If You Made Aliyah - I need Advice!

amother

OP ↓

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 9:53 am

Sorry my post is lengthy! Also, I really hope that my post doesn’t offend anyone or rub them the wrong way. I included more detail in hopes of getting advice pertinent to my family.

My DH and I are considering making Aliyah within the next 18-24 months through Nefesh B’Nefesh, maybe even sooner if things go smoothly.

Background: We are in our early and mid-twenties, and we have two children ages 2 and 1, and one IYH on the way. We want to be able to move while the kids are still little, and we feel that the best time to do it would be as soon as possible. Our kids are really young and aren’t necessarily aware of what American life and luxuries are like, we don’t own a house that would have to be sold nor would we struggle to downsize from a 2,500 sqft house to a 1,000 sqft or smaller Israeli apartment, and we really don’t own much that would need to be shipped over. Most of our furniture is second hand and would be sold. We figured 18-24 months would give us time to learn some ivrit, save up more, do 1-2 pilot trips, speak to people and research, and hopefully get more qualified on a resume and career wise. Obviously, we could feel ready to move sooner than that. Regarding our lifestyle and hashkafa, we would describe ourselves as modern yeshivish/yeshivish/Baal habatish. My husband and I had similar upbringings. I grew up with movies, wanting to go to Disney, and got exposed to secular music later in high school, but don’t necessarily want that for my children. I dress tenuously and cover my hair completely. My husband learned in kollel for the first 3 years while I worked, and now he works and I am staying home. I have some college under my belt, but no degree yet (that was put on pause due to difficult pregnancies), and my husband doesn’t have a degree as he’s still fresh out of kollel. I am very interested in pursuing my doula certification, homeopathy and alternative medicine, and becoming a kallah teacher in the future. My husband works in finance/account management for nursing homes, and he really enjoys what he’s doing. Up until now, we have been saving for a down payment for a house and we live in an apartment. We have zero debt of any kind (ie student loans, medical, credit cards, and we own our car). We have about 35k saved and a separate emergency fund of about 16k. We budget, and don’t live a very lavish lifestyle, but still enjoy nice things assuming we can pay for it upfront.

If you have any tips (ie pilot trips, paperwork, searching for communities, adjusting to Israeli culture, finding schools, jobs, shopping, food, quality of goods etc), things to consider, hardships or setbacks you’ve faced, or just random things you miss or weren’t expecting I am all ears!

Random questions:

1. Did you bring American mattresses over? This is one thing I feel would be hard to adjust to if we didn’t bring American beds over. I hope that doesn’t sound petty! We would probably downgrade in terms of size from full beds to American-size twin beds. Is it a pain to ship then and find box springs, linen, and frames in israel that would fit?

2. At what point did you decide that you needed a car in Israel, or does it depend on where you live?

3. As someone who has arthritis (autoimmune disease) but is not on any medication, is it hard to find specialists like rheumatologists and immunologists? BH I haven’t been on medicine in several years, but past pregnancies have caused flare ups in the past.
4. I have HG (hyperemesis gravidarum) with my pregnancies. It’s hard as it is to advocate for yourself and get doctors/midwives to take you seriously in America especially when you’re young. Does anyone living in Israel who has HG as well have positive experiences with the care there?
5. I’m curious, if you find that life in Israel requires a lot of phone apps? From what people tell me, it seems that there are a ton of apps that most people tend to use.
6. Did you find the switchover from American toiletries and products to Israeli ones to be a big deal or does it just depend on the person and their level of “maintenance.” A lot of younger people I’ve spoken to complain about Israeli products, but also are the type to get wash and sets every month, buy a new wig every 2-3 years, get their nails done regularly, buy Starbucks/iced coffee multiple times a week, and are super into brand clothes and fashion. I wouldn’t describe myself as high maintenance persay and I would wear mostly pretied/tichels/snoods/mitpachat, and I rarely if ever get my nails done. I do however enjoy good quality products, but I don’t feel it’s a deal breaker.
7. Is furniture and the quality of workmanship on apartments and handiwork really lower quality/cheaply made/done or does it just vary and depend on who you use and where you buy things from?
8. This question is a little more niche, but due to health reasons I’ve become more diligent about “non-toxic” living, supplements, natural products, and often shop at health food stores or order online for hard-to-find items. Are these things harder to find in Israel? Are there many health foods stores, or stores that sell more natural toiletries and cleaners and essential oils? Someone told me that dye and fragrance free items are hard to come by.

