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Packing your Suitcase for Aliyah

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Packing your Suitcase for Aliyah
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The Aliyah flight – What you should pack in your suitcase

luggage Your Aliyah or relocation shipment will only arrive in Israel a few weeks after your Aliyah arrival date.  You’ll need to pack a suitcase for yourself and members of your family – both for your carry-on and your checked luggage filled with all the essential items you are likely to need in those first few weeks.

Olim, first thing – check with your Aliyah organization for luggage allowances and limitations in terms of weight and suitcase size.  You may be required to pay excess baggage if you exceed the allowed weight.  Take advantage of a few extra kilos and pack your stuff into light weight duffle bags rather than heavy suitcases.

Packing suggestions

  1. Personal toiletries

2. A 3 month supply of medications especially if you have any chronic ailments.  It could take time before you find a specialist physician or until you establish which local meds are suitable for you.

3. All your medical records and other important documents should be packed in your carry-on or hand luggage.

4. Clothing; take current weather conditions into account.  Israel winter’s are more severe than some other countries like South Africa or Australia, for example.  Make sure you have a good, warm winter jacket with you if you are arriving in the winter months (November, December, January, February)

5. Household linen – bedding; sheets, blankets and pillows, and also towels.  Beds are a little smaller in Israel – check our article on dimensions and measurements of standard furniture items.  Bring pure cotton sheets, polyester cotton blends are too hot for the Israeli summer.

6. Toys; bring a few of your children’s favorites with you or take advantage of local dollar shops that sell a wide selection of inexpensive toys and party favors starting at 1 shekel to keep them occupied until your Aliyah shipment arrives.

7. Don’t stock up on food items, but do bring a few favorite treats for those first few days.  Israeli supermarket chains keep a wide range of imported food items and you are sure to find something familiar at your local supermarket.

Happy landings!

Use these Aliyah resources to plan every aspect of your move or relocation…

Aliyah – How to assess failure or success! A real trip.

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Aliyah – How to assess failure or success! A real trip.
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By: Grant Crankshaw

My wife and I consider ourselves to be an Aliyah success. We never got onto the property ladder. We were too busy flying back and forth to visit the family we left behind. So like so many other Olim, we get pounded with rent every month relentlessly .. but we pay it, because it’s worth it.  It’s worth it because at not time in the day are we wondering if we’re safe. Our moshav is spectacularly beautiful with kids running around all day … unless its hot. We live with a feeling of total security .. because it is secure. Due to our situation, our security has to be the best, and it is.  So that’s taken care of, don’t worry, it comes off your taxes. If you earn enough to pay tax!

All my Olim friends are just getting by and some not at all. It’s reality and something we should be telling new Olim when they are deciding to make Aliya.  Many of my struggling Olim friends cannot even afford to leave if the wanted to. It sounds comical, but it’s a good sign of the commitment required to have a successful Aliyah.

So I assess our Aliyah as a successful because we have grown. We have lived, worked and partied in our little Anglo bubble in Israel. We’ve learned a language and have ‘normalised’ ourselves to living in the cultural blender that is Israel. We have pushed to the limits of discomfort both emotionally and financially, but we pushed through.

We have discovered what we love to do and we’ve been lucky enough in Israel to do it ever since we got off the plane. Performing is our passion. We’ve even written a show about it in which many truths are revealed and a whole lot of humour applied, to make the total ridiculousness of our Aliyah experiences, seem even slightly plausible. 🙂 Come see it. We’d love to meet you. We always have a good time.

The Cranshaw’s fulfilled their Aliyah dream and opened Centre Stage an English theatre in Raanana.

Center Stage in Ra’anana is Israel’s first professional English language theater. It is a unique and vibrant performance space that aims to bring English-language theater into the mainstream of Israeli culture. At Center Stage you can enjoy the latest drama, musical theater and reviews, stand up comedians, festivals, workshops, youth theater and more. Center Stage is a creative hub, an exciting cultural center for actors, theater professionals, audiences and the community. We look forward to welcoming you through our doors. www.centerstageisrael.com

G-d I Miss Tesco

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G-d I Miss Tesco

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G-d I Miss Tesco

By: Joanne Sugarman

I am not a huge fan of Israeli supermarkets.

It’s been a long time coming. At first, I loved them. I was amused by the surly cashier, looking at me blankly when I asked for help packing my shopping. How I laughed when all the items in my overflowing shopping trolley wouldn’t fit on either end of the conveyor belt (design fault anyone?). No shopping trolley to be found? Don’t worry, walk around the shop until you find someone else’s and nick it.

But now, I’ve had enough. Today was the day that broke my happy go lucky shopper attitude’s back.

