Synopsis of our first two months of Aliyah to Israel

RECAP OF IMPORTANT ITEMS:


Hi Folks.  Here is a recounting of the things in our blog that we think are the most important for you to remember when you make Aliyah.  I've just cut and pasted the lines from my blog, so if they seem out of context, well, they are!  But they should be helpful, nonetheless.

GPS AND CELL PHONE SERVICE:
Speaking of cell phone service, I cannot recommend enough that you buy a "smart phone" here and sign up for an internet package so you can use, "WAZE" in Israel.  If you do not know your way around the country and need to find the local government offices, this service is invaluable to people who do not speak fluent Hebrew.  DO NOT buy the cell phone company's GPS service, (for example: Orange GPS) BECAUSE the maps are all in Hebrew, which doesn't do you any good as an English speaker.  You may think it might be fairly easy to follow a map in Hebrew, but when you are stressed by heavy traffic, time constraints, and looking at a small video screen for directions, believe me, it will become very hard to read Hebrew map directions, unless you are completely fluent.  MOST OF THE Israel MAPS FOR STAND ALONE GPS SYSTEMS, LIKE GARMIN, AREN'T WORTH A DARN, IMHO. 


Also, REMEMBER to ask the salesperson, when you buy your phone, how to retrieve your voicemail.  The directions are in Hebrew on the phone menu and "she" speaks quite rapidly, so there is no understanding how to do it after you leave the cell phone store.

DRIVER LICENSE:

Olim can only convert their American licenses to Israeli licenses at certain offices, which in our case was, Haifa!

 Note that the "DMV" offices have late afternoon hours BUT Olim cannot convert their licenses in the afternoon only during the morning hours.  So while the Aliyah websites list afternoon hours, I'd recommend going in the morning.

A few tips.  Take your lessons from an instructor in the town that the "DMV" testing office is located in so your instructor can show you the "usual" routes that the official examiner may have you drive.  The experience beforehand is invaluable.  Second PLEASE, PLEASE ask for recommendations for instructors in your area.  NBN provided us with a reference to a great and honest instructor in Tiberias.  We are SO HAPPY that we asked for a referral before we picked an instructor.


ULPAN:
Contrary to what some websites tell you about Ulpan, this course expects that you already know the modern Hebrew cursive writing.  LEARN TO WRITE HEBREW CURSIVE BEFORE YOU COME! 
Ulpan is 6 months long, five days a week.  Be prepared to commit yourself full-time, if you take the Ulpan classes.


BUY APPLIANCES IN ISRAEL:

After reading many suggestions about bringing appliances, if you don’t want to bother with trying to find 220v stuff in the USA, I’d suggest that you shop in Israel for items like this, the prices aren’t that much different.  And buying the appliance here insures you have a valid warranty with repair options.
UPDATE:
We purchased a washer, dryer, refrigerator, combo stove/oven, and dishwasher, here in Israel.  The pricing for these items fluctuated greatly from store to store.  I did my homework by checking on "ZAP.co.il" which has consumer reviews of the appliances and also posts prices from various stores.  This helped immensely when it came time to deal on the final prices.   In this Country, the stores expect haggling, and if you do not ask for a better price, you are considered gullible.  Believe me, by the time you buy an apartment, or build a house, you will become an expert at negotiating!


THE SHIPPING PROCESS:
 When you choose to make Aliyah, please, please, remember your obligations to your spouse and uphold them.  Treat your spouse with kindness and respect, especially during this time frame!  AND most importantly, respect the sanctity of Shabbat.  You will NEED the peace and shelter of the Shabbat to re-calibrate your life during the move.

 So the process is: the local moving company will come one day and prepare/pack all your household goods for transport.  The next day they will arrive with a truck and actually move your items to their warehouse for storage until the shipping container becomes available for them to pack.  It is possible for you to have goods shipped directly to the moving company's warehouse, if you buy large items, like furniture, before you leave.  We did that with a couch and chair.  Hopefully, it worked out.  We will see in 8-13 weeks when we get our goods in Israel.  Seriously, we had no time to check that the shipment arrived from the furniture store to the shipping warehouse, in good condition.  We are hoping it did.  UPDATE:  We received the furniture with the rest of our shipment, so sending items directly to the shipper seems to work fine.

Make sure that you have an additional sum of money on hand to pay the shipping company OVER and ABOVE what they quoted you in your contract.  They speak of additional fees in the contract, but we were shocked when the additional "fees and taxes" amounted to $600.USD!  We recommend that you do not pay in NIS (shekels) if you are dealing with a USA owned company.  We made this mistake and were charged a hefty sum for the "conversion fees."  Also, if you can help it, don't use a credit card because they charge a 3% fee for using that method as well.   We recommend that you arrange a wire transfer of money to the shipping company.  That way you only get charged what your bank gets for wiring the money.

UPDATE:   After our house was built we sent a second shipment of furniture and furnishings for our new house.   Even though we picked a different shipping agent, we still ended up paying MUCH MORE than the advertised prices. Also, the second time, the Shipper did not deliver all of our items.  We were missing a bedframe and some new blankets.  Nothing expensive, but we miss the queen bed frame sorely because they are unavailable here in Israel.   So I have no helpful advice here.   Most of my friends who made Aliyah concur, no one has had a positive shipping experience!


BANKING:
Ensure that you choose a bank that is nearby your new home.  If you are moving to someplace outside the big cities, be sure to see if the local branch has English speaking employees that can assist you.  In the first few weeks of living in Israel, you will be visiting their office frequently.  It takes over one week to get checks printed to your new account, and unlike the USA, they don't issue "temporary" checks.
UPDATE:   After two years, we still use our English speaking banker every time we have to transfer money between accounts, or need updates on our account.  Financial matters often involve advanced Hebrew which is way beyond Ulpan Hebrew, so go with a bank that offers good English language customer service.



USE THE BEN GURION AIRPORT MINISTRY OFFICES SIGN-UP PROGRAM:
 First off, let me say, that the process of getting your Teudot Oleh at the Ben Gurion airport- Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, is well worth your time and effort.  It was the easiest government entity we have dealt with so far. That being said, I would suggest you get some sleep on the plane, because you will need to have your wits about you when you complete this process.


