Planning to make aliyah

[Henaynei]

My husband and I are planning to make aliyah. The current projection is in 4-6 years.

I would be grateful for feed back: from those in the Land, form those who tried and came back, from current olim - dissenters and encourager alike

 

[BenTsion]

I know this might be a little bit off-topic, but... I'll be praying for you Henaynei... You'll surely be a great blessing for those in the need of knowing Mashiach! I'll pray that HaShem guides you through every step of your plan!

Your brother in Messiah,
Ben Tsion

 

[Talmidah]

I'm with BenTsion here. I have no words of wisdom or advice. But I will surely pray for you and your husband as the L-rd guides you.

Shalom!!!!

 

[iitb]

/me is incredibly jealous...

 

[Henaynei]

Thanks for the encouragement!!

We don't really have too many romantic or rosie ideas about making aliyah. It is very hard to adjust and Americans have the hardest time. They also exercise the "return policy" to a far grater percentage than any other people group. I believe that is largely because they retain dual citizenship and going "home" becomes an easy out when they hit "the wall," as I am sure most everyone does, in the cultural shock and efforts to make a living. Also I think Americans have the most unrealistic vision of what living as an Israeli will be like.

There are years of planning and recoveries to manage between here and there - any ideas that would help us avoid unnecessary obsticles would be wonderful.

Countdown begins: 6 years to aliyah

 

[JewishHeart]

Heynanei,


I also wish you in the best when you make aliyah. Taking six years to prepare is a great idea ! As there is alot to prepare for. First of all, choosing a city is very important as it affects the quality of living. If want to be in a place where there are many jobs, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa are the job cities, but are also more expensive in real estate, groceries,etc. It is easier to find a job in Tel Aviv or in Haifa than in Jerusalem though. If you are looking for an "active" city Tel Aviv is very active with much to do, while most the other cities in Israel don't have so much variety. Tel Aviv is very ugly with polution and not much nature. Those who work in Tel Aviv and love nature usually go to the "Sharon" area ( Herzilliyah, Hod HaSharon, Ramat HaSharon, Cfar Saba, Rosh HaAyin, etc.). Or you could go to some of the close Yesha settlements to Tel Aviv which provide an incredible cheap housing for quality of life ( Oranit, Male Adumim, Sharey Tikvah, Ariel, etc.). OUt of all the Yesha settlements near Tel Aviv I personally like Sharey Tikvah, its on the border and is beautiful without threat of living way in the settlements and is 3 mins from shopping at Rosh HaAyin. If you like Orthodox neighborhoods near Tel Aviv B'nei Barak. If you like a secular atmosphere that is not cheap, but not expensive in Tel Aviv- Ramat Gan. Just remember that most of the Gush Dan ( Tel Aviv) area is very polluted and not much nature. I live in Tel Aviv, Bnei Barak- Ramat Gan border, because that is where the people are and Yeshua loves people.

Jerusalem is a whole nother country altogether with spiritual implifcations. I would advise you to prepare yourself with the spirit of grace to fight the spirit of legalism and relegion in Jerusalem. Someone once told me that Jerusalem has the biggest open heaven in the world as well as the most spiritual opression at the same time. Jerusalem is a very beautiful city though. It doesn't have as many jobs as Tel Aviv or Haifa.

Haifa is also a very beautiful city with lots of jobs and not much polution. Its an ultra-secular city so relegious types don't fit in much. Its the city with the most unity between Arabs and Jews in working together. It also has the Mount Carmel of Elijah, but is now filled with another Baal sign as the whole mountain is covered by the Bahai gardens ( they are beautiful, one day I hope those will be Yeshua's gardens).

The dessert ( Beer Sheva, moshavim) provides cheaper housing away from all the mess with the suicide bombings, but is far from jobs. Again lots of nature.

Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gan Yavne, Sderot, are all a one our drive from jobs in Tel Aviv with much nature near the coastline. Gaza isn't far, but there is a wall around Gaza now. They are usually nice quality housing near the coastline for very cheap prices. I especially like Gan Yavne.

Eilat, hahaha far from any Arab intrusions and mostly a vacation city. There are moshavs and kibutzes there to work on if you try to apply to be in the messech althouh kibbutzes are not thriving anymore.

The Galilee is beautiful ( Tzfat, Tiberias,Poria, Nazareth Illit, Afula, Kiryat Shmona, Mettulla, etc.) with very cheap mortgages, and even as cheap as they are now the government is helping now even more to populate the region. Of course you have the Sea of Galilee and Jordan River and it is the easiest place to pray and feel the Spirit of God without warfare in all of Israel.

