Growth and Development

When moving to Israel, many find themselves in a new or developing area, there are naturally many challenges. Many wont mention prior to your moving in that there might not be telephone lines yet, other necessities, also might take a while to develop. However, if one takes a step back and looks at the progress, it is very exciting to be a part of building the Land of Israel.

The photographs in this post are all by Shear Success Photographers

When we first moved into the area we are currently in, the buildings opposite and next to us were still being completed. The park just opposite was also incomplete.

Here you can see some of the just started buildings and the mounds of earth.

If you look closely, you can see the lamps are not yet on the tops of the lamp posts and there is a fence surrounding this park. The fence was the Eiruv which since has been moved back quite considerably.

Here you can see that the lamp posts now have lamps and there are a few shelters to offer shade for those who wish to sit down.

In the image above you can also see the children's creativity in developing their own maze to play and cycle through.

Here you can see the development of the buildings and the green starting. This green has all been "self-sewn" ie no people had yet introduced any plants here.

During the winter, we even enjoyed the beauty and blessing of snow in the area. As you see, this was a few months prior to some shown already as the shelters were not there yet and the Eiruv was still near our apartment.

In this image you can see some young trees have been planted. A very exciting time, though I am not sure why this was not carried out at Tu B'Shvat time.

Here you can see the laborers planting grass.

Finally the buildings opposite are complete, the trees and grass are complete, now we wait to discover what will be in the center of the park.

Whatever it will be, it is certainly very heartwarming to have a visual reminder that when the Jews inhabit the Land of Israel there is growth and development.

Where Do You Start - Networking Options

If you have already made Aliya or are considering doing so, a common hurdle is where do you start when you don't know what to do? You might have completed your Pilot Trip, found all manner of useful facts, tips, rights etc, then you make aliya and everything changes. Now what?

You might have connected with Misrad HaKlita (Ministry of Absorption), completed everything you need to do, then things become different. Now What?

You might have interviewed for several jobs, decided which to chose, comes the day before the job starts, you find new information. Either the job you thought you had now is not, or the details change. Now what?

You might have found an apartment, now you need to sign a contract or move or .... Now what?

The list of reasons for networking are many. We have already mentioned the new yahoogroup for South Africans in Israel.

I am happy to say that with the progress of technology, there are many avenues to pose questions and obtain answers. Here are a few ideas, if you have others to add to the list, please do post a comment.

• For English Speaking Olim in Jerusalem, a very useful networking forum is Janglo.net
• For English Speaking Olim in Tel Aviv, there is the equivalent to Janglo known as Tanglo.net
• If you know the area you wish to move to, most areas have their own yahoogroup e.g. Tzfat, Telzstone, Rehavia, Rehovot. You will require a Yahoo Mail Account, but after that it is very easy to sign up for as many Yahoo Groups as you wish to.
• We would be very happy if you search this blog and also send in questions that you might have. If you have a question, chances are another Oleh does too or has been through the same.
• If you are linked to any social network forum, e.g. Face Book, Twitter, Linked In ... there are many Israelis here too. Post a question on one of these forums. If you dont find your answer, post again or on one of the YahooGroups.

These forums are a very good beginning and a wonderful way to network.

Once again, if you either know of other network options or you have a question you have not yet found a solution for, please do send a comment to this blog. We look forward to hearing from you.

Have a successful Klita (absorption) and settlement in Israel.

Subsidized Legal Assistance for Olim

One of our readers was interested in knowing whether the Misrad haKlita (Ministry of Absorption) subsidizes lawyers or legal assistance.

From my own experience, there are certain avenues for legal assistance, however organizations do change; e.g. one organization, Milah, that offers help for Olim and used to have a lawyer volunteer a few hours a week, no longer has this service.

The Revacha ( רווחה ) which means welfare, is situated in most neighbourhoods (Shchunot שכונה). Most of them have certain hours of legal assistance. To the best of my knowledge one is required to meet with the social worker prior to booking an appointment with the lawyer, but this could be different for the different branches. It is worth asking at your local Revacha office.

Depending on the nature of the legal assistance, the organization for the country you made aliya from (e.g. UJIA, AACI) sometimes knows lawyers who will help an Oleh as a one off depending on the nature of assistance required. Once again, it is worth asking.

I posed this question to Tzvi Szanjnburn, one of our guest writers who is a lawyer. Here is his answer:

Dear Blogger,

The Ministry of Absorption does not provide any free legal aid. Depending on your income, and the type of legal help you may need, there are public defenders in the Ministry of Justice, who will provide you with free legal aid. There are other organizations that provide free legal help, including the Israeli Bar Association and our organization as well (WWW.VOLEH.ORG).

Sincerely, Tzvi Szajnbrum, Esquire.