Moving to Israel

Nothing makes person who writes about and encourages moving to Israel happier than successful Aliyah stories and that’s why The Jerusalem Post’s Cafe Oleh section is such a great way for me to start my day. It is always inspiring to hear new stories of Olim who start over here in Israel and today was a great example with the progress of Simon Asher of London.

Simeon, who came here with his wife Galina and sons Gideon, 6, and Benjamin, 4, nearly three years ago, is a successful osteopath and left a booming practice in London to which he still returns for one week a month, and opened a new practice in Ra’anana which has really taken off. He grew up in London and until 23 was not religiously observant. He found religion through Lubavitch, just before he met Galina and they married in 1994. After 10 years of marriage, Gideon was born and two years later, Benjamin. On a visit here in 2007, they had dinner with friends and in the taxi on the way back they looked at each other and said “Let’s do it.” Looking back on the decision, Asher says, “You can’t really explain it if your heart brings you here.”

“When we think of our Aliyah, it’s been literally that, a going up and a wonderful experience that has surpassed all expectations,” says Asher. “Israelis don’t appreciate what they’ve got here, because they didn’t choose to live here the way we did. Living in England you are obsessed with news about Israel, and being here you have released yourself from that whole narrative. Israel only really makes sense when you’re here.”

Obviously, everyone has different experiences when making Aliyah and some are smoother than others. However, when reading the JPost’s Cafe Oleh section it makes for a great feeling for the rest of us Olim (and potential Olim) to see others in similar situations who manage to overcome their fear and apprehension to make Aliyah and moving to Israel a reality. It is a daily must read for many of my visitors and comes highly recommended by this North American Oleh.

Ari

While I would never discourage anyone from moving to Israel, today’s article of the week does, unfortunately, contain some sobering thoughts of the state of our country. Fred Moncharsh, an Oleh from the West Coast of America as well as a Likud activist and member of the Likud Central Committee, does a fantastic job of making his point and painting a very clear picture of some of the troubles facing the Jewish homeland today.

The biggest problem, says Moncharsh, is the lack of true leadership here in Israel and he points out that this is not a new phenomena. He talks of how this has been a problem dating back decades. In his words:

“Israel needs a real leader. A real leader who is more than hot air. A real leader who has a red line, any red line. A leader who knows that when the red line is crossed, the time to talk is over, and the time to act is crucial.”

Moncharsh is a true Zionist, lover of the land and a very astute observer of the political landscape here and in the Middle East. This is a highly recommended article and, as you’ll see by the comments at the bottom, a lively discussion and debate is already brewing. Enjoy the piece.

Ari

As we celebrate Lag BaOmer - the 33rd day of the Omer, which is, according to the Talmud, the time when 24,000 of of Rabbi Akiva’s students died from a divinely sent plague - here in Israel and we take in the atmosphere of happiness and bonfires, I wanted to point out a great article by Yonatan Sredni that reminds of us of the historic days’ true meaning and some inspiring things we can learn from it. I thought this article would be very apropos for the blog as Yonatan is a fellow Oleh who moved to Israel from America out of the heart of Silicon Valley.

The piece is especially poignant as it reminds us not to just count the Omer and light fires on this day but to do so while also learning a lesson from the tragic circumstances of Rabbi Akiva and his students and to make sure such a colossal lapse in judgment is not repeated by us and future generations.

Enjoy Lag BaOmer and, as the great Rabbi Akiva used to preach “Veahavta le-raiacha kamocha” - Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Ari

Regular readers of this moving to Israel blog know that I regularly bring up the unique relationship between Israel and the United States (not to mention the fact that I am an American Oleh) and that is why I am anxious to feature this fantastic article by Harold Estes, an almost 95 year old U.S. Navy veteran who served proudly before, during and after WW II before retiring as a Master Chief Bos’n Mate.

The article is a scathing letter to President Obama which strongly rebukes the Commander in Chief for his very “un-American” attitude towards the very country which he leads. It is a very revealing and eye opening piece which speaks not just to the President, but to all those who, since 9/11, seem to blame America for all the hardships in the world, including the ones which effect America most negatively. This sounds very familiar to me regarding how many of our own leaders here in Israel often seem to be apologizing for the terror attacks we seem to “bring upon ourselves.”