For 25 years I pledged loyal commitment to my favourite place ever – Tesco.  I could never understand my friends who bought ‘a few things’ in Sainsbury’s and would ‘pop’ into Waitrose if they were on the Finchley Road. No, I was a Tesco girl through and through. But after making Aliyah, I have become a supermarket flirt.

Unable to commit to any of the local supermarkets due to their complete lack of care for whether I ever return to their shop, or indeed, whether I keel over and die there, I have flitted and fluttered around freely, trying each chain in turn, comparing prices (the price on the shelf is always different to the one you end up paying) and ‘service’ (‘MUH??’) and knowing, just knowing, that my Supermarket Prince is out there and soon, soon, he will reveal himself to me.

But he’s not. And he didn’t. And I’m sad. I’m alone and lost in a sea of crap Israeli supermarket chains.

Why are they so crap here? Why? Not one of them wants my custom. Not one of them gives a monkey’s whether I return next week or not.

They. Just. Don’t. Care.

As an overly polite and courteous shopper myself (‘No, no I’ll pack and take my 45 bags out to the car myself. I wouldn’t want to trouble you to do your actual job’), now, I am slowly, changing…….

Today, I dropped two bottles of beer on the floor. Huge loud smash. Totally my fault. All over the shop floor, all over the produce and most importantly, all over me, the customer, the ONE WHO IS ALWAYS RIGHT.  There was beer and broken glass everywhere.

In England, at my beloved Tesco, three assistants would rush to help me. ‘Are you alright Madam?’, ‘Let’s get you away from that nasty broken glass, shall we?’ ‘There, there love, cup of tea?’. Followed by the comforting announcement (‘Ye, Derek, spillage in aisle 3 please mate’) that tells you, the customer, that it’s OK and no, you don’t have to clear it up yourself.

I waited for the rush of attention. I waited. But, Nothing.

The smash could be heard in the next town and yet not one assistant in the relatively small shop moved a muscle. There was a lady stacking shelves three feet away from me. Impossible to miss the noise, or the broken glass that shot towards her feet and settled around her in a pleasing shiny pattern and no way could she ignore the smell of spilt beer around her vicinity.

But she didn’t even move.

Without the prospect of Derek from Tesco coming to clear the mess away, I certainly didn’t want to risk being asked to do it, so I made a quick escape to the crisp aisle, red-faced and sweating, frantically looking around to check for the spillage police to investigate my clumsy mess. I pretended to be frightfully interested in the ingredients of a packet of Doritos and nonchalantly passed off my soaked t shirt and jeans and stench of stale beer as an unfortunate drinking problem.

I needn’t have worried. No one took any notice whatsoever of the lady covered in beer. No mops were brought out, no worried health and safety official rushed over with a clipboard to assess the risk of broken glass to other customers, no one seemed aware that I was slinking warily through the shop, followed by the waft of beer.

I finished my shop and left. As I did, I caught a sly glance at the drinks aisle on my way out.

The broken glass and spilt beer was still there as it had fallen. Not one of the assistants had made any attempt to clear it up for the benefit of other customers..

And I realized. They. Just. Don’t. Care.

And so I have decided, in the future. Neither. Will. I.

From Strength to Strength – The Women of Aliyah

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From Strength to Strength – The Women of Aliyah

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From Strength to Strength – The Women of Aliyah

By: Sara Jacobovici

sara jacoboviciOne of my favorite cartoons as a kid growing up in Montreal, Canada in the 60’s was, Hercules. The highlight was the song that was sung at the beginning of each cartoon and there were two cartoons in the half hour show, so I got to hear (and sing) it twice!

I made Aliyah with my mother in August, 2009, 3 months before her 90th birthday. B”H she will be 97 this November, ad 120! As we were in the process of making the move; appointments with Nefesh B’Nefesh, with the Israeli Consulate, Canadian passport office, with doctors’ appointments, packing, selling items not taking with us, good bye parties (in Toronto and back in Montreal), and more and more, I would look at my mother and the Hercules song came back into my mind for the first time in decades

“Fighting for the right,

Fighting with his might,

With the strength of ten, ordinary men.”

She was Hercules! Her “fight and might” continued with the flight to Israel, getting all our documents, attending Ulpan three evenings a week in her first year, and so on and so on. She made Aliyah with her two adult children, her daughter-in-law and her five grandchildren.  She supported and encouraged her family, attended all events related to holidays, state celebrations and the grandchildren’s school, sports and arts programs; with the strength of ten, ordinary men.

I looked around me and started to connect with other women; friends who came after us, new friends, women in my Ulpan classes, and realized that this Herculean persona could be seen in them as well.