Two important things to prepare for; First, spell out your American name in Hebrew BEFORE you get to Israel.  Make sure it is spelled the way you want it because IF you let the government employee try to convert your name into Hebrew, you might be saddled with a permanent mistake in pronunciation of your name.  They just do it phonetically, so they might not spell it correctly.  As an example, if your name is "Diane", you might end up with "Diana" because it is a very common Israeli name.  

Second, be sure to research the state health insurance programs and pick one that has services near your new hometown, BEFORE you arrive in Israel.  If you do not pick one at the airport, you will have to pay a fee later and seek out a location to enroll for the health insurance.  If you can't speak or read Hebrew, it can be difficult to find government offices in Israel. 


Be sure to apply for your Teudot Zehut at the Interior Ministry office closest to your new hometown, as they may not let you complete the process at an office far away from where you intend to live.  As an example, we assumed that the Interior Ministry office in Tiberias, was the closest office to our hometown in the Golan, but in actuality, we were supposed to make the application at the office in Zefat.  We didn't even know there was an office in Zefat, and the people at our Moshav said that the Tiberias office was the correct location to apply.  Fortunately, the clerk in Tiberias took pity on us, and issued us our T.Z. I.D. cards.

Internet and phone service:

I don't know if it is a particular problem in the Golan, but when we moved here, it took us almost one year to get a landline phone and DSL internet service, via the only provider, Bezeq.  When we moved to another location, for weeks Bezeq customer service told us on the phone that it was impossible to get service in our neighborhood, despite the fact that our neighbors had phones and internet service.   Eventually, a friend of a friend, who worked at Bezeq, straightened out a minor computer glitch in our billing information, and we had phone service and internet within an hour!  

SO THAT'S ABOUT IT FOR NOW.  As we gain additional experience, I'll post more tips in the future.
Shalom!

From Ushpazim to Friends

The Kotel in Jerusalem during Sukkot-5772

In the Ramat Golan, where we live, there are only a few villages that follow what Americans would call the Orthodox way of life.  However, we have come to find out that most of the other villages, observe the high holidays and festivals with as much fervor as their Orthodox brothers and sisters.

We were invited to dine in the Sukkahs of serveral of our neighbors and acquaintances.  Our first experience was in the Orthodox community of Hispin where we dined with our friends from Ulpan and their parents.  We enjoyed some great laughs and a wonderful dinner.  We had much to share with one another as we are all from the Southern California area.  I believe that we have become fast friends with these folks from our "neck of the woods."

Next, we dined with our Landlord and his family, on Shabbat.  We only stayed in the Sukkah for a short while as it was about 15 degrees C. outside and the little ones were quite cold.  We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and conversation.

On another evening, we visited over nana tea with our Architect and his family, in their Sukkah.  His family is from France and Algiers, and they settled in the highest Moshav in Israel- Neve Ativ.  We enjoyed fascinating stories of life in France for Jews, before and after WWII.  I am sad to report that the Jews in France today, feel as if they are prisoners in their own homes, as they are afraid to be out in the evenings due to the rampant antisemitism in France.

We also hosted neighbors and friends in our first Sukkah in Israel.  During the festival, we traveled to Jerusalem, as in ancient times.   The Torah commanded all Jews to make a pilgrimage to the Temple Mount 3 times a year.  We have decided to make the trip 3 times a year, in honor of Pesach, Shavout, and Sukkot. Of course Jerusalem was very busy and bustling with people trying to get to the Kotel to wave their own 4 species.  It was very heartening to see how many people from all over Israel and the world were in Jerusalem for the festival of Sukkot.

The parents of our friends from Ulpan were meeting friends from So. Cal. in Jerusalem the same day we were making our pilgrimage, so we had company for the long ride down south.  We decided to take the West Bank road to Jerusalem and it was quite the experience.  We saw a herd of a dozen camels roaming about, goat herds, sheep herds, and many date palm farms.  We stopped at a Kosher restaurant in the middle of no where and enjoyed a delightful breakfast.

All this to say that here, we came as strangers, but in the course of a month or so, we have been accepted as friends by many people, here.  I commented to my wife, the other day, coming back from Jerusalem, that I now feel completely comfortable in Israel.  I don't feel like an outsider, and I know that I can navigate around, despite my lack of Hebrew.

The Haftora reading for Sukkot mentioned that G_d bore the Israelites, "on Eagle's wings" throughout the wandering in the desert and many teachings say that we build Sukkahs because we commemorate G_d's divine glory protecting our people from the harsh environment.  We truly feel that G_d has done the same for us.  The whirlwind process of making Aliyah, the provision of this fine rental home, in a neighborhood full of kind and generous people, has instilled us with a sense of belonging and awe, over how quickly it all occurred.

We had many interesting conversations about the release of Sgt. Giliad Shalit.  Many Israelis believe that his release, on the day that Joseph assumed power over all of Egypt, has prophetic undertones.  Our neighbor and my wife also noted that the Haftara reading for last week spoke of releasing captives from the darkness....  There were other opinions as well, but we will leave them for the talk shows and debates raging now.

Shabbat Shalom!

Update: 03Feb12
So, we have experienced our first Ramat Golan winter.  And we can tell you that it is cold here from late November to February.  The temps at night go down to freezing and during the day it is about 40 degrees, but windy.  I'd guess the windchill factor would make it around 35 degrees F. during most days.  We received snow a couple of days in our Kibbutz.  Of course Har Hermon is covered with snow.

 
My wife has tried her first few months of "commuting" back to the USA for work.  Although we miss each other terribly for a month at a time, we see now that it will be doable for the foreseeable future.

We have made some friends in Ulpan and have continued getting together outside class.  We also have made a few friends in the community, so we can always count on invites to Shabbat dinners and informal get togethers.  Our nephew from the states visited us for two weeks so we did some sightseeing in the North.  Here are a few photos from our trips.  Shabbat Shalom!

 

A unique and diverse Life

This week, Israel is celebrating the pilgrimage festival of Sukkot.  Part of the commandment is to wave the four species.  Well, in most parts of the Diaspora, you buy the Lulav and Etrog, pre-packaged.  At least we did, in the Los Angeles area.

