Almost Over?

Oh Colic.........

Serenity now..... Serenity now

Digging out!

Montreal Dec. 16 .... why am I still here??

Montreal Dec 3rd. 10:05 am or reason for Aliyah #47

"Nuff said

Peace???

http://www.pmw.org.il/

Happy Chanukah

Random pics Neve Daniel

Clouds, Neve Daniel

Another beauty courtesy M.Berger

Must Read

I have to pass on this amazing post from David Bogner over at Treppenwitz... truly a must read!


http://bogieworks.blogs.com/treppenwitz/2007/11/my-cab-ride-to.html#comments

Sunset from Neve Daniel

(courtesy M.Berger)

Always funny

How to buy a house in Israel

After a long, long process I though I would post my top 10 tips on how to purchase property in Israel from abroad. For any more information, please email.. and ill try to help.....

here we go.....

1) Be realistic about time frame

- Likely won’t be able to finalize purchase on a 10-14 day trip.
- Get everything set up to purchase from abroad, this is your mission.



2) Steps that must be taken prior to purchase ( i.e things to do on the trip that will et you purchase from abroad)

- Sign over Power of Attorney to your lawyer
- Mortgage broker – start application prior to trip
- Open a bank account- not necessarily bank you will have mortgage with
- Meet your engineer / property inspector
- Meet Vaad Klitah of yishuv, ask them if there are any preconditions to buy

3) Don’t underestimate amount you will need for a downpayment
- Expect down payments of 35-40% (especially over the “Green Line”)
- Unlike in the US/ Canada, its more downpayment that limits you

4) Understanding the sequence of events
- Putting an offer
- Contract negotiations
- Pre approval on mortgage BEFORE signing contract
- Inspection by engineer before signing contract
- Sign contract.. once you do tehre is no turning back


5) Specify how long from signing until the bank makes the payment
- Normally 30 days… try to double it!
- There is alot of paper work etc...



6) Property evaluation….
- Even after a written pre approval bank, there is a clause that they will only give you percentage based evaluator
- Get this done early (before signing if possible)
- Or have stipulation in contract

7 Be wary about buying into a project
- Many people have done it
- Most people find it extremely demanding doing it from there
- Benefit of payment in steps
- More for do it yourself type


8) Put aside money for fees…

a. Lawyers fee
b. Mortgage broker fees
c. maas rechisha
d. cost of inspection
e. cost of evaluation
f. cost of opening Tik for mortgage
g. property insurance ( requires credit rating, now from Canada as well)


9) Try meet people, email before trip…. To get a sense if they are people that fit your personality, you will be dependent on them!!

10) Rights lost: ( not so significant anymore)

- Maas rechisha reduction ( unless purchase within year)

- Government mortgage


Hope this helps.......

It is done.....

Well it only took about 4 months but B'H we finally got the mortgage and the house purchase has gone through. I know that Israel today is very unlike the Israel of 20 years ago, but let me tell you, the mortgage process is very "old school."

Anyway, B'H it got done, moving date still looking like August.

All welcome to visit.

The Mortgage #2

So...

after the mess with leumi, they finally offered us a 65% Mortgage with 20% down... not exactely what we were originally promised, but we were happy... end of story right? wrong!
they wanted a new powe r of attorney signed, so the sent me the documents which i had to sign at the Israeli consulate here in Montreal... i sent the package back to Leumi by FEDEX and they promptly signed for it and lost it!

so my first mortgage payment is due in 3 weeks and they wont let my lawyer sign the papers as they lost it!?!?

we are now waiting to hear back for further instructions.........

Beautiful Quebec

Anyone following the news here in Quebec, and the "reasonable accommodation" issue, knows that the issue of ani-semitism has once again become socially acceptable.

Recently in a small community just an hour north of Montreal , where many Chassidic Jews have set up their country homes, the "locals" have become quite agressive in their xenophobia. its not tha tI think they were ever not anti semitic, but they are certainly more vocal.. here is an quote from the town hall meeting... published in todays Montreal Gazette....