Thank you so much in advance! Smile

amother

Firebrick

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 9:55 am

I have no advice but what a great post! Knowledge is power 💪

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 9:57 am

amother Firebrick wrote:

I have no advice but what a great post! Knowledge is power 💪

Thank you!! We are really trying to set ourselves up for success and prepare as much as possible to have a successful Aliyah. Very Happy

amother

Myrtle

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:02 am

We bought mattresses here that are excellent quality from Tiv Harahit in Bet Shemesh. Totally comparable to American ones.

amother

Lemonlime

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:04 am

I don’t know all the answers but my experience with #8 is that it’s very popular actually and maybe even easier to find than in the us. There was always a health food store around (near my work, near our apartment in Ramat Eshkol etc) and they sold lots of food and supplements/ soaps etc. don’t think it’s something you’ll miss.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:06 am

amother Lemonlime wrote:

That’s amazing to hear thank you!!!

essie14 ↓

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:08 am

amother OP wrote:

Kol hakavod to you! This is a great stage of life for you to be making aliyah!

amother OP wrote:

Random questions:

1. Did you bring American mattresses over? This is one thing I feel would be hard to adjust to if we didn’t bring American beds over. I hope that doesn’t sound petty! We would probably downgrade in terms of size from full beds to American-size twin beds. Is it a pain to ship then and find box springs, linen, and frames in israel that would fit?

You can buy 90 cm mattresses and bed frames here. We did not bring any beds from America, although I use American twin size sheets on 90 cm mattresses because our mattresses are amazing quality and very thick and high. There is a furniture store in RBS called Tiv Harahit where you can basically order anything you want. They sell a range of quality and the higher quality mattresses are better than most beds I have slept on in the US. They deliver all over the country.
DH and I have 1.2 meter beds (48 inch) and I use full size sheets because, again, the mattresses are pretty high.

amother OP wrote:

2. At what point did you decide that you needed a car in Israel, or does it depend on where you live?

Definitely depends where you live. I know many people who manage without a car for years. If you send your kids to local ganim and you have some good local shopping and/or order groceries online you can manage without a car.
When I first made aliyah I budgeted for a rental car several times a year to make my life easier (pre-Pesach and chol hamoed, summer, etc) and I did not own a car.

amother OP wrote:

3. As someone who has arthritis (autoimmune disease) but is not on any medication, is it hard to find specialists like rheumatologists and immunologists? BH I haven’t been on medicine in several years, but past pregnancies have caused flare ups in the past.
4. I have HG (hyperemesis gravidarum) with my pregnancies. It’s hard as it is to advocate for yourself and get doctors/midwives to take you seriously in America especially when you’re young. Does anyone living in Israel who has HG as well have positive experiences with the care there?

I didn't have full blown HG but I have severe nausea and a difficult pregnancy and I found the care amazing. I also have nothing to compare to, I was never pregnant in America. But I was extremely happy with all my doctors (yes, I had multiple throughout the pregnancy) and all my hospitalizations (yes, there were a few throughout the pregnancy) and all my visits to Terem/kupat cholim clinic for IVs.

amother OP wrote:

5. I’m curious, if you find that life in Israel requires a lot of phone apps? From what people tell me, it seems that there are a ton of apps that most people tend to use.

Everyone uses whatsapp, Bit, Paybox, the kupat cholim app, Moovit if you don't have a car, Waze and Pango if you do, Google maps for walking, and more. the apps make you life so much easier.
CityCar (hourly car rental), 10bis/Wolt and others for food delivery
Reshut Hateva to make reservations for the national parks

These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

I'll be back to answer more questions soon!

amother OP wrote:

