Are There Options for Type of Work?

From the start of my Aliyah, I have been intrigued, fascinated and heart-sore to hear the attitudes of so many. When I would mention that I have a profession and wish to work in my profession and to earn a liveable salary, the response for the most part, has been, what do you need with your profession? Just give it up and go and clean houses. Or, give it up and become a cashier in a supermarket. Or, give it up and take some other form of minimum wage job. The lack of encouragement to succeed here in the land where all Jews belong, is partly what inspired us to begin this blog.

In networking to use our skills, over and over we find many clam up as to the trends in a certain service due to fear of competition. The truth is that there are now approximately 5.5 - 6 million Jews in Eretz Yisrael. Is there room for competition? For me, there certainly should be. Just because Jo Shmo books a service with Mr or Mrs Israeli, does not mean that he is the only customer that exists. 

What is the healthy response to such advice? Should one settle for minimum work?

The answer is of course up to you. However, keep in mind that we all have only 24 hours in any given day. If you are observing Shabbat as all Jews should be, then there are only 6 days of the week and probably part of Friday will be devoted to preparing to welcome Shabbat. Some of each day needs to be set aside for eating, sleeping, shopping and other personal life activities. So the 24 hour day naturally becomes shortened to far less than that.

As such, if you are going to earn ₪23 - 30 per hour, you can do the maths yourself to see what your potential will be.

Are there other options? Yes, there are always options.

If you would like to explore this topic further in a one-on-one session, in person or via Skype with webcam, do be in touch to schedule an appointment. If you are not ready or are just fact finding, we invite you to follow more posts on this topic both on this blog and on our other blog Millionaire Reality. Regarding our other blog, we have not posted there for a while, but recently became inspired to add more articles. Do let us know what topics are of interest to you.

We wish you much success in all physical and spiritual matters. May you merit to live in Eretz Yisrael, the land where all Jews belong. The land promised to the descendents of Avraham, Yitzhak and Yisrael.

Welcome Home!!!

You may know that we are involved in assisting singles to marry through the Shidduch service we offer. We spend a great deal of time involved in (all) our activities and many hours speaking to singles - all in the hope of helping them to find their "partner for life!"

Yesterday I received a call from a middle aged fairly recently-divorced man with a big family. Being divorced now meant his pursuing a Shidduch again. Those - not so new to Shidduchim, know well just how much is involved in assisting anyone to marry, let alone someone with a large family and a divorce "under one's belt." What made this harder included an expectation to marry a much younger lady still able to have children because - to him - nobody else would be acceptable. There are many areas in Shidduchim that need to be addressed in the correct framework and structure. This is one of them. While everything is done for every person to find the perfect match for them, someone in a situation such as this may well need to compromise if having a relationship with someone for the rest of his life - is more important than adding another child to an already very large family. (This post is not the forum for addressing these issues. We do indeed do our best to assist everyone as much as we can even when we realise that some Shidduchim can be much harder to make happen than others!)

Not knowing who I was when I had called him earlier, and not answering the call, he called back some time later asking if I'd called for him. Not knowing who he was (he gave no name) at this stage and hearing him speak Hebrew, I asked if he could speak English. Indeed, he came from one of those English speaking countries in the world, but seemed to lapse into Hebrew again. I tried getting on track with the English (which he certainly spoke fluently) - which I succeeded in doing with much difficulty. He was not happy with the "Shmues" and wanted to hurry the call along since he had all of two minutes to talk. When I finally heard his name and realised he had responded to an advert of ours, I informed him that I was simply returning his call and asked how I could help him! He seemed to suddenly have a lot more time than the initial two minutes he could promise me. It was now I that hurried him along and asked him to call later when he did indeed have more time!

In the early evening, I received a call from someone speaking Hebrew again. It was the same gentleman who felt that Hebrew was the only way to go. His Israeli accent would surely reveal him to be a Sabra in the fullest sense of the word, but I didn't get that feeling that he actually was! I know people who have made Aliyah and living in Israel for over 50 years - and who still speak with their original overseas accents! He was obviously seriously attached to everything Israel.

After getting back on track with English - he asked me how long I had "been home." I laughed and asked if he meant "Israel". He struck me as someone committed to some sort of home here where Jews live together and really connect in unity.