"Lise Provencher, of St. Jérôme, said immigrants are "buying their way in" to Quebec and that Jews are the worst because they're "the most powerful. ... It's always been said that the Jews are the trampoline of money in the world." After she spoke, the crowd applauded."

She did not say Hassidic Jews or orthodox Jews... just Jews.... and everyone applauds......

my reaction to this.... please see the last 2 posts and pictures below........
Its history... the cycle just repeats itself...... and peopel are still blind.....

for full story
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=21f1fe81-efc9-4d66-a608-afd1abf3dde1

and the view.......

Our House.. is a very very very nice house

We Signed on a house!!

Can't believe it...... we are very excited .. ( and adequately nervous)......

now on to the Mortgage signing......

yes, you must have a signed contract to get the mortgage... .. B'H for pre -approvals in writing!

The Mortgage

Here is how the Mortgage process has been so far...

Leumi: we will give you 70% and you only have to put 20% down to start

Me: Great!

Leumi: ummm.. no we really mean we will give you 60% and you have to put 40% down

Me: WHAAAT!

Leumi: ummmm we really mean we will give you 65% and you only have to put 20% down.

Me: Better but you promised me 70%!

Leumi: umm actually we can give you 65% and you really need to put 35% down.

Me: WHAT! #@#$##!!!!

Leumi: sorry.. This exhibit is closed........

Me: Bank Tefachot .. hello?

Tefachot: Thank you for applying, we will give you an answer in 48 hours.

Me ( 1 week later): Tefachot.. hello? hello?

... and all my friends here in Montreal are getting 95% mortgage approved in 12 hours... ..
AAAAARGH!

Our exile

I thought i should share this great article by Yishai Fleisher of Arutz Sheva and Kumah....

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3433810,00.html


A state of exile


A methodical exile is taking place; the exile of location and exile of the mind

Yishai Fleisher Published: 08.06.07, 00:21 / Israel Opinion






We all know what exile is. Exile is when you get kicked off your land. But that's not the worst exile. A nation may be forcibly exiled

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from its land, but if the nation longs to return, sets days to mourn the eviction, remembers every inch of the land, remembers its history there, reveres the holy places and burial sites of their forefathers, and teaches every successive generation to remember - in such a scenario, the exile is never complete because the relationship between the people and their land is never fully severed.



Memory, education, and yearning – these are all methods of warding off the full effects of exile, and they can sustain a nation until the time comes when the exile can be reversed and a return can commence.


But what then is a full exile? A full exile is when the connection between the land and the people is forgotten. If there is no memory of prior ownership, no longing to return, no stories told to children, then the exile brought about by an enemy nation which wished to impose a disconnect between the people and its land comes into full effect. If the very fact that the nation has been exiled is forgotten, then that is true exile.


The idea that the loss of collective national memory brings true exile has a surprising corollary: a nation can be in a state of exile even while living on its original soil! Like a person suffering from amnesia while sitting in his own house – a nation may be so utterly without memory that it has no idea that it is at home.


Rachel's Tomb

Such is the case in Israel today. The memory that has been carried in our collective conscience for two thousand years has steadily worn away and no longer serves to keep the exile at bay. Take, for example, the case of the Tomb of Rachel.



In terms of emotional connection, Rachel's Tomb is unequaled for the Jewish people. From the biblical narrative of Rachel's life, to Jeremiah's account of her crying for her children going to exile and God's promise of their return, to the generations who visited her grave, to the beautiful mausoleum constructed by Moshe Montefiore in 1841, the memory of Rachel's Tomb in the olive orchards of Bethlehem has kept us connected to this place through out the long exile. In 1919, Louis Brandies stood next to Rachel's Tomb at sunset and said "I know now why all the world wanted this land and why all peoples loved it."



Go to Rachel's Tomb today – if you can. A monstrosity of walls, pillboxes, gates, and chains has been erected to ostensibly keep the would-be intruder away. The place is downright ugly, and if you did manage to get in to the compound, soldiers do not allow you to walk around freely, because, they claim, danger is everywhere, even inside the labyrinth of high walls.