                                          Collecting "Willow" twigs along the Syrian border

On Erev Sukkot, my landlord invited me to ride with him to cut fresh branches from a "willow" tree, which is one of the four species.  So, I rode with him out to the Syrian border with Israel, in the Golan Heights.  There is a long, deep trench that has been cut into the ground, which serves as an anti-tank barricade.  The trench is partially filled with water, so it is much like a moat around a castle.  Along this modern day "moat" grows the exact species of "willow" tree we needed for our fourth species.  We cut a few small, leafy twigs off the tree and turned around to drive back to our Kibbutz.  I was fascinated by the imagery of the nearby U.N. military base, the Israeli and Syrian flags flying along the border fences, miles of apple orchards on the Israel side of the fence, and two, middle aged Jews cutting twigs off a tree for Sukkot!   It is no small wonder that the "willow" tree species needed for Sukkot grows in such a precarious place.  As my landlord pointed out, our Lulav sets were very unique.  To say the least.

To add to the surreal nature of life here, let me say that Israel is composed of a very diverse population, at least here in the Golan.  Our neighbors are from: Ethiopia, Yemen, Ireland, Russia, England, France, Argentina, and the USA.  We also have Ulpan classmates from Australia and Columbia.  The village we live in is small, so everyone knows one another, and so far, everyone seems to get along very well.  I would suppose that the underlying Jewish belief system, has a great deal to do with the harmony of life here.  Doubtless, that many folks would disagree with that assumption, but human harmony in a close knit group is a very hard place to reach, normally.  Take it from a student of humanity at it's worst; as I worked in Law Enforcement for a few decades.

                                           Golan Heights agriculture

                                          Nimrod Fortress with Mt. Hermon in the background

During Sukkot, we invite our neighbors, friends, and occasionally strangers, into our little outdoor living areas that we usually construct next to our homes.  We were privileged to host a wonderful young friend, who was instrumental in helping us with our Aliyah.  We were so blessed to have her as our first guest on our Sukkah, here in the Golan.  We had a wonderful time and also visited some of the local historical sites.

Chag Sameach!

Wheels of life

Yom Kippur is rolling our way fast!  People in Eretz Israel continue to wish each other a Good New Year, this week and wishes for an easy fast.
As Olim, we have felt our lives come full circle by moving to Israel.  Where once in U.S., we felt established, settled in- comfortable in our positions at work and in our home; here we have "only just begun, to live" to borrow a line from the famous wedding song.  Our wedding Anniversary falls on Yom Kippur and H" has us playing the newlyweds once more.

The invention of the wheel surely must have been an "einfall" precipitated by H" to teach us how to model the concepts of life and the universe's secrets.  Each year we come full circle in our Torah readings, to finish Mose's admonitions to the generation going into Eretz Israel, and we begin anew with H" 's creation of the world.  We also ask for a renewed lease on life and forgiveness for our failings from the past year's mistakes.  These circular patterns are plain to see, yet I know we miss the connections that these patterns have, that complete the circle.  If we learn from our mistakes and fix what we have broken, and receive forgiveness from those we have hurt, then we can go forward in the new year, armed with the knowledge of how not to break anything more in this world.  Instead we can actually spiritually and physically build in the world, Tikkun Olam.

So, my wife and I are learning to build a new life for ourselves here, with plenty of help and support from H" and the wonderful people of Israel.  We lived the majority of our lives around the other side of the Earth, so this circular journey to Eretz Israel has completed another "revolution" in our lives.
If you are considering Aliyah, consider that this circular time of reconciliation, understanding, and renewal, is the perfect opportunity to ask H" for the strength and guidance to begin a new life in the land that H" gave to you, so many years ago.  Ask for the gift and He will get you rolling on your way home!

May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life and have an easy fast, this year-5772.

Life in Eretz Israel...for us!

This morning, I'm looking out at the rain soaked plains of the Ramat Golan (upper Golan, near Mt. Hermon).  The earth is a deep reddish brown color, the area smells of moisture, eucalyptus, fresh apple scents, and occasionally a lavender smell.  Herds of cattle are bellowing and the birds are singing, many birds are singing, seemingly thousands of them.  Israel is on a migratory path between Europe and Africa, so the varieties of birds here are amazing.  We are truly enjoying the peaceful environs of our Kibbutz.  It really is like living in the countryside in other nations.

The eastern sky is just beginning to light up and bathe the tops of the trees in a beautiful orange light, beckoning life to begin again.  And so it does for us too.  I'm up having coffee, my wife is showering, and then I'll say my morning prayers.    We will head off to Ulpan, which consumes most of our days now, with classes, homework, and studying.  The closest supermarket is about 15 minutes from our home, in Katzrin, so we tend to buy provisions after class.  The Kibbutz has a 7-11 style store, but with a very limited selection of goods, so we limit our shopping there.

It would be very difficult not to have a car in the Golan, as everything "is spread out so far and wide" to borrow a "Green Acres" theme line.  We feel fortunate to have a car, so we pick up as many hitchhiking soldiers and locals as we can to share our good fortune.  Yesterday, we picked up a soldier on the way home from class, and it was lightly raining.  We drove him up a steep road to his IDF base situated atop a hill that overlooks the border with Syria.  It was quite fascinating to see, up close, the array of electronic equipment that the IDF deploys on these installations.  There is a similar installation on a very high hill right behind our home, but it is difficult to see much, because it is so high up.  Anyway, we thanked the soldier for his service and wished him  Shana Tova.  As we drove away, we were left with a comforting feeling that G_d provides such young people with the fortitude to protect their fellow Jews from harm's way.

We  feel G_d's hand on all things here, and we are adjusting to that realization, accordingly.  We miss our families in the States, but we also know that we are of benefit to them, here.  Prayer is a powerful tool, when we turn and face G_d.  We wish you all a happy and safe New Year and may you all be inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year.  Shalom!

Internet and Google maps on your smartphone!

Hello, sorry for the delay in posting, but as you will find out, it is not an easy thing to get internet service in the "Ramat Golan" (upper Golan Heights).   Occasionally, like right now, our neighbors have a WiFi system turned on, but it is hit and miss when we can log on and use it.  After trying several different options, we chose to buy a USB-cell phone service internet connection "stick".   We had one in the USA, and it worked well for our purposes.