I gave him about ten minutes of my time as I listened to his requirements for a Shidduch, but explained how much is involved and that we offer a very comprehensive interview at a charge. We work professionally and this is indeed a part of our Parnassah here. He was highly offended, clearly expecting us to work for nothing or with a definitive guarantee of success - something impossible to give over. I have heard even G-d has difficulties with Shidduchim comparing them to the same difficulty as the Splitting of the Reed Sea! (Note: Unfortunately many singles feel that those assisting in a professional capacity do not deserve payment. It is a wonder to consider the amounts they will pay for dates, phone calls, transport and other necessities towards the Shidduch - but fail to take into account the real efforts, cost and time of a human being putting in tremendous effort to help them in the best possible way - for nothing less than a "best friend for life!")

Personally, I've advertised in Israel media tens of times and more - each time costing large sums of money - never once being told if these adverts would meet with success. Many have received no replies at all - but I value the graphic artists time, the printing costs, distribution costs and just about everyone else involved in helping to get my advert out there - and so I pay fully - up-front without so much as a hesitation! I do this, because I realise they're "putting out" - so that I can get ahead too!

So why the title of the post "Welcome Home!!!"? Going back to my callers' question, "So how long have you been home?" It's just this. It's a kind of strange thing that happens here. Everyone is "friendly." Everyone is "connected." Everyone feels brotherhood and a hundred and one other synonyms that show Jewish unity. That is - all until it comes to someone earning a living and being able to actually live here! There's something missing in the Aliyah story. There are so many with smiles on their faces when they want something from you... but when it's you making your own living - there are thousands of excuses why payment will not be forthcoming.

So Welcome Home!!! But remember friends - if you're serious about unity, serious about connecting and loving a fellow Jew as much as your love for the Land of Israel - then when it comes to living issues -  paying for an honest service given is not just a painful grudging, "I guess I have to!" but rather it's a "I am in love with supporting another Jew trying to live here - just like everyone else, including me." "I pay him because he is giving over something to me through his own honest efforts." "I am honored to support him - right here in the Land of Israel, because I truly want him - my brother (my sister) and my friend - to live here with me, in his very own home - just like I do!

I can't wait for the day when I can offer my service and be paid for it - not with a sour face, not with a need to bargain me down to nothing, not with a "I'll pay you when you guarantee me (this or that)". I can't wait for the day, when a fellow Jew can turn around and say - "My friend, I honour and respect what you do - because I know you're helping me and others too." I can't wait to one day feel - I'm really home!

Do YOU Write Press Releases?

We are needing a series of Press Releases written to get into Jewish Publications so as to promote some of the services and Chessed Projects we are involved in.

If you are an Oleh or Olah, preferrably from South Africa or Rhodesia / Zimbabwe originally, and you write Press Releases, please be in touch. The person we select to write these must have contacts with Jewish Publications to get the Press Releases into and have examples of previous work to show us.

If this sounds like something you can do, please email us with:

• Your years of experience in this field
• Where you currently reside
• Where you made Aliyah from
• When you made Aliyah
• Your fee
• Examples of your work
• Previous Press Releases written
• Which Jewish Publications you have contacts with
• Contact information including email, landline, if you have Skype or gmail for an interview or can interview in person

We look forward to hearing from you

Shoshanah

Co-Director of Chessed Ve'Emet

Working in Israel

If you are wanting to work in Israel and the form of work will be for someone else, make sure you obtain a written contract.

Many employers in Israel refuse to give a written contract. This is problematic as there is then no guarantee of conditions agreed upon. Worst case scenario you might just not get paid or end up waiting months and months for your salary.

More and more employers are trying to convince you to work "independently" as an אצמעי. This means you might be lucky to get NIS 10 extra per hour. It also means you forgo their paying Bituach Leumi. You lose sick leave and sick rights. You lose maternity leave and more.

The normal concept of working independently is not the way they work here. The concept here in Israel means they pay you a fraction more, you work by their rules and lose certain necessary rights. In most countries working independently is not this at all. It means you set the price and they pay your as you rightly deserve. You set the rules for your work as you are independent. Not so in Israel.

A work contract should include hours of work, expectations of you during working hours. If you are a professional and have to write reports, make sure your contract includes that these reports are written during your work time and also something about confidentiality. Some places of work want therapists to take written work home to complete. This of course is unpaid time, however it also poses a confidentiality problem.

Your wok contract should also include licensing requirements. Continuing education needs and coverage.

Meetings, how often and which of them you have to attend must be included in the contract.

If there is a dress code, this should be in your work contract.

A clause about what happens in the event of a work injury must be in your work contract.

A clause about resignation, how much notice do you need to give, must it be in writing or verbal? All this must be in your work contract.