Take your children there. As you pass into the prison-like fortress try to teach your children about the Matriarch Rachel, our mother Rachel. You will not succeed because you will not be able to communicate a sense of the value of the place. It is too ugly, too military, too filled with fear, it is simply unattractive both physically and emotionally.



Only those who remember Rachel's Tomb the way it used to be can still have an emotional connection to the place. If the current state of affairs continues, the next generation will not remember Rachel's Tomb and the exile from this place will be stronger then it has been in two thousand years. Just as we are exiled from the physical Rachel's Tomb, Rachel's Tomb is being exiled from our minds.



This phenomenon of exile is not only at Rachel's Tomb – it's everywhere. The Tomb of Joseph in Nablus is gone, destroyed by Arabs, abandoned by Israel. Hebron, home and burial place of the patriarchs is constantly in the crosshairs of destruction. The Temple Mount, the place of two Jewish temples, is being systematically neutered of its history (let alone its future value). Judea and Samaria, the biblical heartland, is now being cut off by a snaking wall, which scars the land and cuts us off from our history and heritage. The exiling forces seem to attack the very places where our collective memory was strongest.


Cerebral exile

As we have noted, physical exile is one thing, but cerebral exile, the cutting off of memory is the final guillotine of exile. Here, the groundwork for forced forgetting has been in the works for decades. On the one hand, the Jewish people's historical connection to the land has been systematically un-taught. In schools, many Jewish children learn to hate the Bible, learn a revisionist anti-Zionist history, and are simply never taught the stories and the emotional connection to places like Rachel's Tomb. On the other hand, a new milieu and accompanying lingo fill the void left in the young mind: Occupation, Palestine, Peace, and Post-Zionism. Our history and with it, our emotional connection to our land, is being erased.



This is not the first time when an attempt to sever the Jewish memory of the land of Israel has been made. Of course, there were the two great exiles when the Babylonians and the Romans sacked Jerusalem and dispossessed the nation.



Yet there is another case that is a clearer reflection of what is happening today: Yerovam Ben Navat was a wicked Jewish king of the Northern tribes during the period of the divided kingdom (10th century BCE). He wanted his vassals to forget about the Davidic dynasty that still reigned in Jerusalem and therefore built two idolatrous temples as an alternative to the one that stood in Jerusalem and bade his people to worship in these shrines.



But the people persisted in going up to the real Temple, so Yerovam then constructed manned roadblocks that barred aliyah to Jerusalem. He hoped that by forcibly stopping people from going to Jerusalem he would make people forget all about it. It took two centuries for this "security barrier" to be removed, but by then it was too late, the people had indeed forgotten.



Today, those who still teach and preach a connection with these places are branded extremists, so their message makes little sense to our people. Say the word "Hebron" to a young disconnected Israeli and he will only conjure up an occupied Arab city with a few cantankerous crazy Jews who cause all the problems. The majesty of Hebron's history from Abraham to King David to the first Hasidic settlement of 18th century, to the murderous Arab riots of 1929, to the valiant return in 1967, is completely lost on him. It is no wonder then that for him it makes sense to "give it back" since nothing seems to tie us to these places in the first place.


Today's post–Zionist leaders have made Israel into a State of Exile, exiling our people from their homes, exiling our land by cutting it off and giving it away, and exiling the minds and hearts of the Jewish people by teaching them to forget. After waiting for two thousand years to return, Jews are being taught that Hebron isn't Jewish, that Bethlehem isn't Jewish, that Nablus isn't Jewish, that the Temple Mount isn't Jewish. A methodical exile is taking place, the exile of place and the exile of mind.

Need another reason?

So, I'm on my way to work, stop off like I usually do to get a coffee... guy with a friend walks in behind me .. big guy, looks liek a biker with tatoos all over etc...

starts talking to his friend

" these people need a good A@# kicking"
" Don't think im just talking to you, im talking to all of you people"

At this point I turn around, he is right behind me but keeps looking at his friend. I think about saying something, but he looks a bit psychotic, like hes waiting for me to make the first move, so i turn around and wait my turn.....