The Golan Heights, where I would live if my job and the people weren't in Tel Aviv. The most beautiful place in all of Israel IMO. Katzarin is a nice city. There are also many moshavs. Mount Hermon is a beautiful background.

 

[JewishHeart]

Financially prepare for high taxes. 40-50 percent on a middle class income ( Israeli middle class is American Lower Class 24,000 a year is considered upper middle class). It is very socialistic. The prices in Israel ( grocery, housing) is higher than in America. Buying a car is 4 times as much than America. For instance, a brand new Japaneese family car ( Mazda, Mitzubushi, Subaru, etc.) is around 30,000 dollars. To buy a two-bedroom small 15 year old apartment in center Israel ( not the settlements) is around 150,000 dollars. The average salary for middle class is the woman brings home around 800 a month and the man around 1200. How they can live, I don't know? Only shows you what liberal policy and high taxes cause. The only ones who make out are the ultra-rich who still pay alot, or the poor class who doesn't work. The middle class suffers the most. You might as well not work hahaha ! The sad part is most of Israel belongs to the Histadrut and wants it to stay that way ( Israelis have a way always with siding with the underdog). Be prepared for Histadrut striking government offices for months at a time and schools having vacations because of strikes at least 1 month out of the year. They have alot of power. The government basically doesn't make any cuts on spending because the Histadrut ( with a terrorist mindset) strikes until they turn back. This is economic terrorism 101. This was the biggest culture shock to me. Most buisnesses don't survive because of the high taxes, but when the government tries to be easy on the buisnesses so people will have jobs, the Histradrut whines and says the extra money belongs to the poor and not for creating jobs and wants buisnesses to be taxed even higher ( on top of the 50-60 percent they already are). I think Amir Peretz is Israel's #1 enemy in disguise. Anyways, thats the economic situation in Israel. They just passed a new law that salaries and Buisnesses from outside Israel have to pay the same taxes Israelis do last year ( this means a simple salary of 3000 dollars a year is considered high class salary and you will be actually making 1400 a year- thanks to Amir Peretz while those making 1100 a year aren't taxed anything). The difference between the middle and poor class ( though one has a professional job and one is either lazy or works a lower class job) is 20 percent !!!! Amir Peretz is a modern day Robin Hood ( besides steal from the middle class give to the poor and make them equal). So the government forces those who worked hard in college learning a profession and go to work day in and day out in a responsible manner to receive the same salary as the lazy person who was too lazy to go to college and only works a part-time job.

 

[Henaynei]

Thanks JH,

What we are looking for is an orthodox neighborhood (not Chabad, Haridi) and it is hoped by then our income will be coming from the internet, so hopefully "job" hunting will be less of an issue. We don't want to live in a "city" if we can avoid it....

I have a small trust and am a nurse but can't work in any capasity that requires lifting or bending (I have been paralized) so hospitals and most home care is out. I am a school nurse right now but what I have heard of the cultural attitude toward non-observant children (extreme indulgence) I really don't think that I would want to do that there. So we are working on developing other sources of income.

 

[Hix]

An orthodox neighbourhood? Try Har Homa, cant go wrong there! I must admit it is beautifull up in the north at the Golan and around about the sea of galilee but you really are going to want to be near Jerusalem. Tel Aviv and Haifa are both secular. Jerusalem is the city G-d set his name in forever and is holy, and has a few Orthodox/Chabad areas

Shalom and G-d bless
~Hix~

 

[Henaynei]

An orthodox neighbourhood? Try Har Homa, cant go wrong there! I must admit it is beautifull up in the north at the Golan and around about the sea of galilee but you really are going to want to be near Jerusalem. Tel Aviv and Haifa are both secular. Jerusalem is the city G-d set his name in forever and is holy, and has a few Orthodox/Chabad areas

Shalom and G-d bless
~Hix~

I understand your heart Hix, toward Jerusalem. However, we don't want to live there. Every man-jack and his household, Jew and gentile, want to live there and the whole Land is holy After all we need to be able to make our aliyot 3 times a year after the temple is re-built (plz don't side track this thread - if you must discuss build or not build, go or not go etc start another thread - better yet read the ones from past posts that have been well discussed!!) LOL

We might do a distant "suburb" of Jerusalem - but we may be on a fixed income and the cost of living is extreme in Jerusalem