Speaking of cell phone service, I cannot recommend enough that you buy a "smart phone" here and sign up for an internet package so you can use, "GOOGLE MAPS" in Israel.  If you do not know your way around the country and need to find the local government offices, this service is invaluable to people who do not speak fluent Hebrew.  DO NOT buy the cell phone company's GPS service, (for example: Orange GPS) BECAUSE the maps are all in Hebrew, which doesn't do you any good as an English speaker.  You may think it might be fairly easy to follow a map in Hebrew, but when you are stressed by heavy traffic, time constraints, and looking at a small video screen for directions, believe me, it will become very hard to read Hebrew map directions, unless you are completely fluent.

Also, REMEMBER to ask the salesperson, when you buy your phone, how to retrieve your voicemail.  The directions are in Hebrew on the phone menu and "she" speaks quite rapidly, so there is no understanding how to do it after you leave the cell phone store.

I know we weren't the only ones who could not retrieve our messages, as some of our Ulpan classmates asked the "Morah"-female teacher, how to get their phone messages.

Shabbat Shalom!

Although we have been in Israel for 15 days now, this will be our first Shabbat in our new rental home in En Zivan.  We are excited to be lighting the candles and celebrating Shabbat here.  We had spent Shabbat with our friends in Modi'in these past weeks and we enjoyed ourselves immensely, but now it is time for us to begin our Jewish traditions in our new home!  We have had a very busy week with Ulpan and driving lessons, so we are excited for G_d's rest.

Shabbat Shalom!

Driver License and the car purchase

First off, if you absolutely need your Israel driver license, be prepared for the process to take anywhere from a week to a month.  To begin, you have to get the license form from an approved vendor, then take it to an optometrist, then you must have signed up for and processed the paperwork at your chosen health care provider, so you make an appointment to see a Doctor.  After the Doctor gives you a physical, the form is stamped by the Doctor for you to take to the "DMV"-aka Misrad Rishui.  We went to the "DMV" offices 4 different times, and did not know that  that Olim can only convert their American licenses to Israeli licenses at certain offices, which in our case would have to be in Haifa!  Next, we received the address of the "DMV" in Haifa and tried to find it without the help of a GPS.  Big, BIG! mistake.  We asked several folks for directions to the office and ended driving in circles for a couple of hours, until we got the bright idea of having a taxi driver lead us to the office.  But by then the office was closed for Olim conversions.
Note that the "DMV" offices have late afternoon hours BUT Olim cannot convert their licenses in the afternoon only during the morning hours.  So while the Aliyah websites list afternoon hours, I'd recommend going in the morning.

Now, every driving instructor that we've contacted says that their lessons are booked up, due to the summertime Aliyah immigrations.  Some say we will have to wait 3 weeks for lessons. This is problematic because we have a down payment on a car and need to finish buying it before a price increase goes into effect for the next model year.

I'll update you on our progress.

Update: 25Sept.11

Well we found a driving instructor through the "Go North" NBN coordinator.  Mr. E. Shalev was our instructor, out of Tiberias.  We cannot say enough good things about this fine man and his patience for English "only" students.  After 3 lessons a piece, he scheduled us for the all important driving test at the Misrad Rishui, (Israeli DMV).  There are many differences in the driving here, so don't feel bad if it takes you 2-3 lessons to catch on like a local.  I am pleased to report that my wife and I passed the driving tests and we received our paper licenses from our instructor, a day later.  Mr. Shalev even invited us to his home, to give us the licenses and "celebrate" over some cold drinks!  NOW THAT is service with a smile!  Seriously, we feel as if our instructor is now a friend that we can rely on for guidance and support here in Israel.  Baruch H''.

A few tips.  Take your lessons from an instructor in the town that the "DMV" testing office is located in so your instructor can show you the "usual" routes that the official examiner may have you drive.  The experience beforehand is invaluable.  We saw students taking lessons in the Golan, and believe me, the driving in a crowded, ancient city like Tiberias, is nothing like driving the country roads in the Golan Heights.  Secondly, be prepared to eat some crow, even if you've been driving for "40 years" like my wife claimed, even that was a slight exaggeration, at her tender young age!  The instructor will want you to drive VERY slow and VERY deliberately, so that you don't cut corners, or lines, as it were.  BECAUSE, if you do that in the test, you'll fail.  Failing the test costs a lot of money and time.  And besides, you only get 2 chances at the test, so you might as well do it right the first time, (If you fail the driving test twice, you have to take the driving test again after many lessons and a written exam!  YOU don't want to go there!).  Be prepared to go to the Israel Post Office twice during and after the process of getting your license.  You have to pay for the test there and then get your paper license "stamped" after you pay another fee to the Post Office upon receiving the license.  Approx. one month from now we should get our "credit card" style licenses in the mail, complete with our pictures.

On the car front, we've decided to go with a new Toyota Space Verso.  This process involves paying the entire purchase price and taxes for the car up front.  Then you have to hand over your US passport, Israeli driver license, and US driver license to the car dealer.  They send these original documents to the Israeli Customs Officials, who check them over and decide if you are eligible for the Oleh tax discount on the car.  IF they approve, then you get the documents back several days, to a week later.  AFTER that, your car is released from the port, sent to the dealership, prepared, and you get the car about 14 days after you have paid for it in full. 

(Update: 27/09/11- As promised, our documents were returned, safe and sound, by the dealership. The car delivery date is still up in the air, due to the Holidays, here).

Well we are off to a Rosh HaShana celebration in our Kibbutz, so Shalom ya all for now! ( A little self-deprecating humor- my accent makes my spoken Hebrew almost unintelligible to Israelis!).

Car Update: 05/10/11-
Today we picked up our new Toyota Space Verso.  It was ready on time and it was in perfect condition!  The sales folks explained the workings of the car, gave us a bottle of wine, and we were off to fight the traffic back to the Golan.  We are very happy with this car.  Its gets great gas mileage, and it should only get better as the engine breaks in.  We decided to go with AIG insurance here, as our friends said it was the lowest priced car insurance they had found.  For anyone over 40 to be fully covered when driving our car, it was about $1,300USD which is about $400USD more a year than in the states.  Not bad, considering....

