His
wife is a practicing OB-GYN and he is a former software executive, with
previous positions including CTO and Vice President of Product Management, who
is currently looking for work in Israel. His wife attended medical ulpan upon
arriving in Israel, but Moshe did not, as he is already proficient in Hebrew.
The medical ulpan was very helpful for Moshe's wife, who says that there was no
way she could have started out at her job as actively as she did if she had not
had ulpan. She says she doesn’t know how anyone from the US could be a doctor
in Israel without the medical ulpan (unless they were already fluent of
course!)
More
information on vocational ulpanim offered by the Ministry can be found here.
When
planning the move, their biggest concern was for the kids' transition. In
Ma'alot it's not predominantly English speakers. Most kids at school don't
speak English, so they were worried. But, says Moshe, "thank G-d, it's
been fantastic." The kids have acclimated remarkably well. They've made
friends and have play dates at home and at their friends' houses. Moshe and his
wife are very pleased with how well the kids have adjusted.
Moshe
says he and his wife have always felt that Israel is their home. There was no
question as to whether to make Aliyah, only a question of timing. They wanted
to make the big move while their kids were young, so the adjustment would be
easier for them. In addition, the process for medical certification for Moshe's
wife took time. She had to finish all her certifications so her license would
transfer over and she wouldn't have to re-do all of the testing. There was a
lot of paperwork for her to get certified in Israel. Once she sent it all in the
certification process worked relatively well. She has to do a three-month residency
at a hospital here, which she has now started. But she had to wait a month
initially for the bureaucratic details to be worked out. The Ministry of Aliyah
and Immigrant Absorption provides the hospital with funding for her during this
period and they had to wait for this to be arranged with the hospital. Other
than that wait, the process has been pretty smooth.
The
Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption has numerous certification and
professional training courses to help professionals transition to working in
Israel. More information can be found here.
Moshe,
his wife, and their family, have visited Israel many times over their lives. Moshe
attended post-high school programs and summer programs, staffed different
summer programs, and visited on family trips. Last April he and his wife
participated in one of Nefesh B'Nefesh's pilot trips. Moshe describes it as a
"very focused trip" where every day they visited a different city
that could be their potential home. They met with principals of schools, other
olim, and real estate agents in each place. The trip was "exceptionally helpful"
for Moshe and his family.
Before
the trip, Moshe and his wife were thinking of different cities to live in, but
ended up changing their decision based on what they saw and heard during their
visits. They had put Ma'alot, where they currently live, on the list because
they didn't know much about it, but they were very happy with what they found
there on the trip. On the other hand, other cities they had thought would be
good fits before visiting turned out to raise questions. In the end, Moshe calls
the pilot trip "critical" to their successful move.
Although
Moshe has second cousins living in Israel, they don't have any close family,
and nobody living near them. He says family in Israel was not a big concern in
their Aliyah decision.
Moshe
and his family love living in Ma'alot. Moshe and his wife like the suburban
feel of the town, with a house and a yard like he and his wife grew up with.
They really like the schools in the area as well. The principle of their sons'
school actually just won an award a few months ago. They wanted to live
somewhere with a more "Israeli" feel, not a mini-America within
Israel like some towns are. They also found the northern climate very
appealing, as it is cooler than in much of the country.
They
have been trying to take advantage of all the beautiful nature in the north by
going on hikes and visiting various attractions. They have a map of Israel
provided by the National Park Service, with a checklist of the country's
national parks, which the kids have started to check off, with the goal of
visiting them all.
Upon
first arriving in Israel, Moshe says, they felt "excited…certainly
emotional" to be here. "We were cautious about the adventure ahead of
us, we didn't really know how everything was going to work out, with the kids
and work and everything." Moshe says they are definitely feeling more
comfortable now, 8 months in. Every day that goes by things get more settled
for them. The fact that their kids have done so well was "a huge confidence
builder in regards to the move and to some of our uncertainties" he adds.
Still looking for work, Moshe concedes that there is still a lot of
uncertainty, but a number of their initial concerns have been addressed and
sorted out, and they are still incredibly happy to be here. Looking into the
future, he says he looks forward to having a job and integrating
professionally. He looks forward to his kids growing up, being part of Israeli
culture, and starting their own families, hopefully close by.
"We
believe this is the right place for us," Moshe concludes, "this is
home…and we have a lot of excitement and confidence about what lies
ahead."
Our
Ministry is here to help families like Moshe’s, with financial assistance in
the form of the Absorption basket, with professional development courses and
ulpanim, and special programs for scientists, artists, and athletes. You can
find more information about how the Ministry helps with employment here.
We
also work with community groups and local government to help new olim absorb
into their communities. For more information about any of the programs we
offer, we encourage you to contact one of our local offices here.
Before
making Aliyah you can also contact a Jewish Agency representative or Nefesh B’Nefesh in
North America for more information. Arrange a one-on-one meeting with a Nefesh
B'Nefesh representative here.