Moving to Israel

There’s a great and pressing article from Thursdays jpost.com by Ruth Eglash about Alexander Mulugeta, 26, a young Ethiopian student, who has spent the past year at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and is set to be deported within the next two weeks. The article goes on to touch upon the more-delicate-than-ever issue of the Law of Return and an idividual and family’s eligibility.

Mulugeta, who is studying Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at IDC’s International School, said that since family members moved to Israel more than 10 years ago they should be allowed to immigrate under the Law of Return, which allows any person with at least one Jewish grandparent to move here.

The challenges faced by Mulugeta described by Eglash in the article, along with some of the comments by her readers, makes it clear that the bureaucratic squabble and finger pointing regarding moving to Israel and Aliyah are, unfortunately, as alive as ever. With the life and death situations that present itself to Israel daily this is truly the last thing the public wants to hear about. Let everyone who is legally eligible for the Right of Return come to the country with the fewest obstacles possible and let’s get back to defending our lives from the true enemies.

 Ari

I ran into a great blog this morning called “Rafi’s Studio” that I thought was excellent and figured my readers would be interested in knowing about. It is a regularly updated blog by Rafi Stern who decided to make Aliyah, moved to Israel from London in 1990 and currently lives in Beit Shemesh.

While the blog overall seems to be a personal one focusing on his art work, I was drawn in by his most recent post that was a touching tribute to his late father Gunther Stern. After reading this, I dug through his bio and archives and found an extremely patriotic Israeli who brought his whole family to The Holy Land and has written many great posts focusing on the country.

It is truly a worthy read and would definitely benefit you adding to your RSS feeds as a good, regular resource.

Ari

As Israel and Hamas have begun to implement a supposed “truce,” it has got me thinking more about the amazing things Israel has put up with since it’s inception and the way, despite all this, she continues to thrive.

This latest truce is designed to halt Hamas attacks on Israel as well as Israeli reprisals on Hamas. The absurdness of that concept (here’s an idea to halt Israeli reprisals on terrorists - don’t attack to begin with!) just underscores the double standard that Israel deals with which adds to the other miryad of challenges that she meets on a daily basis (23 Arab contries vowing to drive her into the sea, world Anti-Semitism streaming in at faster than ever pace, endless UN resolutions being churned out specifically against her, etc., etc., etc.).

Yet despite all this the tiny country continues to survive and thrive. Real estate in Israel continues to explode. The Hi-Tech sector continues to expand. Medical and technological advances continue to be disproportionately attributed to Israeli leaders of the fields. The list goes on and on. Amazingly, the country continues to be one of the fastest growing in the world. Against all odds - and people are noticing.

With all the challenges people continue to immigrate and move to Israel and don’t look back. These are some more reasons to join the crowd and make Aliyah. In addition to all the previously mentioned determination, Israel continues to be a beautiful, flourishing land where culture, entertainment and history soar. Come join and be a part of both the miracle and physical beauty of Israel.

 Ari

I ran across a great forum posting this morning over here that really made me smile. Basically, it’s from someone in Australia who is making Aliyah. On the surface it doesn’t sound all that incredible. What seems to be a single, Jewish male coming to Israel and giving it a shot. Just an “ordinary” story.

 However, to me there are no ordinary Aliyah stories. As I wrote in my previous post, every move to Israel requires bravery, determination and alot of inner belief. I think the author of the post puts it best:

 ”See, I’m backing up my rhetoric with action!…..I love Australia dearly, probably more than than most of my friends and certainly don’t take my unbelievably fortunate life for granted, but I suppose I’m just looking for a greater a sense of purpose and a good adventure…..Actually, you know its more than that, for more than 2000 years, my ancestors have been praying and yearning for an opportunity to return to the land of Israel, and now I have it and so in a way, I have a responsibility to go….”

Just a very inspiring story.

I have posted on this gentleman’s forum and will try to get more information and as soon as I do I will share it here.

News of an incoming Olim is always fantastic so please let us know any stories about you or people you know who have made Aliyah or are thinking about doing it and let us know what it is that inspired you.

 Ari 

  Though we’ve already started posting material, we came to the realization the other day that we never really introduced ourselves and our blog properly so we’d like to take today’s post to do that. Ronen and I are both born and raised in America and have made Aliyah to Israel in the last ten years (he from Los Angeles, me from New Jersey). We were roommates in college and met back up here in Israel upon arrival. As many new Olim, we have spent the years struggling in both the financial and emotional adjustments to Israel. I think most people are familiar with the financial difficulties associated with the move from “comfy” North America but equally, if not more difficult, is the whole draining psychological process of making Aliyah. The people you are leaving. Adjusting to a new culture. Bringing your family up in a strange environment. Where do you send your children to school? Where do you go to school and/or get a job? What’s the health care situation? The list is endless and can be very intimidating.

This is why we have started this blog associated with everything about moving to Israel. As two established, hi-tech trained, North American Olim, we have seen a lot here in Israel and would like to help the community at large. We’d like to tell you our experiences, share some of our connections, provide you with expert analysis from highly regarded sources on the news and a whole lot more in attempting to become THE source for people moving to Israel and interested in life in Israel in general. We will be posting regularly and hope to establish a long term relationship with you, our readers, while hoping that you enjoy our postings for years to come.