Ulpan

We have started our ULPAN Hebrew language course, in the Katzrin community center.  Our class consists of several Russian Jews, who have lived in Israel for a few years, another couple from Los Angeles who live in the lower Golan, an Australian Jew, an Argentinian Jew, and a woman from Columbia who married an Israeli.  Quite a cosmopolitan class, I'd say!
Contrary to what some websites tell you about Ulpan, this course expects that you already know the modern Hebrew cursive writing.  Nothing is done in block letters, like you read in prayer books and in the Torah.  Had we known that, we would have had that down before we immigrated.  Oh well.  Hope this serves as a warning to others to be prepared.  The classes are fast paced and quite overwhelming, so anything you can do to prepare beforehand, would be of great benefit.  I am blessed with a smart spouse who has studied Hebrew for a few years, so she is carrying me along.
I'll report back after a few weeks on our progress. 
(UPDATE: 27/09/11)
We have completed two weeks of Ulpan and received a 6 page take home test to complete during 2 days off.  The teachers mean business here, and there is no slacking off.  The test was difficult and I probably received a "C" grade on the test, while my wife certainly received an "A" on her test.  I quipped with the teacher that at least she knew I did not "copy" off my wife's test papers.  Little consolation for me though.  I have had a hard time because I did not know the "cursive" Hebrew writing before I started the class.  Also, many folks in the class have lived in Israel for some time, while I'm "fresh off the boat."  Also, for whatever reason, I have a hard time pronouncing words correctly, while most folks in the class do well with the pronunciation.  Oh well, I'm trying hard and maybe that will pay off in the long run. 

My wife has labeled our home with stickers for the names of common items.  She also makes up quizzes while we drive around the Golan, and elsewhere.  This is helpful, although I know it is stressful on her, as she is trying to learn and keep up too, all the while dragging me along.  I pray that I am not slowing her progress, because I truly need her help to persevere.  She is a great help and the love of my life!

9/11-Anniversary

A very solemn day for all Americans, and for those of us who watched the horrific scenes that morning, we will certainly never forget that radical islam is bent on murdering Americans and destroying western democracy.  Many people in our circle of acquaintances, including us, were profoundly affected by this murderous massacre.  It changed the way we led our lives, conducted business, and viewed the world.  And many of our friends and adult children suddenly had to fight the war against terror.  God Bless them all for their service and sacrifice.  And may the memories of those who lost their lives on 9/11 endure as a blessing to us all.

Moving into our rental home in Israel!

After spending a wonderful Shabbat with our friends in Modi’in, we drove to the local shopping center and bought a few provisions, before heading North to our new rental home, in the Golan.  While shopping, we stopped in an appliance store and looked at the refrigerators, assuming that we would need one right away for our new home.

Appliances:
In the large cities, the stores have a wonderful selection of refrigerators, and the most reliable ones are made by the Japanese companies, Samsung, LG, Sanyo, etc.  A large Samsung refrigerator, in brushed steel finish, was about $1300 USD. It was bigger than our GE refrigerator in the states and it had an ice cube maker. After reading many suggestions about bringing appliances, if you don’t want to bother with trying to find 220v stuff in the USA, I’d suggest that you shop in Israel for items like this, the prices aren’t that much different.  And buying the appliance here insures you have a valid warranty with repair options.  Note that the ovens, and washer and dryers seem to be the noteable exceptions here.  They are NOT the same size as comparable USA style items.  They are smaller and less efficient.


We continued onto the new “toll road” Hwy. 6 in Israel that runs from the hi-tech park of Haifa in the North down to the Beer-sheva area in the South.  This road is very modern and the usual speeds approach 80 mph in the fast lane, so be prepared for an autobahn style experience, where there are huge commerical trucks traveling at 50mph in the slow lane and impatient car drivers traveling 30 mph faster in the left lane(s).  It is by far the quickest route to the North.  We have taken the coastal routes, and they are much slower due to signals and a high volume of traffic.  Highway 6 is interesting for new citizens to drive, because it passes through the main Israeli Arab areas of the country.  We realized how large the Arab population is in Israel, and how modern their cities and infrastructure are in those areas.  Of course we realized that the biased media always portrays the Arabs as downtrodden and economically disadvantaged here.  Not so, my fellow T.V. generation Americans.  Contrary to what “they” tell you, the majority of the Arab population’s living conditions rival the Jewish cities.   Enough said.

After getting off the toll road, getting to the Golan requires carefully negotiating several different two lane mountain style roads.  There is not one straight path to the Golan.  We have explored many different routes, so there are choices, but they all involve twisty roads.  A word of caution.  The center dividing line seems to be only a suggestion in the Golan.  Cars and especially large trucks, tend to stray over the center divider, so DO NOT hug the center of the road.  I have come to learn to drive as close to the right shoulder as practicable.  There are not too many bicyclists or pedestrians on the roads in the North, so it has not been a problem for me to do so.  And it has saved me from many potential “close calls” with meandering opposing vehicles.

Katzrin delight:
We stopped in Katzrin, which is the site of the Regional Council’s offices (read: county seat for us Americans).  There is a wonderful Schwarma/Schnitzel restaurant here, near the Golan museum and Bank Leumi.  Just look for the IDF soldiers congregating outside, and you’ll have the right establishment.  Even the U.N. soldiers drive for miles to eat at this place, it is that good!  We picked up two “foot-long” sandwiches and headed for Moshav En Zivan, where our first home in Israel, awaited us.  On the way, our landlord phoned us and he said he was awaiting our arrival.  I should say that our landlord befriended us on our pilot trip to Israel.  Divine providence put us in touch with this kind man of Irish decent, who also happened to be one of the most politically connected men in the Golan.  He is also a fellow, “Jew by choice” which immediately endeared him to us.  Over the 2 years of preparation to move to Israel, this wonderful man has made it a point to help us and ensure our successful transition.

The great surprise!
We arrived at our newly constructed home, with its new wood patios and windows, to find our landlord putting the finishing touches on our fully stocked kitchen, with refrigerator, stove, tea kettle, toaster and oven!  The local “Welcome Wagon” had baked us brownies, cakes, bread, and pitas!  There were plates of fresh local fruits and vegetables!  Even a couple bottles of wine!  We were absolutely overwhelmed with the graciousness of our new neighbors and friends!  We could not believe our eyes.  Our landlord had purchased completely outfitted the house so that we lacked nothing.  We had a bed, comforter, linens, a new looking leather couch, table, chairs, and even a side tables for the bedroom.