The women; mothers/grandmothers (married or single), daughters to elderly parents, wives, sisters, aunts, professionals,  friends and neighbours, they were the ones “holding” every aspect and challenge of the Aliyah experience together. They were finding ways to cope and ways to practically solve the myriad of problems arising on a day to day basis.  It takes a lot of strength to “hold” that much together; strength, patience, creativity, compassion and more.  All at the same time as trying not to beat ourselves up for being human and not perfect.

Aliyah is handled generically; language, culture, housing, finances, employment, school, and so on. What is not being focused on is the unique needs of the who is involved in the Aliyah experience; the woman or girl, man or boy. With each role and gender come expectations and outcomes based specifically on that role and gender; the who.

We need to look at the experience from the inside out; what does it mean for me, as a woman, wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, professional woman, to be making Aliyah? We can reflect on these questions individually.  What also needs to happen is for us to have a dialogue in regard to these questions.  A place to share, listen and be heard.

Empowerment, our strength, starts from the inside out but is sustained from the outside through the support of a community of women.  While you are “holding” the needs of your family and friends, remember to establish supports for yourself.

Although the words of ‘Eishes Chayil’ may appear dated, the meaning is current and relevant and the recognition of her strength is there: “She girds her loins with might and strengthens her arms.”

We are fortunate to have many inspirational role models of women throughout our history and in our present time. But it is the Aliyah women who are our unsung heroines.  Maybe we shouldn’t take this quiet strength for granted and find a way to share our experiences, our successes and our failures (for we learn much from those as well), and discover the way to support each other.

Read the personal aliyah stories and experiences of your friends in the community

Important notice for registered users

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Reading Time: < 1 minuteDear Member

In order for us to improve your user experience, website security,  and as part of our regular maintenance we are cleansing our databases.

We need to ensure that your login information is accurate and relevant. If you are a registered user of the Anglo-List and have not logged into the website for some time then now is the time to update.

Advertisers and H.R. companies it is imperative that you check and update your information otherwise you will have to re-register next time.

To remain a registered user we are asking you to login to your account and make sure that your user name, password and email address are current and updated.

Registered users who do not login until December 6th, will have their login information automatically deleted from our database and will have to re-register.

Newsletter subscribers will continue to receive our latest news and mailouts.

Have a wonderful day!

Israel Student Loans.

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Israel Student Loans.

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Israel Student Loans

We all know how expensive higher education can be.  The related costs often prohibit our children from getting a higher education and reaching their full potential. Without a degree these days, it can be really tough to find a job and build a solid career. Too many of us are stuck in minimum wage or low paying jobs in Israel, because we couldn’t raise sufficient funds to support a higher education. Olim who are already living on tight aliyah budgets may feel this burden even more.

student loans

There are various ways to subsidize one’s education; take a low interest, student loan from a regular commercial bank, search for scholarships and bursaries, take advantage of your student Aliyah benefit or approach the academic institution of your choice.

Loan funds like Keren Sachal (Sachal Fund) – קרן שכ״ל –  Keren Sheket L’studentim offers you a long-term, interest free, student loan without the need for guarantors.

Some 50 of Israel’s academic institutions of higher learning participate in this project including: The Technion, The Reichman University (IDC Herzliya) and other major universities, vocational colleges, teachers training colleges and other private learning centers.

Anyone can apply! There are no application conditions or prerequisites.

Milgapo is an amazing resource and was designed to help Israeli students obtain scholarships for both Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees. The website offers more than 850 different scholarships; some with volunteer clauses,  some for residents of the periphery, for demobilized soldiers, for the ultra-orthodox community and other sectors of the community according to specified criteria.

Register on Milgapo (Hebrew only) – fill out the required fields and requested information and they promise to send you a list of scholarships that could fit your needs.

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Learn Confusing Hebrew Words: Im, Em, Um, Am

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Learn Confusing Hebrew Words: Im, Em, Um, Am
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Learn these confusing Hebrew words: Im, Em, Um, Am

 

 confusing hebrew words

 

Hebrew Transliteration English Meaning 
אִם Im If
עִם Im With/together
אֵם Em Mother
אֹם Uhm (Oohm) Nut (as in bolt)
עַם Um Nation

 

These are also confusing Hebrew words; some are homophones, some are homonyms, there are palindromes and acronyms too…

  • Bandage, Fancy Dress Outfit, Oxide and Ammunition
  • Paint, Army, Neck, Last Will & Testament and Swollen
  • Cold, Rip, Mining, Happen…
  • Ach, Ach and Ach
  • Noodles, Umbrellas & Mushrooms
  • Strike, a Hebrew month and the Sabbath
  • Guard, fennel and dill  

The Hebrew words with examples and explanations here…

Learn Hebrew with us

More Hebrew learning resources…

What & When is Aliyah Day?

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What & When is Aliyah Day?
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Aliyah Day Celebrating the contribution of immigrants to Israel.

