Moving to Israel
Part One
Whether moving to Israel is a lifelong dream or a job assignment there are some things to consider when planing your move to Israel.
While Israel is a modern and fully developed country with a western tilt, it is by no means without its cultural differences from places like America and Europe. While a book could be written on things you should know before going to Israel and I am sure many have, I will be touching on some of the basics just to prepare you.
The Land of Israel
Perhaps the most amazing aspects to Israel is its land. Th
e bible constantly refers to it in very endearing terms such as “the pleasant land” you certainly wouldn’t know that from the news reports but a trip across the country would convince you otherwise.
Perhaps the most stark aspect of the Land of Israel is that for such as small land mass there is such a diverse variety of nature, topography and biology. Israel is home to the lowest place on Earth, the Dead or Salt Sea. There are an amazing array of Stalactite caves, mountain snow skiing, ocean cliffs, vast dessert wilderness and the largest bird transit point in the world in the Hula valley and all this in one of the smallest countries in the world about the size of the state of Delaware. When you move to Israel I suggest you start your touring early on as there are so many sites natural, historic and cultural to experience that it would take years to visit them all.
Moving to Jerusalem
Jerusalem really is in a class all to itself and treated that way even by native Israelis. Jerusalem is one of the most multicultural cities in the world.
When you first visit Jerusalem, especially its historic Old City, you will get a feeling like you just walked into the past or more precisely the Bible. While Jerusalem is Israels largest city in terms of population it has a small town atmosphere. People know their neighbors and greet strangers on the street often in Jerusalem unlike many big cities.
Jerusalem is one of the most expensive places in the country to obtain housing as rent costs and property values have risen sharply in the last few years.
The People of Israel
The people of Israel are among the most colorful you will find anywhere. On any given day you can hear professional world class artists performing on the streets for spare change. To a newcomer the people at first may appear harsh in
polite, and in your face, and that is because they largely are. That is however not because they don’t like or care about you, but exactly the opposite. Think of it this way, were you polite to your siblings or were you seemingly harsh in their face because that’s how brothers and sisters behave. So don’t be taken aback if a complete strangers grabs your lighter off the table without asking you and lights his cigarette and throws it back, or if the shop keeper gives you the back to bag your own purchase, its not because they are rude, its the opposite, do you ask your sister if you can use the lighter or pen? or do you just take it and use it? so keep that in mind before getting uptight at the Israeli’s behavior.
Please visit again for Part 2 of this article.