It is important to read Estes’ letter and to remember that countries like Israel and the U.S. (and perhaps only Israel and the U.S.) have, throughout history, been the ones to defend liberty and protect the weak from the murderous dictators of the world. We need the leaders of these great nations to act like leaders and be proud of the high moral standards they have set for the world and not to apologize and appease the immoral majority that seeks to blame the west for all the heinous crimes perpetrated against it.

Ari

This being a moving to Israel blog and me being (as I often mention) an Oleh from America, I am always fascinated by the relationship of the two countries. They frequently both set examples for the rest of the world and, therefore, all news matters that focus on cooperation between the two always warms my heart. This is why I was happy to read this morning of a treaty to be signed between Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger regarding industrial cooperation in the field of renewable energy. The signing will take place in the course of Schwarzenegger’s visit to Israel as part of the Saban Forum.

The agreement with California will advance strategic commerce cooperation between the State of Israel and California in the renewable energy and environmental technologies fields, by creating partnerships between Israeli firms that specialize in these fields on the one hand, and California industries and municipalities on the other. Mutual investments between the countries will increase, as will research cooperation and other coordination in these fields.

The U.S. renewable energy market has tremendous commercial potential for Israeli companies and trade between the two countries, which dropped 12% between January and September 2009 and the same period last year, should be given a major boost by this latest announcement.

We hope the two democracies will continue to provide guidance to the rest of the world with the trade between them helping to form the foundation.

Ari

As I wrote here a few weeks ago the process of Aliyah and moving to Israel is often filled with challenges and difficulties. The other day I received a letter from a potential Oleh (name withheld) describing another hurdle that was encountered.

It seems this reader has been trying to move to Israel for 9 months now and has been presented with obstacles from the Jewish Agency, the Consular Division, paper work issues and more. As he put it “All in all Israel seems to be the hardest country for a Jew to move into because of incredible bureaucracy. I wonder if anybody in Israel even knows how difficult these bureaucrats have made the Alyiah process.”

I bring this up not to discourage anyone from making Aliyah (obviously, as this blog encourages that very action) as I know that all major moves bring up issues to resolve. I bring it up to try and spread the word out to the powers that be. These stories of hassles and red tape are just all too common and if we could start to get the message across to the bureaucrats in charge it would eliminate one of the most common complaints of Jews who want to come home.

Here’s to (hopefully) moving in a new direction and eliminating all the unnecessary heartache.

Ari

As many of you probably know, there are no shortage of bureaucracy issues here in Israel. Today I was reminded of that by reader and prospective Oleh Gene Maltsev.

Gene wrote in to tell me about an experience at the Ministry of Interior here in Jerusalem and what had transpired. Needless to say the event was colored with the seemingly all too common runarounds, lack of customer service and general rudeness.

While I am happy to report that Gene did ultimately get the visa extension sought, as was hoped, without any significant issues to speak of and that many of us know that such attitude is often expected at many of Israel’s governement offices, this does by no means excuse this activiy.

People such as Gene face enough challenges when considering Aliyah and moving to Israel that crude treatment by our own brothers and sisters should not have to be added to the list.

Ari

In attempting to be THE moving to Israel blog on the Internet, we are constantly seeking to provide our readers with tips and advice on making Aliyah. Another, less publicized adjustment for new immigrants in Israel is the move within the country itself. As Olim are often unsettled upon relocation, moving to several places until a permanent home is found is extremely common. Yesterday I found myself is such a situation as I moved my family across the city to my second home since making Aliyah and thought I would share a bit of my experience to you.

We moved from our home in the German Colony Jerusalem to the neighboring community of Old Katamon just a few blocks away. As someone who has moved a reasonable amount of times over the years back in America, I was prepared for the grind of the day. However, looking back on the day, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised with how it went. The moving company showed up at about 8:00 a.m. and worked efficiently from there on out. They were out of our old apartment by about 12:30 p.m. and had all of our stuff moved in to our new place by 3:30 p.m. The company seemed to be proffesional throughout and was accomodating with any requests made of them.

Now, this is not to say that any moving company should feel the right to act in any way other than the above. However, reality is that not all companies do. I have had very bad experiences with my moves in America and it would be nice if this was a general indication of company practice here in Israel. Unfortunately, my wife dealt with all the arranging and everything was paid in cash so I do not know off hand the contact information of the company to link to them. However, I will get it and post it in a future post to let everyone thinking about moving a chance to test them out.