I cannot express how grateful we were to see this outpouring of care and concern for our well fare.  It made the huge uncertainty of this move, so much easier on us.  Talk about the epitome of brotherly love for fellow Jews and making “outsiders” feel welcomed.  This was a magnificent display.  But, I can honestly say, that so far, in our experiences here in Israel, people have gone out of their way to be kind and helpful, once they realized we were Olim!

In the ensuing days, our neighbors came with more provisions and helped us navigate the healthcare and DMV bureaucracies.  They also sat and visited with us, in English, so that we would feel at home!



The Golan experience:
Our financial situation is different from many Olim, in that we are older and do not have to worry about commuting to work each day.  But, if you can afford it or have agricultural experience, I’d suggest taking a look at the Golan as a place to settle here in Israel.  We left Modi’in when it was in the high 90’s on Monday.  We arrived in the Golan, En Zivan, and the temp was in the low 80’s.  EVERY afternoon here, a southerly wind blows, that cools the area off rapidly.  This natural air conditioning allows residents to just open their windows and cool the house, no need for A/C, although our house has two of them.  At night, this breeze keeps up and it is down right cold!  We were pleasantly surprised to be using blankets and quilts at night, while enjoying shorts and sandals weather during the day!  Our second day here, real weather blew in and in the evening low clouds passed along the Golan making everything wet with foggy conditions, Baruch H’’!

That’s the good news.  Now for  the hairy news.  Our second night here, the wind was blowing, and I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, as my wife and I talked in bed.  The lights were off, so I thought a leaf was blowing past the sliding glass bedroom door.  BUT when the “leaf” changed direction, I realized it was a critter, AND it was on the wrong side of the glass door, inside with us!  I got up and discovered “it” was the BIGGEST tarantula spider I had ever seen! (I was fascinated with these spiders as a child, so I’ve seen many in the wild and in zoo displays).  It was light colored and had a huge abdomen and thorax.  My wife was even less amused than I was.  I gingerly opened the screen door, and awaited our hairy house guest’s departure.  It crawled outside, into the foggy abyss.  My wife promptly got up and began to stuff magazine pages crumpled into all the unplugged wiring holes in our newly constructed home.

Later the next day, we saw a tortoise in the roadway, and I got out and moved him so that he didn’t get squished by the next car.  We’ve seen foxes, cattle, and have heard jackels howling at night, so you will have to live with the critters if you choose to make the Golan your home.

I do not have internet yet, so I am writing this blog entry on a word document and will post it once “Bezeq” the national phone company, completes our WiFi set up in a few days.

We will start Ulpan next week, the government’s Hebrew training courses.  More on that, later.  Shalom.

Made it to Eretz Israel with a little help from our friends!

Baruch H'' we made it to Eretz Israel, at 0430 hrs today, 02Sept11.  Our 200lbs. of luggage made it too!  We had to take the "long way around".  We went from LAX to SFO, then to FRA (Frankfurt, Germany).  We spent the night, did some sightseeing in town, and took a red-eye flight to Ben Gurion Airport.  We are exhausted, but relieved to be in Israel for the beginning of our lives in THE PROMISED LAND!

As I write this from our friends' home in Modi'in, I am fondly recalling our last Shabbat service at B'nai Israel, in Tustin, CAL.  We were blessed to see many congregational friends that morning and say our goodbyes.  An engaged couple received Rabbi Spitz' blessing and I had the privilege to hold their Grandfather's Tallit, suspended over them as a Chuppah.  After a Bat Mitzveh, Rabbi Spitz also honored my wife and I with a special blessing for traveling to Israel.  I cannot describe what a loving and warm congregation, B'nai Israel was and is for us.  We could not have made the conversion or Aliyah without the guidance and support we found amongst those wonderful people that we are privileged to call friends.

So we have ahead of us, our car purchase, settling up with the shipping company, driving to the Golan and moving into our rental home, and driving lessons.  I'm off to crash on the couch for some shut-eye.  I am content and full of anticipation.  Here we go!

Empty Apartment

So, I'm writing this entry, sitting in a folding camping chair, inside our empty apartment.

Last night, we had pizza and beer by our community pool with 5 members of our family.  It was a poignant last farewell, but we had fun and everyone stayed in good spirits.

The shipping company sent the movers today and they packed all day.  But we did not have a lot of stuff, so they finished early and decided just to take everything with them, instead of coming back tomorrow to load the items.  The moving company did an expert job wrapping and packing our items.  Although we had a lot of our stuff in plastic storage bins, they still took the time to wrap the bins in moving paper and packing tape.  Our furniture was wrapped as well.

We plan on flying out tomorrow sometime, depending on when we can get on a flight. Hurricane Irene caused several flight cancellations and it will be difficult to find seats on any flights this week.

We have wired our rent money to our landlord and he finally received it.  We also placed a deposit on a new Toyota car, via wire transfer.  Neither of the wire transfers went very easy, but it was eventually handled.

We will sleep over at a relative's home tonight, and then off to the airport with our GIANT luggage bags.  We needed 3 months worth of items to make it through until the shipment of our household goods arrives.  We have a total of 3 very large suitcases, one carry-on roller bag, one backpack, and one laptop computer bag.  We have NEVER carried this much luggage on a trip, as we are firm believers in packing light when sightseeing.  But we are moving, so carrying a sherpa load is the way we'll roll on this trip.

Some photos of Eretz Israel

Har Hermon from Odem

Sea of Galilee from the Golan Heights

Odem, in the foreground

Dead Sea

Israel's pain and suffering

We were abruptly and unmistakably awakened from our shipping "pity-party" when Hamas attacked Israelis near Eliat and reigned down rockets on the areas around Ashkelon.  The deaths of civilians and police officers trying to help in a terrorist attack are sickening reminders of the world's hatred for our adopted people and Eretz Israel.  But as many Rabbis have said, the average person's only recourse is; to help unify the Jewish people, pray, help those in need, and learn Torah.  So, in a small way, we are trying to help by moving to Eretz Israel, so we can be counted among those who are helping the Jewish unity, and praying, and performing Tikun Olam, and learning Torah- IN ISRAEL.
To the families of those murdered; May their memories endure as blessings!

