South African Olah, Josie Lutrin, made Aliyah with her family in August 2021. Josie recently participated in the Israel Centreโs Aliyah Prep Seminar in South Africa, where she shared practical advice for those considering Aliyah based on her own recent experiences.
Her top tips: be kind to yourself, keep realistic expectations of yourself and the process, and do what you can while youโre still in South Africa to prepare for your new life in Israel.
โYouโre so busy moving and worrying about what to take and what to leave, dismantling your life in South Africa, that you may overlook the fact that youโre actually emigrating and you have to think about starting your life in a new country, adopting a new culture, raising children in an unfamiliar school system, and living your life in a foreign language!โ
Josie laughs about the language barrier. โAs ridiculous as it sounds, I underestimated the importance of Hebrew. Thereโs a big difference between ordering a coffee as a tourist in Jerusalem and dealing with the bank as a new Olah. You might know a lot of South Africans living in Raanana,โ she adds, โbut that doesnโt mean everything in Raanana is in English. It isnโt!โ
Josie and Dean participated in the Telfed Klita Webinars from their quarantine hotel when they first arrived. โNowadays, you donโt have to be in Israel to meet the Telfed team. Schedule meetings, look at their website, check out their cost of living index, contact their regional volunteers and ask questions on their Facebook page. There is so much you can do while youโre still in South Africa โ donโt procrastinate and think you can do it all when you get here.โ
At the November Aliyah Seminar, Telfed CEO Dorron Kline spoke about adjusting to a new standard of living, but an improved quality of life. โI totally agree with Dorron on this,โ says Josie. โWe have less but we need less. My kids started babysitting to earn their own money but theyโre walking to babysit alone at night. Theyโre learning the value of hard work (which includes household chores) while enjoying the independence that life in Israel brings.โ
Josie has been a part of a new Telfed initiative welcoming Olim as they land in Israel. โItโs hard to describe the feeling of being on the other side. I love seeing familiar faces and smiles as they enter the arrivals hall. Theyโre home! We didnโt make Aliyah because we didnโt want to live in South Africa. We made Aliyah because we wanted to be in Israel and its so exciting to see others realise their dream of living in Israel.โ
Josie knows how painful it is to leave friends and family and that thereโs no replacement for that, โbut where in the world does a taxi driver give you his cell number when he hears you have no family? And thereโs no Saturday in Israel,โ adds Josie, โits Shabbat. For everyone. Whether youโre going to shul or the beach, and thatโs ok. Weโre now a part of one big, messy family, but itโs our family.โ
If you would like to start planning your Klita (absorption), please be in touch with Daniela Shapira, Telfedโs Klita Advisor: daniela@telfed.org.ilย
Telfed www.telfed.org.il Email: info@telfed.org.il
โข Published in the December 2022/January 2023 Digital Edition โย Click here to read it.
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