6. Did you find the switchover from American toiletries and products to Israeli ones to be a big deal or does it just depend on the person and their level of “maintenance.” A lot of younger people I’ve spoken to complain about Israeli products, but also are the type to get wash and sets every month, buy a new wig every 2-3 years, get their nails done regularly, buy Starbucks/iced coffee multiple times a week, and are super into brand clothes and fashion. I wouldn’t describe myself as high maintenance persay and I would wear mostly pretied/tichels/snoods/mitpachat, and I rarely if ever get my nails done. I do however enjoy good quality products, but I don’t feel it’s a deal breaker.
7. Is furniture and the quality of workmanship on apartments and handiwork really lower quality/cheaply made/done or does it just vary and depend on who you use and where you buy things from?
8. This question is a little more niche, but due to health reasons I’ve become more diligent about “non-toxic” living, supplements, natural products, and often shop at health food stores or order online for hard-to-find items. Are these things harder to find in Israel? Are there many health foods stores, or stores that sell more natural toiletries and cleaners and essential oils? Someone told me that dye and fragrance free items are hard to come by.

Thank you so much in advance! Smile

Last edited by essie14 on Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:40 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:11 am

essie14 wrote:

This was so helpful thank you 🙏

Iymnok

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:15 am

1- it's easy to get regular mattresses here. They just cost more than foam.

2- we liv just outside Jerusalem. We got a car when DH got fed up with busses.

3- I don't have experience specifically in that area. But if you get the upgraded level on your kupa plus private insurance, specialists should not be a problem.
In general it's not hard to get to a specialist. The problem is if you want a specific one who has no openings for namy months. That's when the private insurance cones in handy.

4- I understand that it's recognized and respected. This is a very child friendly country.

5- Chareidim don't use smartphones, so everything is available in other ways.
I find the following apps most useful:
Kupa
Moovit
RavKav
Whatsapp
Bank
Paybox/Bit

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:25 am

Iymnok wrote:

Thank you ☺️

Cookies n Cake

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:39 am

Furniture quality depends where you purchase from. Highly recommend Tiv Harahit- they sell high quality furniture at very fair prices.

PM me about HG, happy to share my experience

I've acclimated to Israeli products except for American ketchup and mayonnaise. Some Israeli products are better than others and I have found the ones that I am happy with!

↑ essie14

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 10:39 am

amother OP wrote:

It does take time. I was importing toiletries for the first few years and I slowly got used to everything here. I am not particularly high maintenance but I do appreciate good quality.
I am not the Starbucks every day, beauty salon every week type. I did get my nails done often when I was single, loads of nail salons all over. I get a pedicure about once a month now and I am happy with the quality of the salon I go to. Manicure once or twice a year. I get waxings, I have done laser, I get facials twice a year. There are tons of very high quality service providers for these things.
I rarely wear my wig so I don't need to get it done often.
make up - you can buy many brand names here and I actually have priced out things (eg: I wanted a specific Clinique item and I could have had someone bring it from America but I actually found it online locally for the exact same price.)
There are also several high quality Israeli make up brands that I like. It did take years to get used to that. But SuperPharm sells L'oreal, Maybelline, etc.

amother OP wrote:

7. Is furniture and the quality of workmanship on apartments and handiwork really lower quality/cheaply made/done or does it just vary and depend on who you use and where you buy things from?

You get what you pay for. We own our home and we have invested in certain things and I am super thrilled with the custom cabinetry and carpentry that we did. I also have Ikea closets in the bedrooms. During the years that we were moving apartments I didn't invest a lot of money in furniture because nothing really moves well. I have upgraded floor tiles in the main living areas and things like that. The US is the same. Most people I know in both countries invest in the higher traffic areas of the home. Most homes in the US don't come with top of the lines fixtures all over the house either.

amother OP wrote:

8. This question is a little more niche, but due to health reasons I’ve become more diligent about “non-toxic” living, supplements, natural products, and often shop at health food stores or order online for hard-to-find items. Are these things harder to find in Israel? Are there many health foods stores, or stores that sell more natural toiletries and cleaners and essential oils? Someone told me that dye and fragrance free items are hard to come by.

There are so many health stores all over and many online sites. It will probably take you time to find specific stores for niche items. IHerb also delivers and is amazing.
Nitzat Haduvdevan is a national chain that sells tons of fragrance free items. Shufersal (a national supermarket chain) also has a "health food store" section.

amother OP wrote:

Thank you so much in advance! Smile

Best of luck, I am happy to help with anything. You can also PM me if you want.

amother

Topaz

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 11:45 am

Following this thread bc we are planning for the summer and don’t know what I don’t know lol

amother

Obsidian ↓

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 11:54 am

I have more to say when my kids give me back my computer Wink

I think you can make less pilot trips with such young kids. You can look into other communities once you are already here if you arent happy where you are.

