If you moved to Israel

pinkbubbles

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 9:19 am

What did you find difficult about the move?

What do you still find difficult?

Looking back, is there anything you could/would have done differently to make the move easier, like for example having more support from family, saving more money, etc. ?

Any tips to help?

Thanks Smile

(side note, I've already made aliyah but now live in London, just preparing ahead for the move back be'H and no I don't know when, hopefully soon)

shabbatiscoming

Sat, Jul 18 2009, 3:28 pm

marion, I was going to say the same thing.

I wish I would have saved more money so that I would have been set for a bit longer than I was, but I also came single, at 23, so it may be different.

I did not find anything truely difficult, not that it was a breeze, it was changing to a different culture, but at the same time, it was a wonderful move and I would do it all over again Smile

good luck whenever it is that you do come back !!!

mannah74

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 6:46 am

Yes, I agree...I moved to Israel 3 years ago and wish that I had lived in a closer knit community. It was hard to give birth to two children without family around. Or community help. I would suggest moving somewhere where there is a bit of an anglo community if you are not fluent in Hebrew, to start you off and definitely, I cannot stress, the sense of community. I just moved to Tekoa and it is a small community and everyone here is so nice and friendly! I love it here.

lst

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 8:21 am

I agree with those who wrote about not having family here. that is 100% the hardest thing for me about making aliyah. there were other hard things, but I think those were just regular hard things that come with moving to any new place. the language barrier was and still is difficult, but that gets easier. living far away from family never gets easier. it actually gets harder all the time. I try not to think about it, and I made some really great friends here so that makes it easier.
good luck!

drumjj

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 8:49 am

I was there as a teenager for six years and then went back married for two years. going back married I found was much easier bc I already had a few close friends there, I already spoke the language which is something I found extremely difficult adjusting to when I was a teenager and I knew my way around yerushalim and I wasnt scared to drive there so moving back married for two years although I had the family to look after and more worries about money from the aspects I just said it was definately easier. although the family thing is very difficult. we only saw family once or twice a year but bh I have very very close friends there who are like family.

Imaonwheels

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 9:38 am

I have always found Israel easier than the states. If I had a complaint in the beginning it is that bank branches are much less interconnected. Also heat and lack of serious snow shared with Russians.

2 tips I give to all

1. If you must have a car, when you sell yours keep the money separate and get the car as soon as you feel you need it.
2. DO NOT move into an Anglo ghetto even if you know no Ivrit. Do not try to make your kids Anglo minded. The former is a good recipe for returning or failure to adapt and the latter is a good recipe for kids unhappy or c"v OTD. you will be living in Israel.

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 1:23 pm

Imaonwheels wrote:

imaonwheels, your number two is head on correct (that is one reason why we are thinking of moving out of our community, among other reasons) I agree with you 10000000000%)

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 1:38 pm

Tamiri wrote:

Think long and hard Shabbat. Not living in an Anglo enclave comes with a price. It's better for the kids, but tougher for you.

I did not mean that we are looking to be the ONLY anglos someplace, but we both feel (my husband and I) that where we live is a bit tooooo anglo for us. I guess what I really mean here is that it is too american and I am american saying that. we want a community with a much bigger mix of anglos and more israelis too. I feel like I moved back to america sometimes after being in rehavia and then rbs. here 99.9999 of my neighbors are american and for us it is too much. does that make more sense? or not.

Imaonwheels

Tue, Aug 04 2009, 5:20 am

Tamiri wrote:

Think long and hard Shabbat. Not living in an Anglo enclave comes with a price. It's better for the kids, but tougher for you.

My maon olim was chosen by our rav because we were new BTs, for aliya I had been preparing my whole life, for the Israeli soul hunt I had not. I thank our rav, z"l. But our neighbors were all gruzinim. I was prepared and knew Hebrew, I was grateful for the old lady who taught me to handle whole fish and whole chickens that came with feet. She no English or Hebrew and me no Russian or Georgian. I lovde the lady who taught me to turn off the gas under the fish when the lungs pop, we are still friends.

The ex made aliya for me. His lack of Hwbrew is still pretty obvious. When we got divorced he went back to the states to remarry and only returned at the request of the kids.

I very quickly moved to Rechovot where there is an enormous Anglo population but also the country's largest concentration of Temenim. We chose the Temeni over both the Anglo and charedi ghettos, B"H.

What is the cost we paid? That my ils are all Israeli? That nobody has trouble with Ivrit and never have? That there is no talk of "them" meaning Israelis, but rather us. The Americans, Euopeans and Arabs are "them" in our house. That we have no idea what is the latest shtus they are talking about or wearing in chutz? That our house was not overpriced because American olim can afford it? Maybe because my kids have never read Little House on the Prairie or some other children's classic? Not only are they available in Hebrew but they would not have read it in the US either. That I don't have the minhag of writing threads defending Arabs and others with negative stereotypes of frum Jews? I do not understand what I lost? My best friend is from Scotland, they say she speaks English but I am one of the few Anglos who are not Scot who understands. I can speak of my deepest feelings in Hebrew and I was helped through misrad hapanim, etc by Israelis who could stammer a little English. they called all of the ads for housesd because they did not want a woman's voice with an American accent raising the price. I have plenty of Anglo friends but we are friends because of common outlook and shared experiences and not just because we speak the same native language.

Tamiri

Tue, Aug 04 2009, 5:42 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Tamiri wrote:

Think long and hard Shabbat. Not living in an Anglo enclave comes with a price. It's better for the kids, but tougher for you.

I was in Oranit this am checking out the house and lo-and-behold 2 people passed each other on my block and... they were speaking ENGLISH. I don't know how that happened but maybe I will have English speakers there? Can it be? Dare I hope?

Imaonwheels

Tue, Aug 04 2009, 7:12 am

There are Anglos everywhere, like Russians and Moroccans are everywhere. in Shaarayim one of my temeni friends was married to my landsman from Pgh. Next door the woman was married to a gingy Polish guy. I am talking about places where speaking a language not English is rude but being in the country 35 years and being bothered by Hebrew conversation is ok. I had a playgroup for dd with Anglos. Although they had all been here for years and go to work in hebrew they were violently opposed to Hebrew speaking near the kids. I said sorry, my other kids will be talked to in Hebrew as will my dd. I thought we were looking for an arrangement for our kids not klita avoidance sessions.