! Great news!
I strongly suggest you and DH to make ulpan a top top priority. Once you understand Hebrew it opens so many gates to understanding the society here.

6000miles

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 9:09 am

queen-b

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 2:32 pm

]That is *amazing.*

I'm glad you have someone helping the beaurocracy go smoother! And the mutual emotional support is no small thing either.

If a new Oleh were to hop straight to Afula today, is there an Anglo WhatsApp group/network/neighborhood that they can already join into? Would they also be helped by Rabbi Gold, or was that just for the initial pioneers?

Great questions! Yes we have a whatsapp group that is friendly and in constant use. We are each other's family's!
I wouldn't have posted unless Rabbi Gold is fully on board with helping new olim. He is amazing. He cuts through all the tape for us! People wait months for appointments for gov't offices and Rabbi Gold gets us in in a matter of days or a week or so. He made aliyah with his family at 15 (his father wrote a book on their experience) and he is passionate about helping people make aliyah from across the world. Anyone who is interested can pm me and I'll give them his number. His son Benny is a real estate agent that helps many find apartments. Of course Rabbi Gold will suggest his son but there is no pressure, people can use any agent. Benny is fluent in hebrew and english so for myself it's reassuring that I can communicate with him and because he grew up in Afula, Benny and Rabbi Gold have a tremendous amount of resources. Plus Rabbi Gold's wife, Dina (who is so not politically involved) is a warm and welcoming person as well. There are a few areas in Afula but the concentration of frum people are in Afula Ilit. It reminds me of Baltimore in terms of the overall vibe of acceptance. I have a few friends who moved straight to Illit and have put their kids into the gans and beis yaakov. I can give out their numbers if someone has questions.

queen-b

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 2:43 pm

]Thx for sharing this information. Always good to know about various communities where Anglos can feel welcome.

Did your kids know any Hebrew when they arrived?

I wish! Very limited hebrew. I have a wide range of ages from 8-20 and it's sad that in their previous schools in Baltimore, they didn't learn conversational hebrew (it could be it was part of the curriculum and my just kids didn't pick it up).
One of my friend's put her her 3 year old in an Israeli gan almost 4 months ago and it's amazing how fast small children pick it up. I've been in ulpan for 3 months and I wish I could learn it as fast as the 3 year old!

queen-b

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 3:10 pm

We were recently thinking of looking into Afula! We’re living in Israel for over 5 years now but we don’t love the community we are in.

Do you mind answering some questions? Thanks!!

*Is there a chassidish community?
*What’s the weather like?
*Do people live in houses or apartment building?
*Do people rent or buy? And what are the prices like?
*Is there local grocery stores or only big Supermarkets?
*What about shopping, clothes and other household needs?
*How far is it from Jerusalem, and from the Mercaz?(eta I know I can look that up on waze, but how long does it actually take with traffic)

I’ll post soon if I remember what other questions I have

Love the questions!
1. The chassidish community in Afula Illit seems to be Vishnitz. They have a whole building going up. There is a whole chassidish vibe going on in gvat hamoreh as well (which is literally across from Illit). I'm not really the right person to answer the chssidish question because I just don't know enough but I can possibly get you a contact to connect with.
2. I've noticed that there are 3 types of housing structures. A) Apartments, many new options as well as older buildings. B)Doona apartments- the name of a builder who just built (and is still building) duplexes that are 4-5 rooms. C) Town homes that are built on random streets that are all attached, 2 levels 5-6 rooms. There are some stand alone homes.
3. Renting and buying are both options. The Doona range is 3000-3800 nis. Buying apartments on paper start at 1.8. Town home sales range from 1.9-2.3. These prices are based on research when I was looking. You can message me for Benny Gold's number and he can give you more specific numbers and housing options.
4. In illit there is chativ hachessed and Yesh is opening (plus small makolets). There is a Rami Levy and Victory in the city of Afula and Osher Ad is about 15-20 minutes by car.
5. There are many busses that go into town (mercaz) and there is a TON of shopping, there is also a large ace hardware that is about 5-10 minutes away by bus. In Illit there is a couple of clothing stores and more are opening. Plus pop up sales around yom tov time.
6. The mercaz is about 15 minutes by bus (depending where your stop is).
Jerusalem by bus without traffic is 1 hour and 40 minutes, car is 1 hour and 15 minutes. With traffic is anywhere from 2-3 hours (I try not to travel between 4-7 pm.) My teens go to Jerusalem frequently (especially when friends are visiting from America).
I hope that answers your questions. Let me know if you need any clarification.