Your pay / salary. How much is it per hour and by when will you be paid. This must be in your work contract.

Can you think of other information that should be in a work contract. If so, write a comment here and let us know. Don't settle for sub-standard working conditions. If we all insist on a work contract employers will have to provide them.

Do You Employ a Foreign Worker?

Beware: They Have the Same Rights as an Israeli!

Guest post by by Tzvi Szajnbrum, Attorney at Law

Even if you don’t actually fire the worker, he can still ask for compensation and have it be granted by the court, as was the case of Mrs. Guzman from the Philippines (the plaintiff) against Mrs. Rozenfeld (the defendant) in the Regional Labor Court in Tel Aviv before the Honorable Judge Dr. Ariela Katz.

The plaintiff sued the defendant asking for five different components:

1. Severance pay (30 days for every year)
2. Back pay (difference between actual salary paid and what should have been paid – payment for extra hours of work she did every day)
3. Notice fees (one must give 30 days’ notice in advance before firing a worker)
4. Revenue vacation (payment for annual vacation)
5. Holiday payment (approximately 8 days a year)

The Facts: The plaintiff worked as a caretaker of Mrs. Rozental’s deceased mother (who died in March 2009) from August 2006 until March 2009, for a total of 27.5 months.

The mother, z”l, used to wake up every morning at 6 am and the morning hours were spent in the kitchen reading. The mother would sleep everyday between 2 and 5 pm and she spent the evenings watching TV. The defendant came to visit her mother around 9 pm on a daily basis and used to stay until around midnight. Right after she left the house, the plaintiff put the mother to sleep in her bed.

The plaintiff didn’t leave the house except for once a month for 12 hours, but she had much free time during the day in the house.

The plaintiff received a $50 payment as compensation for the free day she was entitled to have during the week and had no holidays at all. She was never allowed to take the mother out for a walk. The plaintiff was not entitled to hold the key of the house, to go out to the mall, shopping, use the washing machine in the house or even to take the garbage outside the house (it was done only by the defendant). The only time she was allowed to leave the house was to take the mother to the nearby Kupat Holim (the defendant’s sister used to be the one taking her mother to the doctor).

The plaintiff’s salary began at $600 plus 80 NIS for a week (as a pocket money) and later was increased to $650. For each year of work the plaintiff was granted around 2,500 NIS for both revenue Vacation and Holiday payment. For each day of a national Philippine holiday, she was paid an extra $50.

On August 11th, 2008, the mother complained to the defendant that the plaintiff was hitting her. On August 24th the plaintiff asked to be dismissed from her employment, which the defendant refused. On August 25th the police arrested the plaintiff and she spent a night in prison. On the next evening she was released and no charges against her were ever presented.

On December 2nd the plaintiff received a check for 5,316 NIS that was supposed to cover all the “rights” and benefits she was entitled to.

The Plaintiff’s claims: She was paid less than the minimum wage, she was either fired or forced to resign and because of the false complaint against her, she cannot find another job. The plaintiff did not receive 36 continuous weekly rest hours, and instead of this she was given only 12 hours a month!

The Court’s Decision

The court decided as follows: The plaintiff was not entitled to “extra hours” (according to a Supreme Court Decision in another case – “Glutan” that may change in the near future).

On September 21st the Honorable Judge decided as follows:

The picture depicted to us pointed to a shocking and shameful conduct of the defendant to the plaintiff who is a foreign worker, her only “crime” being was that she came to Israel to earn her living. Therefore the defendant will pay the plaintiff the sum she is entitled to by law, a total of 99,102 NIS and in addition, 1,000 shekels in court fees and an extra 15,000 NIS as lawyer’s fees.

Considering Working for Yourself in Israel?

If you come to Eretz Yisrael and wish to work privately, there is an organization that offers courses in small business development. It also promises 20 hours of mentoring free of charge to Olim Chadashim within the first 10 years of their aliya.

This sounds wonderful and if you have a simple idea it really could be. If you have decided of a basic product that you know how to manufacture, who your target group will be and all the other necessary information, apparently you will gain assistance.

If your work includes anything in English, you have a handicap as their experienced consultants are all Hebrew speakers. You can call the number provided and be given a recording with options of 3 languages. However, if you press the number that should give you English, the only English you receive is the menu of what extension will reach which person within the company. After that you have to be fluent in Hebrew.

If you are working in a medically related field such as occupational therapy, the advise you are likely to be given will be to change the name of your profession and then try to market it. If you believe strongly in your profession, you will need to find assistance elsewhere, as this appears to be their standard piece of advise. 

