Almost Eden

Awesome! Thanks! You've provided a wealth of information for me to digest. Exactly how many boxes were you allowed to take on the flight with you? Was there a weight limit? Was it a charter flight? How much did all the 'extra' luggage cost? Forgive me if some of the answers can be found within the spreadsheet.

I read your expenses spreadsheet with interest. According to the Bureau of Statistics, an average Israeli family of 4 makes [with two incomes] a bit less than NIS 12k a month. I know that our family of 5 manages on NIS 9500, and we are more or less "average" for our neighborhood [my sabra husband is a taxi driver; I'm a certified nurse midwife working for kupat holim]. Where in the world a family of olim will find the NIS 13-18k a month they think they will need I really cannot imagine, with today's job market, unless they're augmenting their Israeli jobs with dollar savings. Of course, an oleh is heavily cushioned at the beginning: sal klita, NBN grant, massive reductions on arnona and other taxes, subsidies, discounts, etc.

In another two years, you're going to find your gross income cut by between a third and a half. That's when the going begins to be rough. With all due respect, I think the picture presented is a false one and gives potential olim a much too optimistic picture. I would have replied on the NBN list, but I am not allowed to--I've been in the country for far too long [no one on that list has been in Israel for more than 7 years] and my enthusiasm has been tempered with realism.

All the best.

AWESOME, detailed post. Thanks!!!

It would be informative to know the incomes these families have. 13K of expenses is extremely high for an Israeli lifestyle (the average gross salary is only 8.5K)

Shalom Everyone and thanks for commenting.

Cheryle: We were allowed to take three 20" x 20" x 20" cube boxes each with a maximum weight of 70 lbs. each on a charter flight.

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Antigonos: You have a valid point and I invite you to propose an alternate detailed budget that I will publish with your permission (anonymously if you'd like). I can only report the real picture from my personal experience and am sure that the readers here would appreciate the benefit of additional scenarios.

Before we made Aliyah, we were told by people in our fields that a monthly income between NIS 15k and 18k for me, and 22k to 26k for my husband was realistic for our hi-tech skills. The reality on the ground is different and a struggle. I would very much appreciate learning where in Israel people (who don't own property) can live on a dual income of less than NIS 10,000 per your example. We need to move to a less expensive community, please share your experiences and budgeting secrets.

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Ron: Thanks for the suggestion. I can't speak for the family of 4, except that their income is from US sources. The family of 3 (us) has had NO income aside from NBN grant, Sal Klitah and unemployment benefits and cannot continue to live in Ma'ale Adumim without securing employment at joint monthly income of at least 24k NIS before taxes.

I am in favor of taking a small lift (1/2 a 20 ft container) and my wife wants to take only the 3 suitcases per person on the plane (and no lift- garage sale everything and re-buy in Israel). Our compromise is that we would put the possessions that we want to keep into storage in the US and when we find a place to live in Israel, we would send the lift ~ 1 year later with whatever we have space for in our Israeli apt/house. This approach would require rebuying necessities (table, chairs, kitchen supplies, appliances, mattresses etc) for the first year in Israel or finding a furnished apt. for the 1st year.

1) Do you think the compromise is feasible-- practically and financially?
2) Do you think it is possible to find a furnished apt for the 1st year in Israel? We are interested in the cheaper areas of Gush Etzion, as well as Maale Adumim and Kochav Yaakov.

Shalom Avi,

These are very personal decisions you need to make and therefore I can only provide you with my opinion.

Your Question 1) Whether or not to leave possessions in storage is dependent on several factors: a) the financial value of those items vs. the emotional; b) how secure (from theft, fire, or other disaster) will your things be in the storage location; c) can you afford to pay the storage fees for the necessary period of time?; and d) do you have someone near the storage facility who is willing and able to take represent you (will probably need a Power of Attorney from you) with the international shipping company you later choose to send the shipment?

From experience:
A) I left my furniture, kitchen equipment, appliances, china, sewing room items, etc. in a 10 x 20 storage unit in California while my family spent a summer exploring other parts of the US to determine where we would settle. We temporarily settled in South Carolina in a furnished rental while looking for a more permanent home. In the meantime, it was difficult to find work comparable to what I left behind (at the time I was earning $65k in CA and was being offered $18 to $20k in South Carolina!) and therefore after about 5 months I had to borrow the money to pay the storage fees. My ex-husband's business failed and wiped out our bank account. Shortly after arriving in NY to stay with family while we got back on our feet, the Northridge earthquake hit and my possessions were destroyed. This all happened on US soil - no complication of being in a different country.

B) Recently a friend of ours made Aliyah and came to stay with us for a few months. She left her possessions in the US. Fortunately she had a friend there who was willing and able to coordinate her shipment to Israel once she found an apartment. However, things didn't go smoothly as the local shipping company didn't correctly estimate the size of her shipment and 1 lift van (7' x 7.5' x 3.5') wasn't enough - they decided she might need 1.5 or maybe 2. This left her friend in a difficult situation as decisions had to be made regarding what not to ship. It put a strain on everyone involved and in the end she accepted 2 lift vans - doubling her expected expense.

We also expected to ship 1 lift van and on moving day were informed by the local company that they couldn't fit it all in 1 and we had to pay for 2. We did not ship furniture or appliances (except for small kitchen equipment like mixer and food processor).

My advice is to sell everything you aren't emotionally attached to, ship only what you need (e.g., clothing, books, family photos, etc.) and buy furniture and appliances here if financially possible (BTW, we were able to buy some used items in very good condition for a lot less than new). Garage sales in the US were extremely disappointing - we did much better selling on eBay and Craig's List.

Your Question 2) Yes, it is possible. I suggest that you get on the chat lists (http://groups.yahoo.com) for the communities you're interested in and ask for specifics there. I know of one very nice and large furnished apartment in Ma'ale Adumim that will be available in October (if it hasn't already been taken) - I would have jumped at the chance to have it but we needed a place in July.

Wishing you all the best!
Tehillah