" They always just run and cry to their organization; they hate us, they hate us, ... wah...wah"
"The answer for all of them is a long tree and a short rope"

At this point , im thinking, do I say anything or not, i decide saying something will give him the satisfaction of getting me upset... I go get my coffee and head toward the door. I can sense people behind me so i open the door, it is them! one walks on through , the biker guy stops and says
"
hey, dont give them the satisfaction"

I continue holding the door, he waits , for about 10 seconds no one makes a move, then i just leave and let the door shut in his face. he walks back to his car, i try to keep my distance but get close enough to see the liscence..but i dont...

Another morning in the exile...

so it's gonna be......

So after much thought it looks like Neve Daniel is B'H going to be home. It was not an easy desicion, each place had its pro's and con's but in the end, we feel it was the best place for us for a few reasons.... sure , we are still wary of the hill, the wind, the cold, the fog etc... but the people have been amazing, the location is great and the house worked out well.....

now we have to get through the home inspection, mortgage and contract negotiatons! I hope it all works out..... will update as things move along.....

Its all very exciting and moving us into a whole new stage of the Aliyah experience

Back Home?

We are back.....

Spent the last 12 days in Israel looking for a home for our Aliyah this summer.. The problem as opposed to here is not the the lack of amazing communities but the abundance of them!

we have narrowed our choices down to 2 communities for now... and 2 homes in those communities.... we are having a difficult time with the descion. However, im still waiting for the bank to get back to me about my mortgage approval so it might not be too hard a descion at all!

will update ..... too jetlagged

Are you a Zionist???

If you think you are... this is a must read....


http://www.forward.com/articles/let-my-people-go-up-to-israel-00058/

ill paste the article below.....


Let My People Go Up to Israel
David Chinitz


There is a Jewish conspiracy at work. It is not the one portrayed in the pernicious “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” It is not Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust hoax, or a Zionist plot to undermine Islam. Nor is it Jewish control of the media or the world economy as Jihadists, Ku Klux Klanners, neo-Nazi skinheads and Mel Gibson conjure up for themselves. It is not even the so-called apartheid security wall that so inflames Britain’s self-righteous, hypocritical, antisemitic academics and labor unions.

No, the only real Jewish conspiracy is the one aimed at undermining the future existence of Israel, and, consequently, the survival of the Jewish people worldwide. Iran, Holocaust deniers, the British left and all the rest of the mosquitoes carrying the antisemite bacillus are child’s play compared to this threat.

There is a Jewish conspiracy to prevent massive immigration of North American Jews to Israel.

The plot began when the word Zionism was hijacked by the professional Jewish and Israeli world and applied to every possible Jewish enterprise other than aliyah. Need a term for Jewish education in the Diaspora? Why not use Zionism? Need a word for patriotic Israeli spirit? Zionism. Need a word for Jews who contribute money, use Israel as a booster program for Jewish identity, or even just for tourism? Call all that Zionism, too. Nice, concise and misleading.

In a way exceeding the machinations of George Orwell, the word Zionism has morphed into newspeak to the point of losing its core meaning and providing an umbrella for any old thing that functionaries, bureaucrats, fundraisers and Jewish identity wonks can use to make a living. Having obfuscated the term’s meaning, the conspirators have set about suppressing the notion of aliyah.

What are the motivations? On the North American side it is simply to prevent the kinder from considering aliyah as an option and threatening the vitality of golden Diaspora. Birthright participants can see Israel as a museum, a Holocaust memorial, a refugee absorption center, the home of soldier-heroes and a catalyst for Jewish identity. They can meet generals, prime ministers and suffering Ethiopian immigrants.

But God forbid, don’t let them meet with people exactly like their parents who actually moved to and live in the real Israel, because they might get some ideas.

Israelis have preferred taking in American Jewish money over taking in large numbers of strong competitors laden with human and financial capital. The vested interests here are fully aware that many patterns of behavior would be very difficult to maintain if another half-million North American Jews made aliyah.