Shipping your household to Israel

So, the last few weeks, we've been busy packing and negotiating with overseas shipping companies to pack and move our household goods to our new rental home in Israel.
As many of you know, moving is one of the most strenuous situations that married couples can face.  Needless to say, these past weeks have not been smooth sailing, despite all our preparations.  When you choose to make Aliyah, please, please, remember your obligations to your spouse and uphold them.  Treat your spouse with kindness and respect, especially during this time frame!  AND most importantly, respect the sanctity of Shabbat.  You will NEED the peace and shelter of the Shabbat to re-calibrate your life during the move.
We called and received 3 bids from moving companies.  Two were Israeli companies that advertise at NBN seminars, and one was a USA based company.  The surveyors for local California relocation companies were sent out to our home for "free" and they wanted to see everything that was going to be shipped.  The estimates are done by volume and weight, so that the shipping compnies know whether to provide a "partial" shipping container that is consolidated with other partial containers to fill up those large metal containers you see at ports and on trucks.  Or a 20ft. "small" container that holds about a 2 bedroom house worth of stuff, or the big 40ft. containers that ship a 4-5 bedroom house.
Our large, one bedroom apartment turned out to fill up approx. 70% of a 20ft. container.  Two of the 3 bids were identically priced, while the 3rd was over a $1000 USD more, so you know that company lost out.  We ended up going with Sonigo because we liked that they have a company office in Haifa, which is the port our goods will arrive in since we are moving to the Golan.  We also liked the fact that Sonigo does not demand all the money "up front" and the last payment is not due until after the ship has actually sailed!
You should know that the price bid DOES NOT INCLUDE shipping insurance, and that is about 2% of the declared value of your goods, which you itemize for the company.  There is A LOT of paperwork, so be prepared to deal with it.   It would be good to have a clear understanding with your spouse on just how much paper work is involved, including all the fax/scan requests, so that the spouse that ends up dealing with more of the packing does not feel as if they got the short end of the stick!
We are planning/building a new house in the Golan, so we decided to use some of the "extra space" in our shipping container for some items that we want at the new home.  This will pose a space dilemma for us when we move into our rental house, because it is smaller then our planned home.  Nevertheless, because shipping is outrageously expensive, we are filling the container up.  Note, that I would not recommend that you run around at the last minute, like us, trying to buy stuff you want in Israel, but unfortunately we had to put this extra burden on ourselves.  Also, keep in mind that Israel taxes some items, even on Olim shipments, such as BBQs, patio furniture, building materials, and liquor.  So check with your shipper and before you buy.  The taxes on these items is horrendous, as we found out!  More on that later.
The moving company in the USA will insist on packing ALL breakable goods, so don't bother packing your china, artwork, T.V.s, computers, and the like.  .   We decided to get a bunch of clear plastic storage containers at WalMart and pack our books and clothes inside clear trashbags that went inside the clear storage containers.  The shippers then wrapped these containers for shipping.
If you choose to pack some of your goods, be sure to do it with CLEAR plastic boxes, so the shippers and customs officers can "inspect" the contents, without having to rifle through your items.  One company had an "odd" policy of not allowing anything to be packed by the customer.  Needless to say, we did not go with that company.

So the process is: the local moving company will come one day and prepare/pack all your household goods for transport.  The next day they will arrive with a truck and actually move your items to their warehouse for storage until the shipping container becomes available for them to pack.  It is possible for you to have goods shipped directly to the moving company's warehouse, if you buy large items, like furniture, before you leave.  We did that with a couch and chair.  Hopefully, it worked out.  We will see in 8-13 weeks when we get our goods in Israel.  Seriously, we had no time to check that the shipment arrived from the furniture store to the shipping warehouse, in good condition.  We are hoping it did.
As things turned out, the week before our move date, my wife got called for a 4 day work trip!  So, all the work we had done the previous week turned out to be very important.  If you can arrange it, it would be best to have a few weeks off before your move, so you can devote much of your time to the process of getting rid of things and saying your goodbyes to friends and family in the states.
I'll post again about the moving process, when we are making our way to Israel, next week, G_d willing.

A wonderful surprise awaiting us at the airport!

AACI greeter at the Ben Gurion Airport:
I forgot to mention that we had a wonderful "young man" from the AACI-Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel meet us at the airport office of the Absorption Ministry.  This fine gentleman spoke wonderful English and Hebrew (he made Aliyah in 1971 from the USA).  His assistance to us in completing the paperwork at the airport was invaluable.  He even made sure that we arrived at the appropriate car rental counter in the airport, which was no easy task.  We had made reservations with a car rental company, that no longer did business at the airport!  Our AACI volunteer took us to another car rental agency desk and procured a great rate for us in Hebrew.  Without his help, I'm sure we would still be walking in circles around the Ben Gurion airport trying to figure out where to pick-up our car that didn't exist!  We were so impressed with our AACI representative that we joined the same week.

So there is another great example of why you should avail yourself of the resources at the airport when you arrive on your Aliyah flight!  Note that we did not take an NBN organized flight.  All of these resources are automatically arranged for your family, IF you take the NBN organized flight.  If you choose to fly separately from the organized flight, then you have to be sure that NBN has arranged for these services to be available upon your arrival.

New Converts to Judaism make Aliyah to Israel

Hello, and welcome.  My goal is to provide a description of our experience making Aliyah to Israel so that others may avoid some of the pitfalls of this arduous process.

My wife and I converted to Judaism in 2009 via the American Jewish University program in Los Angeles, CAL.  We made a pilot trip to Israel, and fell in love with the Golan Heights and decided to move there.  In Feb. 2010 we applied for Aliyah with NBN and the Jewish Agency in Los Angeles.  For those converts seeking to make Aliyah to Eretz Israel, know this: you must be in good standing with your local synagogue and be active in the Jewish community for at least one year BEFORE your NBN application will be considered by the Jewish Agency.

So let us fast-forward to July, 2011.  After a few months of completing additional paperwork for the Jewish Agency, we are finally granted our Aliyah VISAS which are affixed to our USA passports.  We make preparations to travel to Israel, in the hopes of obtaining our Teudot Oleh and other citizenship documents.  Prior to this point, we had decided on our pilot trip that we wanted to build a new home in the Golan.  While we were not yet citizens of Israel, we made a purchase application for some land in a Moshav in the Golan.  So the purpose of this trip would be to apply for the government ID cards, find a rental house in the Golan near our building site, finalize the purchase and building plans for our new home, and MAYBE do some sightseeing.

