Aliyah Dos and Don'ts

amother

Thu, Feb 22 2024, 3:33 pm

We're gearing up to make Aliyah in the summer and I'd love to hear from those who have "been there done that" some advice, helpful info, what you might have done differently had you known...., etc.
Thanks!

Rappel

Thu, Feb 22 2024, 3:35 pm

Things may have changed in the last decade, but IMHO:

Start off in/near yerushalayim or the Merkaz. After a year, once most of the beaurocracy has been settled, you can move to wherever you want to.

Bnei Berak 10

Thu, Feb 22 2024, 4:07 pm

Elfrida wrote:

Focus on conversational Hebrew for the whole family as much as possible before you come. The stronger your base, the easier it is to pick it up once you get here.

THIS!

amother

Ruby

Thu, Feb 22 2024, 4:23 pm

Beef up your cash reserves!

It takes a while to figure out things financially and there are always extra expenses. Better to scrimp now as you gear up for aliya and having a bit of breathing space financially makes a big difference

amother

Sun, Feb 25 2024, 6:31 pm

Thank you!

How about your lift--- what are you glad you brought, what should have been left behind to buy in Israel, what do you wish you had stocked up on....
Advice on how to time your lift?

Advice on choosing mosdos, how to gather info, etc.?

Anything you would do differently had you known...

honey36

Sun, Feb 25 2024, 6:46 pm

Elfrida wrote:

Focus on conversational Hebrew for the whole family as much as possible before you come. The stronger your base, the easier it is to pick it up once you get here.

Any advice on good programs or how to do this?

Also in a different Aliyah thread, people said the kids will learn more in a week once you move than in a year of tutoring and lessons. Is this true?

amother

Denim

Sun, Feb 25 2024, 8:26 pm

Rappel wrote:

Things may have changed in the last decade, but IMHO:

Start off in/near yerushalayim or the Merkaz. After a year, once most of the beaurocracy has been settled, you can move to wherever you want to.

As an adult, this makes sense. The soft landing certainly appeals. But with kids? I can’t imagine uprooting my kids, bringing them to a whole new country/city/neighborhood/school/language/culture, and let them go through all that adjustment and hopefully making friends only to move them again a year later!

Elfrida

Sun, Feb 25 2024, 11:53 pm

honey36 wrote:

Any advice on good programs or how to do this?

Also in a different Aliyah thread, people said the kids will learn more in a week once you move than in a year of tutoring and lessons. Is this true?

Not just children. An immersive environment is the quickest way to learn any language, for children and adults. (Adults are less likely to put themselves in an immersive environment, though.) Generally speaking though, children pick up languages more easily than adults.

It still goes a lot easier if you have a good base in the language before coming. You can.learn to swim from finding yourself in deep water and struggling to stay afloat, or you can learn to swim with a flotation aid, and gradually move into deeper water. Either way works, but it's a lot easier of you have some preparation first.

essie14

Sun, Mar 03 2024, 11:02 am

You have to figure out what side of the pond it's easier for you to live without your stuff. Eg: can you send your lift and then move in with family in the US before aliyah?
Or can you rent a furnished apartment in Israel short term until your lift arrives?

I would buy most things here.
If you can order beds to be delivered before you arrive then you can move straight to your apartment and buy keter table and chairs the day after or have a friend buy for you.
I've only bought appliances here. Not worth bringing IMO.
Your furniture likely won't fit in a smaller space. I also don't think it's worth spending the money to ship a used couch, for example.
I'd rather buy one here that fits the space.
Books, sefarim, heirlooms, obviously you'll want to bring those.
If your pots and pans and dishes are good quality.
Or if you want to buy stuff that's cheaper in the US, like Corelle.
I brought good quality padded folding chairs.
I also recently put a 220v instant pot on a friend's lift because I wanted a size that I couldn't find here.
All other large and small appliances I bought here.

Our closets are all ikea and we have American style beds that we bought here from Tiv Harahit.

Bnei Berak 10

Sun, Mar 03 2024, 11:02 am

honey36 wrote:

Any advice on good programs or how to do this?

Also in a different Aliyah thread, people said the kids will learn more in a week once you move than in a year of tutoring and lessons. Is this true?

The more you have learned Hebrew before aliya the better. And no, IMHO lessons and tutoring is a must. A week in Israel will *not* replace lessons/tutoring.
Many speak of a softer landing. Learing Hebrew in advance absolutely makes the landing softer.

amother

NeonGreen

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 4:51 am

We moved to a town in the north, we are so happy. We didn't have young children though so that is something to take into consideration.

We brought a 40' lift; We brought everything and are SO glad we did. (This was 7 years ago)
Well, not appliances, those we bought here. I only brought along my sewing machine and Bosch mixer. All our furniture fit without any issues. If we had a few extra pieces that we didn't need anymore there were people, neighbors, who were more than happy to take them.

Our bookcases were old so when we had packed up all our sefarim we bought new Billy bookcases from Ikea and just brought them in the lift flat packed. it saved us space.

Beds here are a different size, so the fitted sheets don't necessarily fit. I buy fitted sheets from Amazon, they are about $9 USD, and since it's Amazon they are literally delivered to my front door.

We brought in our lift a power converter. I only use it for my sewing machine and Bosch mixer.

We had Duolingo competitions as a family before we moved.

garfield

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 7:03 am

Dos: show your kids a good attitude to Aliyah - the process was hard but we were really really positive, even with the tricky parts, and bH our kids picked up our excitement about Aliyah, and I think that made for a softer landing.

Don’t put off converting your driving license (if you have one). There’s a limited time to do it

amother

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 7:13 am

Thank you to everyone for replying, please continue!

I didn't realize Amazon was available in Israel. Is it fully up and running and delivers?
Any specific things in general that are much more expensive or hard to find in Israel that you would suggest bringing along?
Any recommendations for companies for the lift? About how long does the process take?

Bubbles77

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 7:16 am

garfield wrote:

The driver's license thing is a bit of a misunderstood thing - you have 5 years to do it. BUT you only have 1 year to drive legally on your foreign license. Maybe in past years it was different but this is the current law.

essie14

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 7:16 am

garfield wrote:

YES! Take care of the drivers license as soon as you can. It's a multi step process and it can get overlooked. I have several friends who missed the one year time frame and had to start from scratch. Even if you don't have a car. Just do it.

Elfrida

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 7:21 am

Amazon delivers to Israel, normally within about two weeks. Some items are free delivery if you spend a minimum of $49. Others you have to pay delivery, which can be expensive. If you spend over $75 you get charged tax. I normally make sure my orders are between $49 - $75.

You can either have orders delivered to your door, or to pick up point of your choice.

There's no such thing as next day or same day delivery. You need to think ahead or order things that aren't urgent.