How would Moshe Safdie’s backward, environmentally unsound plan for developing West Jerusalem even emerge from committee? How would the Orthodox establishment hamstring conversion processes? How could politicians behave corruptly, impervious to notions of accountability? How could the education system continue to teach rote knowledge and base admission to university on psychometric puzzles, rather than on the skills of independent thinking, broad horizons and competent writing skills? How could the World Zionist Organization have its annual meeting and dream up all kinds of fatuous programs but not once mention aliyah?

Aliyah is the Occam’s Razor for so many problems, and yet it is the only solution not considered for any of them.

The Reform movement decries the conditions of its members in Israel? Send money, but sending more members, forget it. North American Jews have identity problems? Invest billions in convoluted educational programs that lead nowhere, but don’t give every American Jew a direct link to an actual cousin who lives in an actual Jewish state.

Jerusalem Day is conducted under the cloud of a lost Jewish majority in the city? Disenfranchise the Arabs of East Jerusalem, but don’t change the balance by actually getting more Jews here. Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust and says it was an excuse to create Israel? Hold conferences, speak indignantly, give him attention he doesn’t deserve, but don’t disabuse him and make his claims irrelevant by proving that masses of Jews want to live in Israel by choice, and not only as refugees.

When the history of Zionism is written, it will become clear that post-Zionism started when the word “Zionism” became an instrument of this conspiracy.

Unless organizations dedicated to — and only to — aliyah garner the lion’s share of Jewish philanthropy in place of expenditures on Jewish identity fetishes and continued waving at post-Zionist windmills, these philanthropic efforts will fail every cost-effectiveness test one can imagine. Unless young Jewish minds in North America are exposed to the idea that aliyah is a realistic option that can ensure the future of Israel and the Jewish people everywhere, the next century will find the Ahmadinejads, Ismael Haniyehs and Ken Livingstones of the world wondering why they worked so hard when the Jewish conspiracy succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

And no one will be left to read the Book of Lamentations.

David Chinitz, a senior lecturer at the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Public Health in Jerusalem, made aliyah from Washington in 1981.

The Aliyah Split

As we are getting closer to our official Aliyah date ( under 1 year !) and even closer to our house hunting trip ( under 2 weeks!) the response from our community at large is quite interesting.

I had mentioned previously that we live in what is considered a very "Zionist" community.. but lets just say aliyah is almost a dirty word. In some ways, i feel people just dont get that close to us and figure we are leaving anyways... At a recent shabbat lunch someone jokingly said " should we become better friends, you're leaving anyway.." to which my wife replied " only if you want a free place to stay when you visit!"

I would say there are 3 types of responses we get....

1) The well meaning couple....

these are the sort of people who genuinly would like to make aliyah but both partners in the couple agree they dont want to go anytime soon.... usually get nice, honest well wishes etc...

2) The aliyah eyes....

these are people that think we should be started on antipsychotics for making aliyah. they roll their eyes at us and genuinly think we are freaks ( especially leaving with an MD degree.... " are you crazy, you are going to be SO poor")

3) The split couple....

this is the couple in which one spouse wants to go and the other does not. we are kind of seen as a danger to this type of couple, and i find this type of couple begining to distance themselves from us as if we are a lighted fuse...

anyway, the journey continues.... it should make for an interesting year.....

must watch

Hi.

I had to share this movie I just watched.....

http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/

powerful stuff.........

Chassidish Medical Interview

So last night in the Peditatric ER, a chassidish couple comes in with their 3 year old daughter. She was running in school and had a head on collision with a classmate. She had some symptoms suggestive of a post concussion syndrome, which is difficult to diagnose, especially in kids.... I was trying to ask her some questions to test her memory....

Me: Which "yomtif" just passes

little Girl (LG): shrugs her shoulders shyly

Me: Was it Purim?

LG: looks at me, not understanding

Me: ( to her father) does she speak english?

Tatty: Perfectly

Me: OH! ( back to LG) was it Peee - rim

LG: NO! it was PIE- SACH !!!

It's been a while!

Wow… it’s been a long time since my last post… things have been pretty hectic here with Pesach and all.

Got back from Kuujuaq ok… then went straight into Pesach mode. Work has been pretty busy as I have less then 3 months left to my fellowship.

