Winter 2016

Today we can certainly feel that winter has arrived. Yes we had a little rain twice (I think) since Sukkot, but today one can really feel the cold. The skies are grey, the wind is great and we even had a little hail. 

The Kineret is in URGENT need of rain, so this is really very good news. 

For many, grey skies means the start of SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder. Are you affected by the seasons? Have you found anything to help you? Do make sure to exercise and to a eat warm, healthy diet. Make sure to drink sufficient fluids. Remember, a little lemon juice in hot water is a very refreshing drink that is healthy too. 

In Israel we are usually lucky in that the days of grey skies are usually interrupted by lovely blue sunny days. So it usually is not as long or as much of a problem as one would find in the UK for example. 

Stay warm, keep dry and remember, if you are in Jerusalem and other windy areas, your umbrella is most likely to be turned upside down to rather wear a good, waterproof raincoat. 

Have a wonderful winter and keep up those prayers for a good rainfall this winter. Our country needs it.

Sharing, Planning and Listening to Our Readers

We have been so busy with our move, unpacking, trying to get sorted, dealing with the consequences of a dreadful move, getting to know the new neighbourhood etc, that I am totally out of ideas of what to blog about. So here it is, another post. This one doesn't have a tip or guidance. This post shares what we have been up to and provides an offer for you. 

Firstly, what's happening on our end. Well, as you might know if you have visited this blog before, we moved. We are very blessed to have returned to Yerushalayim. However, aside from the challenges of the move, coming to an area we have not lived in before, it's almost like making Aliyah all over again. It takes work and networking to figure out the most suitable Shul and community. Discover the necessities such as healthcare, post office, stores most suitable for us and of course finding out how to get to know others in our area. All of this is the type of effort one has to go through when coming to Israel to begin with. All I can say is it helps so much that we already know Hebrew. It helps so much that we know some basics. It helps a HUGE amount that we have learned to fight for what we need.

Just the other day we received a phone call from the post office to let us know that our few months of having our mail re-directed is up and if we would like an extension it's time to start paying. This was just one of our many challenges. Since they had not re-directed anything in the few months, I did not see any purpose in paying. A few days of phoning and negotiating later and we managed to discover where the error was and to obtain a few months free re-directing of our mail. Of course, we wait to see what will transpire next, but persevering and going after your needs is the name of the game in Israel. A good dose of Tefillah helps a lot too.

So we've been doing our networking and our sorting and getting organized. We tried to do some moving sales and now some post moving sales. We have a few items still to sell from the post moving sale. Then begins the fun stuff. Moving on to some creativity, a few books coming out and quite a bit of planning happening.

So now that you know what we have been up to, we invite you to post a comment below to let us know what your needs are. What would you like to read about? Would you like to receive a regular newsletter? If so, what topics related to Making Aliyah and Having a Successful Klita are of interest to YOU? We'd love to hear from you. It will help us a great deal to plan our next few blog posts and to find out how to serve our readers better.

We look forward to hearing what your needs are.

Shoshanah Shear

Chessed Ve'Emet

Four Lessons Learned from Apartment Hunting

As mentioned in a previous post, we are apartment hunting. Yes, I'm doing the morning walk to de-stress and yes I'm putting in lots of effort, but so far just not finding what we need. As you will see on my crowd fundraiser, I have moved far too many times. How did that happen, many ask? Well the simple answer is I really just don't know. Yes I have some answers, but nothing good enough. 

This move I am finding particularly difficult. I'm trying hard to turn it to good some how, so I decided to blog about some interesting things or facts we have noticed, lessons learned and anything else I think of along the process. My first lesson for today is "do not let anyone tell you that there is no money in Israel!" Gosh are there some apartments that display huge money here!! Not very practical apartments and no consideration of access and some basics like cost of heating the apartment in winter, but yes, there most certainly is money in Israel. I wish I could have taken some photographs of apartments I have seen. I am not sure if I would be permitted to put them up online, but money there is in Israel.

Next lesson learned is that taxi drivers in Israel can be kind, caring and take a special interest in those they drive from place to place. The apartment we went to today we had a time limit and were not sure how to get there, so we took a taxi. I am very grateful to have had such a kind person drive us where we needed to go, point out areas we were passing on the way, try to cheer us up with a joke or two along the way. Yes, some Israeli taxi drivers are kind, friendly and caring. Makes one proud to be in Israel when you meet good people like we did today.

Architecture in Israel is rather interesting. I do not understand the ways in which space is wasted, safety is disregarded and details such as growing mold is ignored. What will it take for Israel to understand that environmental factors have an impact on health. It should actually be something that Israel teaches to others as one example given of the relationship between health and environment is where the problem of Tzara'at, often called leprosy, spreads to the house. In this case the environment has been negatively impacted on by an unhealthy habit, however the environment has an impact on health too.

Along the lines of architecture or interiors, it is amazing to see how many waste space where one can put bookshelves. Wall space is taken up with radiators in bizarre places and often that don't work. Electric sockets waste a whole wall. Walls can also be shortened from renovations under a roof. It's really sad to realize that so many obviously are not putting books in their home as a priority. We were brought out of Egypt in order to receive the Torah and be lead to Eretz Yisrael in which to fulfill Torah and Mitzvos. In order to do so we need books, many books. So how does one find apartments in the Holy land of Israel that can not fit full bookshelves or many full bookshelves. None of the apartments we saw either today or yesterday could fit bookshelves with ease. 