Yom HaAliyah – יום העלייה

Olim!  Aliyah day or Yom HaAliyah was legislated for tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nissan but celebrations take place and are observed around the country on 6th day of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan.  

The Palmach, Immigration to Israel – from the Palmach Photo Gallery – WikiMedia

Jay Shultz, founder of TLV Internationals and president of the Am Yisrael Foundation helped conceive a bill that acknowledges Aliyah and honors the ongoing contributions of Olim to Israeli society.

The opening clause of the Yom HaAliyah Law states:

“The purpose of this law is to set an annual holiday to recognize the importance of Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel as the basis for the existence of the State of Israel, its development and design as a multicultural society, and to mark the date of entry into the Land of Israel that happened on the tenth of Nisan.”

EnglishHebrewTransliteration
Female immigrantעולהOlah
Male ImmigrantעולהOleh
ImmigrantsעוליםOlim
Veteran immigrant (m/f)ותיק/הVatik/Vatika
More Aliyah related words

During the week of Yom HaAliyah, the theme of study at schools is the contribution of immigrants to Israel.  Students study different waves of immigration with particular emphasis being placed on the unique characteristics of olim from various countries. Students meet with new and old immigrants and hear their personal stories.

The cabinet usually holds a special session and ceremonies are held at the President’s Residence.  Other official ceremonies take place around the country.

Nearly all Israelis are the descendants of immigrants, many of whom fled Europe before and after the Holocaust, or who were expelled from Arab countries in the early 1950s.

Approximately 300,000 immigrants have immigrated to Israel during the past 10 years.  During 2020 and the onset of the coronavirus, there was a marked decrease, but now, in 2021 there has been a 30% increase in Aliyah numbers.

Every year, Jews from about 80 countries come to Israel. The top five countries in immigration are Russia, Ukraine, France, the United States  and Ethiopia. According to the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the bottom five countries include the UK, Belarus, Brazil, Canada and Argentina. 

Anglo-List salutes all olim.  Sometimes it can be tough but together we have done great things!

Save the IBA English News

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Save the IBA English News

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Update:  The IBA English News  no longer broadcasts

HELP SAVE ISRAEL’S ENGLISH NEWS

Information supplied by the AACI

Join the campaign to help save Israel’s English news broadcasts by writing to Members of Knesset and Government officials to ensure that English news is included in new Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation or continues to broadcast in the Israel Broadcast Authority, if the IBC does come into existence. Below is a sample letter which you can feel free to change.

To: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,

As so many of my fellow native English speaking Israeli citizens, I rely for the latest local news on the IBA TV News in English at 4 PM on Channel 33. In fact, I organize my day around its scheduled broadcast or record it to watch later in the evening.

When I originally learned that the IBA was being reorganized, I was concerned that the News in English would disappear. I was reassured the English News would remain, so I made no protest at that time. Now I learn that under the new Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation, there is no provision for a news program in English. It appears my worst fears will become reality. This is unacceptable.

English has become the international language of communication. News Broadcasts in English are not only watched by native born English Speakers, they are watched by the myriad of immigrants and visitors from all over the world whose understanding of English is much greater than Hebrew. Additionally, IBA English News TV Broadcasts posted on-line provide a venue for Israel to show the world its side of the story.

English Speakers Vote and we have long memories.

(Your Name)

CC:

* Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon
* Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation Chairman Gil Omer
* MK David Bitan
* MK Nachman Shai
* MK Michael Oren

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Mobile phone updates for end of daylight saving time in Israel.

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Mobile phone updates for end of daylight saving time in Israel.
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Will my phone automatically update for the end of Israel daylight saving time?

mobile phone time

 

Israel daylight saving time (IDT) comes into effect on the last Thursday of March when clocks are advanced by one hour. In Israel, daylight saving time comes to an end on the last Sunday of October.

Here is how to update your mobile phone settings manually:

Resetting your phone when daylight saving time begins in Israel (March)

In order to avoid disruptions in setting the time on this date, it is recommended to set your handset’s clock “Automatic Mode” to the Jerusalem time zone – which you will find in the TIME & DATE SETTINGS.

Your mobile phone service provider might update the time on your phone automatically at the beginning and end of Daylight Savings Time.  They might also send instructions via SMS to your phone. 

If you are unsure, contact your mobile phone carrier for any further clarifications.

Resetting your phone before day light saving time in Israel ends (October)

In order to avoid disruptions in setting the time on this date, it is recommended to set your handset’s clock immediately to “Manual Mode” which you will find in the TIME & DATE SETTINGS

Once in Manual Mode, select the ‘Athens-Greece’ time zone.

Following the change over, you should reset the clock settings, of your handset, to ‘Automatic Mode’ and thereafter select the ‘Jerusalem’ time zone.

 

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