amother

Stoneblue

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 4:52 pm

It all sounds really nice. I would just be weary of anyone who is political. Politicians usually have alterior motives and I know a few families who got burned from the situation in Afula. (Not just from the American Kehilla sounds like from local politicians as well) I also do know that the people who are in Illit are very happy! I have a family member who is looking into moving there and she has spoken with the Americans who live in Illit and Givat Hamoreh and it sounds like a phenomenal place.

amother

Steel

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 10:24 pm

Just want to give an FYI:

If you had excellent high school Hebew, as some people I know did (and they went to high school in the 70s, most Orthodox High School grads who are young seem to barely know any Hebrew), that means you were reading books in Hebrew that were on a High School level, then you will probably place into a high level ulpan (Heh, Vav or post-Vav), and that one ulpan will be enough...

If you are starting from barely knowing the Alef-Bet, then you will need about 5 ulpans before you will be minimally fluent.

Just saying this because only 1 ulpan is payed for, and many have the expectation that after that 1, then will know enough Hebrew to get a regular job.

amother

Cornsilk

Tue, Apr 04 2023, 11:47 pm

queen-b wrote:

If you have girls and they went to BY they should be pretty good.
Kids will pick up the language quick.

queen-b

Wed, Apr 05 2023, 9:11 am

amother Stoneblue wrote:

You are absolutely correct. I'm sure the deputy mayor, Rabbi Gold's motivation truly stems from his passion about helping olim but with that being said, he is still a politician!
I'm glad your family member heard positive things about Afula Illit. It's really special!

queen-b

Mon, Apr 10 2023, 1:09 am

6000miles wrote:

Great questions! Yes we have a whatsapp group that is friendly and in constant use. We are each other's family's!
I wouldn't have posted unless Rabbi Gold is fully on board with helping new olim. He is amazing. He cuts through all the tape for us! People wait months for appointments for gov't offices and Rabbi Gold gets us in in a matter of days or a week or so. He made aliyah with his family at 15 (his father wrote a book on their experience) and he is passionate about helping people make aliyah from across the world. Anyone who is interested can pm me and I'll give them his number. His son Benny is a real estate agent that helps many find apartments. Of course Rabbi Gold will suggest his son but there is no pressure, people can use any agent. Benny is fluent in hebrew and english so for myself it's reassuring that I can communicate with him and because he grew up in Afula, Benny and Rabbi Gold have a tremendous amount of resources. Plus Rabbi Gold's wife, Dina (who is so not politically involved) is a warm and welcoming person as well. There are a few areas in Afula but the concentration of frum people are in Afula Ilit. It reminds me of Baltimore in terms of the overall vibe of acceptance. I have a few friends who moved straight to Illit and have put their kids into the gans and beis yaakov. I can give out their numbers if someone has questions.

amother

Jean

Tue, Apr 25 2023, 1:46 pm

This is not to contradict the laudatory tone of some here who seem "all in" when it comes to making aliyah to Afula, however there are a few things that should be considered.

Afulah is very far in the North. Whatever neighborhood you live in you will need to first take a local bus to the central bus station and then an Intercity bus to the central bus station of the next big city you wish to go to, and then finally another local bus. If you are going to Jerusalem it is 3 hours door to door on a good day. If you have a car, then it depends when you go.

It may be a great option for you if you are working remotely to the states however if you are seeking employment in the high-tech sector or other sectors that are based in major cities it is not a reasonable commute (except for Haifa which is again a local bus to the train station then a 35 minute train ride then another local bus if you don't have a car).

Afula may or may not be the best place for you, but it is prudent to make a pilot trip and actually experience the commute to it as well as the nature of the town. I'm not saying anything negative about it per se, just that it does seem more of an option for those working remotely or those who are retired.

queen-b

Tue, Apr 25 2023, 2:04 pm

amother Jean wrote:

Everything you said is true with one correction. On a day with no traffic from central bus station Afula to Jerusalem it's an 1:40 minutes but on average 2 hours. During rush hour it can take up to 3 hours. Remote jobs are ideal which many of the english speakers here have. For anyone who is bilingual, I believe there are tech opportunities here in Afula (based on many new buildings using the word Tech on their signs. Rabbi Gold, the deputy mayor would definitely know more about it, [removed]).If anyone is considering a pilot trip, please reach out [removed] I can also give other people's contacts based on what your needs as a family are. BH we are really happy here. I have no other motivation except to share this amazing place. I'm also adding a link to a great video I just saw yesterday (I believe it was made a few years ago) about making aliyah with kids. https://youtu.be/LsU6Oobj20A