Making Aliyah is always tough and making a move within Israel is just another challenge that many Olim face within their first few years in the country. As we always are trying to dole out information when first moving to Israel, please never hesitate to post a comment here or to contact me directly for ANY answers or advice you may seek regarding the move within Israel as well.

 Ari

Why? The question has been asked thousands of times to thousands of people. Why? Why did you move to Israel? Why leave the comforts of North America to come here? Why enter the financial questions that will arise? Why leave that great job in the center of Manhattan? Why leave your friends and family that you grew up with over the course of decades? Why enter into the hardships? The rudeness of seemingly everyone. The endless bureaucratic hassles that seem to be daily. And why move to a tiny little country surrounded by countless enemies whose dream is the end of said tiny little countries’ existence?

Perhaps the only thing more fascinating than this question is the wide range of answers you hear. “It is where G-d wants us to be.” “I am Jewish and want to live in a land where (almost) everyone else you encounter on a day to day basis is Jewish.” “I want to be near my parents/children.” “The atmosphere is much nicer.” “I came and ‘something’ just kept me here.”

These are but a short list of some of the wide range of answers we hear. Some mundane, some fascinating, some mystical even.

As an Oleh from North America in the past decade I too have been asked this question many times and while my answer has, admittedly, varied over the past ten plus years, some time ago my official answer to this often asked question just sort of hit me and has gone unchanged since. My humble take on the question is as follows.

Israel is a miracle. Not just a miracle in the traditional sense i.e. the fact that the country even exists since the events of 1948. But also a miracle of circumstances that puzzles me to this day. The astonishments never cease. With so much catastrophe occurring around the globe, turn on CNN or any other major news source in the world on any given day and Israel will be front and center. How are the “negotiations” going? How is Israel “disproportionately” responding to today’s terror, er, sorry, I mean militant attack? How have the Palestinians been humiliated lately? What’s the latest UN resolution against Israel? The list goes on and on. With life and death disasters which, one would think, dwarf Israel’s in size and relevance, occurring universally on an hourly basis, Israel continues to dominate the news, usually painted in a negative light. One might suspect that this would be yet another deterrence for coming to live in the Holy Land, yet for me it has now become the clinching factor in my remaining here indefinitely.

The hate is illogical. The focus is disproportionate. Throughout time this continues to occur. With all going on in the world Jewry and Israel continue to dominate the headlines. To me, this can be no coincidence. How could this continue, without disruption, throughout time? Somebody is trying to tell us something. While not trying to get all mythical we have to admit that, whether by G-d (which I personally believe) or some other divine force, somebody is trying to tell us that Jewry/Israel/etc. is different. It is of supreme importance and uniqueness and always will be. This will never change. Times, fashions, cultures and technology all change but the one constant, as illogical as it may seem at the time of occurrence, has always been fascination/contempt/disproportionate focus on Jewry.

I want to be get on that train! While I was born Jewish, even our non-Jewish brethren, when thoroughly contemplated, would be amazed at this phenomenon. It’s just too illogical to ignore. I want to be a part of that. We need to look at this miracle and all the amazing circumstances surrounding it and not blow it off as coincidence. It’s just too big and, as has been proven throughout history, too important. While I too enjoy indulging in the pleasantries that this world has to offer I cannot ignore the message being told to us that the Jewry/Israel issue is one that has to be tackled. The disproportionate reaction to our existence is not by chance. It is a calling, in the most blatant terms, that this is an issue that, at worst, is at least as important as any issue facing man.

This is why I choose to live in Israel. Somebody is telling us something. This tiny land, smaller than Lake Michigan, is treated with more focus than the entire planet and galaxy combined. The Jewish people, a total world wide sum so relatively small so as to be considered statistically irrelevant if it were any other people, who have always been the most loyal citizens in any land they have inhabited, given to the most endless, unreasonable scrutiny at an outlandish amount of time and resources. The Muslim population, over 1 billion plus strong, considered the underdog. These are not reasonable calculations. Even the most indifferent among us would have to agree there is something else at work here. For me, what is at work here is a message. A message that says you/we are being told something. We are being told what and where is important. Do we listen? Do we answer the message? I have decided to and will continue and, while I am not suggesting that Aliyah and moving to Israel is for everyone, I am definitely suggesting that these amazing miracles of circumstance are questions that anybody alive might be anxious to address.

Ari Strauch