One final, important note: we think that the most important aspect of a successful Aliyah/moving to Israel blog is you. We want and encourage you to regularly comment and post on our blog as often as you wish. All comments are welcome: critique, praise, questions, answers, and suggestions; anything related to Israel and, especially, making that tough, life altering move to the Holy Land.

Thanks so much and looking forward to a very fruitful relationship.

Ari Strauch

An old saying often used by Olim - How do you make a million dollars in Israel? Make Aliyah with 2 million.

The Finance Ministry of Israel has come up with a plan to further increase the economic divide between rich and poor - if you’re rich you don’t have to pay taxes.

According to the plan recently posted on Arutz7, any wealthy Jew who makes Aliyah would be exempt from paying taxes for the first 10 years. The ministry claims that as of now the exemption will be only on income that originates from outside of Israel. If one were to ponder on the finance ministry’s track record, a full tax exemption for the rich is not far behind. Just another step closer to ultimate goal of turning the average Israeli worker into a modern day slave,

Corruption in the Israeli political sphere is rampant and may be the real force pushing this new plan. Rich Israeli’s are very successful when it comes to wooing Israeli politicians and getting laws passed in the Knesset that benefit the rich and trodden on the poor.

Two members of the Israeli Parliament MKs Gilad Erdan (Likud) and Yoel Hasson (Kadima) proposed that Aliyah organizations work more closely with the government and its bureaucrats. They explain that such a move would turn government officials and their offices into a type of “hub” which will then direct policies and coordinate actions aimed at getting more people to move to Israel.So basically their idea is to create more government bureaucracy in order to speed up the Aliyah process. . .

Is it any wonder why the current situation in Israel is so far down the tubes? Israeli parliament members can’t help the thousands of people in Sderot who are suffering under the daily barrage of missiles. Statistics show that poverty levels in Israel have reached the highest rate ever; one of every 2 children is living below the poverty line, a poverty line that was defined by clueless fat cat bureaucrats. And go ahead, try to find a parliament member who hasn’t been investigated for corruption, I dare you.

There is a way to make Aliyah to Israel easier, faster, and most of all, more financially interesting. The Israeli government needs to make life for the Jews already living in Israel easier. Think about it. The majority of Jews living in Israel have a tough time. Making a living in Israel is very hard. Getting anything done is a hassle. Government lines are long, bureaucracy is thick, and the average government worker is highly under skilled and under motivated. This concludes with a quality of living which is substandard to say the least.

Now to a well-to-do Jewish American who is thinking about Aliyah, Zionism will only go so far. Why should he give up his high standard of living, make Aliyah, and then get stuck paying high taxes on an underpaid job in Israel. Maybe government officials should be more concerned about enriching the state (i.e. its citizens) which would in turn make Israel more attractive in the eyes of potential Olim.

In what seem as an almost unbelievable show of interest, due to huge differences in salaries and living standards, 152 American doctors have approached Nefesh B’Nefesh to inquire into the “Doctors’ Aliyah” program. The program was established recently in order to stem off the wave of brain drain that has hit Israel. Many highly trained professionals, largely from the medical field, have left Israel to search for jobs in countries with better financial opportunities and less government interference and corruption.

The “Doctors’ Aliyah” project would give a $60,000 grant to any doctor who makes Aliyah. Despite the monetary grant, many doctors still remain reluctant to move to Israel due to the large gap in salaries and quality of living.

The Jewish Agency, Israel’s main NGO responsible for Aliyah, decided not to cut Hebrew language classes in Russia. The classes are to help Russians learn at least a minimal amount of Hebrew, especially if they will be moving to Israel.

The Jewish Agency claimed it considered closing down the language program due to budget cuts. Many people question the effectiveness of the language course amongst the Russian immigrant community. Throughout Israel there are many Russian immigrants who still don’t speak a word of Hebrew. In addition Russian immigrants tend to form tight social groups in places such as workplaces and schools further limiting their exposure to the Hebrew language and their integration into Israeli society.  

Members of the Israeli parliament of Russian background were mainly responsible for influencing the Jewish Agency’s decision. They claimed that the Hebrew language programs are considered the backbone of the Aliyah program and also highly regarded in strengthening ties between Israel and the Jews in Russia.

As Kosovo declared independence this week, the 50 Jews who still live there are asking questions about their future. Kosovo is a country that didn’t benefit from the recent economic upturn that has taken place in Eastern Europe. The average monthly salary is about $350 and over half the population is unemployed.

The Jews of Kosovo are finding that making a living is getting harder by the day. With crime and corruption are rampant, many are looking to move to greener pastures, possibly Israel.

The American Joint Jewish Distribution Committee  provides the Kosovo Jews with social services and hosts celebrations for Jewish holidays. The main question is if they are doing what they can to promote Aliyah to Israel. Although, the population of 50 Jews is not going to break any Aliyah records, Every Jew who makes it to the Holy Land counts.