If you had older kids, it would be harder uprooting them. We moved around a lot here in Israel until my oldest hit 1st grade.

amother

↑ Obsidian

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 12:06 pm

1. I made aliya 12 yrs ago. Mattresses, I am very happy with what I got here. My mother who is very picky with mattresses and lives in the US agreed that my mattress is very comfortable. I got it from pandazzz.

2. If you like Kirkland, last I checked Osher Ad caries a lot of their products including TP. Personally, I find the Lily brand to be like average American TP. Not top of the line but good enough. Ones that are cheaper I dont like. But we mainly switched to tissues because the kids make less of a mess out of it.

3. We dont have a car. We rent when needed. If you live in a city, its usually possible to manage. In a big city even easier. I hope to get a car one day, but right now happy to save 1500 shek a month plus the price if the car.

4. I would look into specialists you need before you come. But overall, im pretty happy with the system. I think for 250 nis 4 times a year you can see a specialist from a list privately. Usually much quicker to get an appt. Or you can go not private but wait. There are cancelations.

5. HG I have no experience bli ayin hora but overall hospitals here are not like America. You need to do a lot yourself. Hospitals tend to be understaffed. Having your dh or a friend with you is important. But the good part is the health care here wont break the bank. With a referral or a hospitalization, the hospital is free. Ambulance is free if you are hospitalized.

Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 12:14 pm

The only thing I absolutely argue for: Do your utmost to learn Hebrew as much as possible! This us *The key* to a successful integration.
I hardly have any apps in my phone.
You don't need a car on the first day of your aliya IMHO.
Amazon and iHerb ship to Israel in case you don't find your favorite item on the local market. Just note the shipping time approx 3-4 weeks (because of lack of flights)
Americans have a pretty good reputation IMHO but just take into account that many Israelis believe Americans are all rich so watch out if someone quotes you a hefty price for a service.
You need you learn to get used to Israeli chutzpah and not hesitate to be tough sometimes.
In Israel there is no shame to be poor.

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 12:23 pm

OP, even in Bnei Brak which is a very poor city you have health food stores Smile

Groceries are almost always cheaper in poor chareidi areas.

↑ Bnei Berak 10

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 12:29 pm

amother Obsidian wrote:

Kirkland TP: Last time I checked it was 110 NIS. An item of one wants to be a freier le mehadrin.

Elfrida

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 12:48 pm

You didn't ask about it, but if possible, try to finish your degree before you come, or make sure you can finish it online from Israel. The credits probably wouldn't be transferable to an Israeli university, but a degree would be recognised. The career options you mention don't necessarily need a degree, but there is a lot of competition in those fields. Without a degree you could find yourself very limited in terms of career progression or wider study options.

LovesHashem

Thu, Jan 02 2025, 4:34 pm

1. You can get great mattresses here! We're very happy with ours from Tiv Harihit as well.

2. I think this depends on so many things, where you live, your jobs, commute, lifestyle, personal abilities, etc

3. I don't know but I'm very happy with the Healthcare.

4. I don't have HG but I do have high risk pregnancies and spend a lot of time. At the Dr, ER, Terem, etc and I've had amazing experiences. I do think in any hospital, anywhere in the world you do have to advocate for yourself to some degree. But overall the doctors are much nicer, and everyone really cares about you. Nurses shifts are only 8 hours here vs 12 and I think it makes a huge difference, in addition to other workers rights that don't exist in America. I know people with HG who have been very happy here.

5. Nah, most apps are for things you can access just fine on a computer. People just prefer to use apps.

6. I was in America recently and WOAH have prices shot up. Plenty of American toiletries are available here, some are even cheaper than in the USA. We buy some Israeli stuff and some American.

7. Depends where you buy from. Like everything worldwide craftsmanship and quality has gone down so much.

8. We have loads of health food stores with tons of products! In addition iherb ships here for free over 250 shekels and there's tonsss of stuff there and on amazon.

Israel is close to Europe, we just started importing more European products, I've found a lot of things from there have much less toxins and chemicals than American products, like pads.

I don't see alot of fragrance free items but I'm sure iherb has. I've never paid attention much to that.