The big news is that we booked our tickets for our summer trip! We will be coming G-D willing from Jul 4-17th. We will be visiting a few communities ( Neve Daniel, Rosh Tzurim, Maale Adumim, Neve Tzuf) with the intention of finding something to purchase. If we can’t find something to buy, ill be back at the end of the winter to find a rental….

Anyway, pretty excited about the trip and a bit nervous…. I really hope we find our place…

Northern Exposure

Remember Northen Exposure? I used to love that show! Jewish New York M.D. working in Alaska.... great story line.....

I would have never thought I would be doing something so simmilar but im leaving on Sunday for a week to Kuujjuak, Northern Quebec. http://www.nvkuujjuaq.ca/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuujjuaq,_Quebec


Kuujjuak is located 50 km upstream from Ungava Bay and is mighty cold!
I will be working at the Tulattavik Ungava Hospital.

I guess one can consider this "moonlighting" as the Quebec government pays well for working in that region... which is good as i need to pay off my med school loans ASAP.

Gotta spend some time packing this week and trying to figure out what the shabbat times are there?!!?

Happy Purim!

This years Purim Costumes!....

( I was the PC)

medical humor

Rosh Tzurim

Back from Cuba, had a great time.... the weather was amazing.... it was just very relaxing......


ok.. back to buisness. Im usually pretty good at finding things on the 'net and can usually find what im looking for, except with Rosh Tzurim, one of the yishuvim in the gush that we are planning on visiting. I Just cant find any pictures of the yishuv.
If anyone out there is reading and has any, please send them over to almostaliyah@gmail.com.. Thanks!

Shalom Fidel....

It's been prety busy... my second month of ICU.... and im on call again...
its been a pretty busy few years... Got married During med school , had our daughter during residency... there hasn't been anytime for vaccation... UNTIL SUNDAY! yes, we are going on vacation.... To CUBA... got a good deal on an all inclusive resort there. we will be away for 1 whole week. Bringing quite a bit of food ( no kosher food in cayo coco!) including a whole shabbat kit. It's really exciting... should be a nice rest... we need it!

Medical Monday....Vol II ( Sleep Edition)

I have always had trouble sleeping. Actually my parents tell me as a baby, i never napped, slept only a few hours a night. I Just never neeeded that much sleep.
These days i do need more sleep than i used to, but i can stil get by ok wih 3-4 hours.
I still have trouble falling asleep, and going back to sleeep if i wake up early. (Belieeve me , try going to sleep after a hectic 12 hour Er shift, not that easy...)

This is quite a coomon problem and many patients complain of this.. usually by opening with the line " Doc, I really need a sleeping pill." Now some people may need a medixation to help them sleep, but most do not...

Here are some things people do that aren't very helpful..

- Alcohol
- Gravol
- Benadryl
- Night time tyelenol / advil cold / sinus preparations.

All these may help you fall asleep, but all have been shown to mess up youe sleep cycle. i.e you may fall asleep, but it wont be refereshing or adequate sleep...

Most people do quite well with "sleep Hygeine". Here are some ips that i have found help the vast majority of patients...

1) Beds for Bedtime Buisness...
i.e no TV, no reading, no computers.. all these things have a very negative effect on sleep

2) no caffeine after lunch.. i.e cofee, tea, cola etc....

3) If you have a million things on your mind, write a to do list... will help you clear your mind before bedtime

4) NO NAPS ( unlike kids who sleep better at night with regular naps.. this is not true for adults)

5) Excercise, but not within 2 hours before sleep, fresh air is better...

Most people do well with these changes....
Good night...

Good Riddance

Its minus 10 F outside right now...........

I'll miss my family, ill miss my friends, ill miss hockey, and ill miss the beer.....

BUT I WON'T MISS THIS!

Maale Adumim

The first place we ever conisdered in Israel was Maale Adumim. i'll never forget the first time driving into the city... it is truly amazing. Driving throuh the different neighborhoods you cant help but be amazed at the cleanliness and beauty.... all this and only 10 minutes from Jerusalem on a great new highway!