Well, I guess I am learning about life in Israel through my apartment search. Stay tuned for the next post regarding the lessons I have learned from apartment hunting and moving. Not sure what area we will look into next. 

Have a blessed day and remember, there is money and there are really interesting apartments in Israel. There are also duplexes, villas and more. 

Shoshanah Shear

Chessed Ve'Emet

Another Challenging Day with Cell Phone Companies

Our saga of sorting out which cell phone company to use continues. After much difficulty with one of the companies we were recommended to contact the Consumer Rights Organization in Israel. It took quite a few tries to send the information but finally it looked like it went through on our side. In the meantime, with another billing date approaching we looked into other companies. Finally we decided to make a move. All sounded good until the SIM cards arrived and we had to begin the process to activate the SIM cards and transfer from one cell phone company to the new one. We felt like guinea pigs being sent from person to person and pillar to post. For some reason there was a problem that they could not understand.

Finally in desperation we did what perhaps we should have done to begin with. We had been at it for hours, losing precious time which we needed for work and other important tasks. So, I put some coins in a Tzeddakah box in the merit of some Tzaddikim that we might be freed to focus on what we need to do instead of this crazy distraction. At the end of the day, finally we succeeded with half of the process and have more to do next week. Giving Tzeddakah definitely helped, there was a sudden break through just after putting the coins in the Tzeddakah box. 

Our lessons for today have been: - we are not sure that any of the cell phone companies are Yashar (straight, honest) and easy to work with. Each of them have a way to waste time and charge hidden fees. Perhaps all of this is a test from Shamayim to waste our time in mundane, useless tasks that don't get us anywhere is to force us to turn to Hashem and appeal for the time to involve ourselves in Torah, Tefillah, Tzeddakah and the tasks necessary to leading a Torah lifestyle in Eretz Yisrael. After all, it is due to our turning away from the Torah path in the Holy Land that has lead to our Exile.

- Next lesson has been that when you are making Aliyah, you need to have a budget for wasted time and wasted hidden costs. The only thing that might help to reduce this is giving Tzeddakah to appropriate reliable causes with a Tefillah to be free to lead the lifestyle G-d wants us to here in the Land where we belong.

I wish everyone much success in the journey to settle in Eretz Yisrael. There are many stresses and many challenges but at the end of the day, each time that you succeed or get past one of these major road blocks, you achieve enormously. If you can manage to continue living in Eretz Yisrael despite all these frustrations, then you have really succeeded.

Have a blessed day. Looking forward to honest service providers.

Shoshanah Shear

Chessed Ve'Emet

Do It Yourself Plumbing - An Israel Necessity

Sunday marks the start of the week in Israel and what better way to begin the week than with a good blog post. I have a number of ideas going round in my head. I could write about the weather with the latest good rain and how much of a blessing that is. I could take a look at the progress in the level of the Kineret, always a good topic for discussion. I could write about my latest goals and ideas. But, my day began with one of those do-it-yourself tasks that are an "only in Israel" moment and my day is ending with completing the final phase of the task, so I guess, we'll chat about do-it-yourself plumbing, an Israel necessity.

Have you ever taken a bath and found your bathmat soaked from the water seeping out of the edges of those covers to the holes in the floor? If you know what I am talking about, what is your first response? Do you reach for your list of service providers, call your plumber and have him clean out your drains? Do you call your landlord, tell him that the drains are blocked again and have him come over to clear them out? Or do you open the covers to the holes to the plumbing and prepare for a good hour or a few of clearing out your drains? If you have become an expert in do-it-yourself plumbing in Israel then you might be familiar with the snake used to "snake the drain". Quite an odd term which entails taking a long metal spring and placing it in the pipes, twisting until it comes through most easily and then preparing to clean out the mess that has come free. 

It's not the most pleasant task one can imagine. Many will put down some kind of anti-kalk material or bleech or boiling water or a combination. Using something to provide a nicer aroma is a good idea too. After this time consuming task comes cleaning the snake and placing it to dry well. It's not a good idea to put away wet metal as it can result in rusting. Hence the hours and hours that this task can entail. Before you know it, the whole day has gone by as you finally put away the neatly coiled snake. 

Just another day in the life of an Olah in Israel. One of the joys to look forward to if you are considering Aliyah. Not everyone fancies the idea of clearing out their own drains. However, with the sediment that naturally builds up, cleaning out the drains every few months - approximately 6 months is a necessity to having healthy plumbing. You do have a choice of course but that choice is partly dependent on your bank account and income. If saving wherever you can is important, then this task is one of the musts to learn early on in your Aliyah. If you have a good income, then you can of course call in a plumber or a teen wanting to earn a bit of pocket money or even a fellow Oleh needing to earn a bit on the side. 

I must say that I am very relieved to have completed the task and be ready to head off for a well earned nights rest. In the next few days we can discuss some more exciting ideas. For now I'm turning in and wish you all a blessed evening and peaceful nights sleep. Pleasant dreams to all.

Shoshanah Shear

Chessed Ve'Emet