From the 7 or more mentors I have tried, most have been very young with little business experience. Some sound advise given to me other than changing my profession has been:

- know that there are no miracles, just hard work, so get working

- there are no recipes for success. No-one really knows how to succeed, just put in your effort and remember to focus.

- when starting to work in Israel, be prepared to work in anything, especially work you hate. The consultants apparently all worked in jobs they hated and expect you to do so too.

- know that although there are labour laws which include being paid for your work and the time period for receiving payment, no company or facility in Israel will actually abide by this, especially schools or health related facilities. They know that it is too much hassle to take them to small claims court and that most Olim wont try. They also know that there are enough newly qualified people who are prepared to wait to be paid. Therefore if you want to keep your job, don't complain if you don't get paid on time or request that they abide by the law.

Though this is advice I was personally given and it appears to be a lot of what is practised or heard on the street, the profession of Occupational Therapy teaches something quite different. From an Occupational Therapy perspective there is such a role as a worker role, there is such a thing as a work ethic and in addition, part of the profession teaches that a person can not be healthy in the absence of meaningful occupation. I fail to see how working in something you hate will have any meaning or value and am very against the notion of advocating this to fellow Olim. In addition, there are actually Torah Laws regarding paying ones workers and the notion of not being paid is very worrisome.

One tip I learned after a few years here is one way that those professionals working in facilities manage is to have private work on the side. It helps to tide you over until the facility decides to pay you.

Something I learned from having sadly wasted almost all of my hours just trying to explain my profession is go into a meeting with any consultant well prepared. Know exactly what you want to do and what business advice you want or need. Have clearly outlined goals and don't budge from them. If you have been working for over 10 years, dont get into telling your whole work history as this can easily take up many of your mentoring hours and you don't want to waste them. Rather only tell in a few sentences the very main points that are pertinent to your meeting. 

If anyone has had an experience starting to work privately or in a small business, please do send it in. We want to hear from you. The good and the bad. Let your fellow Oleh or Olah know what is happening, what is good and what is wrong. Let us work together to build Eretz Yisrael. The land where every Jew belongs and the land given to the descendents of Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov for the purpose of fulfilling Torah and mitzvos, here in the land. This is the work of every Jew. If anyone tells you otherwise, just fold your earlobes down over the hole of your ear and don't listen.

Being Paid On Time

When moving to a new country, a natural part of getting settled is to find work, preferably in your chosen field. For those wanting to work in the Health related fields, especially, the Para-medical / Allied Health Professions (ie Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy) finding work that pays on time is quite a challenge.

Through my own path in this area, I can share a few experiences, to help to make new Olim aware of what they are up against. When networking to find work within the Kupot Cholim, one doctor warned "try not to work there if you can as the pay is problematic". He would not ellaborate. A nurse explained that when she begain working in a certain Kupat Cholim, she waited a few months to start being paid. She did not have huge savings to rely upon and was forced to borrow from friends and neighbours just to pay basics like food.

One school I worked in delayed verrifying my years of experience purely to be able to pay a lower salary. Requesting that they call Misrad HaChinuch to find out that the years of experience I said I had are legitimate and acknowledged in a file with Misrad haChinuch met with much resistance. A few months of trial and trepidation and they did finally agree to my years of experience but then hit me with having to wait 2 months to be paid. They were not happy that I turned to one of the many organizations that helps Olim for assistance. The organization's response was that legally, every worker should be paid monthly and they wrote a letter in Hebrew on my behalf, requesting my rights of receiving my salary. To this I was shown the door. Evidentally there are newly qualified Israeli therapists who are willing to wait for their salary and will turn to parents, banks, gemachim for assistance while waiting for their salary.

Another facility, when requesting monthly pay, responded, "you will wait like everyone else till the 10th of the next month or the 15th or whenever"

What is the truth about being paid? Hallachah states that we have to pay our workers on time and are not permitted to wait even for the sun to set without paying our workers, especially when the worker depends on their salary for basic living expenses. The rabbis of Rabbi Shmuel Salant and Rabbi Yosef Chaim Zonnenveld's time took this seriously. There are stories of how rabbis would return to a families home 2, 3, 4 even 6 times to make sure they received their salary or Kollel stipend on the very day it was supposed to be paid.