USE THE BEN GURION AIRPORT OLEH PROGRAM:
First off, let me say, that the process of getting your Teudot Oleh at the Ben Gurion airport- Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, is well worth your time and effort.  It was the easiest government entity we have dealt with so far. That being said, I would suggest you get some sleep on the plane, because you will need to have your wits about you when you complete this process.

Two important things to prepare for; First, as a convert, spell out your American name in Hebrew BEFORE you get to Israel.  Make sure it is spelled the way you want it because IF you let the government employee try to convert your name into Hebrew, you might be saddled with a permanent mistake in pronunciation of your name.  They just do it phonetically, so they might not spell it correctly.  As an example, if your name is "Diane", you might end up with "Diana" because it is a very common Israeli name.  Second, be sure to research the state health insurance programs and pick one that has services near your new hometown, BEFORE you arrive in Israel.  If you do not pick one at the airport, you will have to pay a fee later and seek out a location to enroll for the health insurance.  If you can't speak or read Hebrew, it can be difficult to find government offices in Israel.  

So at the airport government offices we obtained our Teudot Oleh, picked our health insurance plan, and received our Sal Kilita.  The government will give you a taxi voucher for free transportation to any place in Israel, but we opted to rent a car at the airport because of our need to travel between the Golan and our friend's home in Modi'in.  Once the Teudot Oleh is received, in a few days you can apply and receive your Teudot Zehuts- Israeli ID cards from Misrad Hapi'im- the Interior Ministry.

TEUDOT ZEHUT APPLICATION/ISSUANCE:
Be sure to apply for your Teudot Zehut at the Interior Ministry office closest to your new hometown, as they may not let you complete the process at an office far away from where you intend to live.  As an example, we assumed that the Interior Ministry office in Tiberias, was the closest office to our hometown in the Golan, but in actuality, we were supposed to make the application at the office in Zefat.  We didn't even know there was an office in Zefat, and the people at our Moshav said that the Tiberias office was the correct location to apply.  Go figure! Anyway, the clerk was sympathetic because we had only been in Israel a week, and she processed our application and issued our Tudot Zehuts.  Just a note on how the government offices operate.  Like anywhere, including the USA, the clerks have alot of discretion on whether the process goes easy, or the letter of the law is followed and the process takes a turn for the worse.  Kind and polite will get you farther than irritated and demanding. Just a hint to the wise. Next you must establish an Israeli bank account and have them sign a form letter to obtain your Sal Kilita payments by direct deposit from the government.  You must turn in the signed form to the Ministry of Absorption, at one of the offices listed on the back of the blue folder you obtained at the airport.  NOTE: not ALL the office locations are listed, so if you move to the North, there is an office in Kiryat Shemona, not listed.

The government locations listed on the NBN website and other Olim websites may not always be complete listings of office locations.  Also, the government offices work very irregular hours, so call before you go, to make sure they are open.  A rule of thumb, they usually work the same business hours as the banks in Israel, as far as I can figure out. 

RENTALS:
We rented a two bedroom, newly constructed flat in the Golan.  Along with the rent, you are responsible for a local government tax that can be offset with your Olim payments.  Please see the Absorption Ministry for that benefit.  If you are not from Southern U.S. and are not accustomed to very hot and humid conditions, you should ensure that your apartment has an adequate air conditioning unit.  This will make your first few summers bearable, until you become acclimated to the hot "MED" weather.

BANKING:  
Ensure that you choose a bank that is nearby your new home.  If you are moving to someplace outside the big cities, be sure to see if the local branch has English speaking employees that can assist you.  In the first few weeks of living in Israel, you will be visiting their office frequently.  It takes over one week to get checks printed to your new account, and unlike the USA, they don't issue "temporary" checks.  Also, check into converting any of your money that you're going to use in Israel NOW, because the dollar keeps dropping against the NIS.  The banks charge a fee for almost any kind of transaction, and they take the government taxes off any interest you accrue in a savings account.


BUYING A CAR:
Hands down, the biggest "sticker shock" you'll have when moving to Israel is the cost of transportation.  Whether you can afford to buy a car, will be a function of if you start saving NOW for a car, because just about any car you see in the USA, will be DOUBLE the price in Israel.  This is mainly due to the  taxes on cars.  Olim get a tax discount on new cars and cars imported by them.  There is no discount on used cars.  We visited several new car dealers and the Olim discount roughly equates to about 20% or so below the "sticker price".  It is not like the USA, there is no bickering about the price of the new car, just the "accessories and extras" you might want or need.


In order to obtain the Olim discount on a new car, you will need an Israeli driver license, your American license, insurance, Teudot Oleh, and an authorization letter from the Israeli Customs office, which the car dealer can help you apply for prior to buying the car.  Once the car arrives in Israel, you must wait 7-10 days for the Customs office to check the paperwork, and then the car will be released to the dealer for delivery to you.  We noticed that the cars we were interested in, were never "stocked" by the dealers, and had to be ordered, with about a 2-3 month wait time.  This was for Suzuki and Toyota, and the dealers blamed the delay on the effects of the great Japanese earthquake, which makes sense.


I will update this blog when we complete the new car purchase process to let you know how it goes.  As an aside, we decided to buy a new car mostly for the new car warranty, as we are hoping this vehicle will last 10-15 years, because that will be how long it will take us to save for another one at these prices!


Our friends commute via train, and according to them, that is no bargain either, as they keep raising the fares.  Also, keep in mind that the train and bus schedules are only a suggestion of when they will arrive, they don't run like clockwork.


Traffic.  Well if you move to any of the big cities, be prepared for traffic congestion just like L.A. or N.Y., but you'll be driving with incredibly aggressive drivers or drivers who simply don't have a clue, as we say in L.A.  Traffic laws seem to be only a suggestion.  WATCH OUT for the scooter riders!  They ride with abandon in Israel, and as if they are unbreakable.  You must be vigilant and the only time you'll be able to relax and enjoy the drive, is when you are far away from the cities, so stay on your game when you commute!

MORE TO COME...



Upcoming stories will be about my wife's experience being a Commuter Oleh as she continues to work for a U.S. based airline, our Ulpan experiences, the building process of our new home, and life in general for new Israeli citizens! 
Please forgive my inaccurate transliteration of Hebrew, I haven't started Ulpan, yet!


Shalom,  Bob