The secular law of Israel states that companies have a window period until the 9th of the following month to pay a salary. Since taking a business course here in Israel, I am told this is can be extended to the 10th of the month. However, from what I understood, it is only a window for those special circumstances in which paying at the end of the month is difficult. Most facilities though, take advantage and will ONLY pay on the 10th of the month or later. The "or later" part is actually against both Torah law and secular law and you have a right to request that your salary be paid on time.

When asking advice from certain rabbis regarding accepting work, those I approached advised not to work for an amuta as they have a reputation of not paying on time.

When asking a lawyers advice, his first responce was to see the contract and have him look it over to verify whether the contract proposed is in agreement with the law of the country. I was also advised to speak to other therapists who work or have worked in the same facility to find out what conditions are like, especially paying on time and according to the amount initially agreed upon. Some lawyers advise only working in a job that provides an acceptable contract up front. Others say, start working, you can always fall back on taking them to small claims court if (or when) they don't pay.

It is obviously advisable for matters to be settled via a Din Torah first, and only if this is not possible to turn to secular courts, however, here too there is conflict of opinion.

If you depend on your salary each month, do enquire when going for an interview as to when they will pay and what the method of payment will be. Make sure too, to get all "promises" in writing. Many employers promise a nicer salary per hour or more numbers of clients or, or, or, until you begin working and will then lower the rate.

Many will avoid letting you know what the salary will be until you begin working. You are entitled to know what your salary will be, this informaiton can assist you to decide whether the job will be suitable to you in terms of your earning what is necessary to pay your basic expenses.

Do your homework, and get everything in writing. The more informed you are, the more effectively you can plan your life and budget correctly.

Hatzlachah

Working In Israel

The topic of work is actually part of my profession as an Occupational Therapist. In amongst working to set up a Pre-vocational Rehabilitation Program at a leading Teaching Hospital, I have completed a Junior Management course and two courses for Small Business Basics. Yet, nothing I learned prepared me for life in Israel.

I did everything correctly. The Pilot Trip, planning, preparing, knowing how to convert my degree to be recognized in Israel, learning Hebrew, residency .... I had it all worked out, then I came to Israel and everything changed.

I never expected to work in a paid job and not get paid. I never expected to be elligible for Sal Klita (the absorption basket - a regular stipend to assist an Olah while doing their ulpan) and not receive it, or to receive NIS 64 for a month and have a surprised counselor wonder why that is not enough to cover a months expenses.

I just got off the telephone from a colleague in the health profession who affirmed it is normal to have to wait a few months to be paid ones salary if you work for any of the health companies. My question was, "how is anyone to live while waiting for their salary?"

Her answer was: "I don't know!" Many are forced to take out loans and loans and loans. I am told this is Israel.

No, that attitude is not Israel, it is very very foreign to the life of a Jew. The Torah provides us with laws of business including paying ones workers on time. Once again, I am reminded that the name Israel is the same name given to Yaakov Avinu (our Father) after he successfully won a battle with the angel of Eisav. Yaakov is a man of truth and honesty means paying ones workers what is required on time.

I am told it takes time to process ones information in order to receive a salary. If it is so difficult, why is it that other countries manage? Why is it that when I worked as a locum therapist in UK, one of hundreds of therapists around the UK who worked as such, I got paid every week, on time, in full and a good pay. Why is it when I worked in USA as a contract therapist, again one of many who worked for the company who headhunted me, once again I was paid in full from the first month. No problems, directly into my bank account.

The answer is because it IS possible. It takes a person fulfilling the correct process of entering the information into a computer, pressing the enter key and there is a file with all the data.

Why do I put this up? Not to scare you. Not to say give up your profession and just clean houses or pack shelves as I was told. No, come, with your morals and values and western standards and help to build Israel into the country it is supposed to be. A country of truth. A country of morals and values and caring. A country where we can all go to sleep with peace of mind that everyone was paid on time.

How do we do that? I dont have the answer, but I do know one thing, there is power in unity and numbers, so why not start by joining our Tehillim group. We have a campaign on the go at the moment to have 1000 Jewish women reciting Tehillim every Shabbat during daylight hours. Join our group. Let the power of the Tehillim and the group help to open doors.

If you have any ideas, we would love to hear them. Israel IS where Jews belong. Israel can have top quality health care in a manner that every health professional is paid on time a decent living wage. It is up to us to make that happen. If we have nothing else to do and no ideas, then our next option is really our first option, daven. Lots of it. And resolve to take jobs that do pay correctly and, whenever you are in a position to employ a Jew, make sure to pay them on time.

The words of a song come to mind: "Make this world a better place, its yours and its mine, so now is the time...."