Mitzpe Nevo was the community we were most interested in, a dati Leumi community within a larger mixed city. We have continued to hear so many good things about maale adumim and mitzpe nevo, with an emphasis on the warmth of the community... Oh and mitzpe nevo has a great Carlebach minyan as well!

The major iss ue for us was financial... we were initially interested in the new project in Mitzpe Nevo , but it is a bit out of our price range. If for the approximate price we could get a "second hand" home .. that would be a major consideration.. the only issue is there are very few ( if any) homes available as people dont want to leave!!!!

Anyway, if anyone has any leads in the home department ..... please feel free...... we will be in Israel B'H in July and would love to visit again........

Communities 2

Shavuah tov....

after that long post about communities, ill try to narrow it down to the top contenders...

To preface, i must say that we are looking for a community that:
- driving distance to Jerusalem
- Warm, friendly community
- down to earth people
- dati with Torah values but tolerant of others



1) Neve Daniel / Elazar:

Both in the gush, both very expensive. weare a bit concerned about the "warmth" in Neve Daniel.

2) Rosh Tzurim:

Looks like a good fit. New housing, green spaces, close to Jerusalem.

3) Neve Tzuf:

Looks amazing. many services, forest, pool! but we cant buy a home straight off and it is a distance to Jerusalem.

B'H we are planning the next trip for July... Hopefully we will find our place

Communities

We have spent much of the last 2 years looking at various communities around Jerusalem where I will be working. After 2 trips, here are the top choices....


1) Neve Daniel:

http://www.nbn.org.il/social/community/community_gush.htm#neve

http://www.gush-etzion.org.il/nevedaniel.asp

PRO'S:

- Proximity to Jerusalem
- Nice view
- We now know some people there
- Good size yishuv, good english services, good
schools in the gush
- has makolet , bakery, pizza, hardware store
- many minyanim ( including carlebach)
- english shiurim

CON'S
- Prices
- Seperation (topographicaly) of new / old yishuv
- some anglo Israeli- tensions
- not "warm" yishuv ( NO one said shabbat shalom to us
in shul!)
- 20,000$ yishuv entrance fee, must take test

2) ELAZAR

http://www.nbn.org.il/social/community/community_gush.htm#elazar

http://www.gush-etzion.org.il/elazar.asp

PRO'S
- good size yishuv
- good relations / mix of anglo israeli
- considered a more "warm" community
-english services, shiurim, schools of the gush
- proximity to jerusalem


CON'S
- Expensive
- lack of housing
- only 1 central shul
- 15,000$ yishuv entrance fee, must take test

3) Zayit in Efrat

http://www.nbn.org.il/social/community/community_efrat.htm

http://www.zayit.com/new/

PRO'S

- proximity to jerusalem
-good mix anglo / israeli
-many english shiurim
-many minyanim
- all the shopping services of efrat
-more affordable housing
- smaller sub section of large efrat city
- no entrance fee, no test


CON'S
- not the most "green" place
- lack of warmth ( i emailed their chat list asking
for info / aliyah questions.. out of the 100 families
or more i got back a measly FOUR replies!! suggestive
of the lack of a real yishuv type feeling, lack of
caring ( not one of the 4 invited us for shabbat to
check it out)

3) Neve Tzuf

http://www.nevetzuf-halamish.com/

http://www.nbn.org.il/social/community/community_neve_tzuf.htm

http://www.nevetzuf-halamish.com/PDF_Files/Neve_Tzuf_FAQ.pdf

PRO'S

- Beautiful yishuv
- Pool!, Forest, stables
- warm, caring, hospitable community
- afordable rentals
- good climate
-good schools, many serives on yishuv
- heterogeneous dati mix
- no yishuv entrance fee, no test
- 5 min to modiin whee there is a TEREM i can do some
shifts
- 15% anglo
- good school used to english kids

CON'S

- 45 min to jerusalem
-most young couples israeli ( few anglo)
-many shiurim but all in hebrew
- schools have less anglo resources compared with gush
- lack of housing ( as per person i spoke with, its
a real issue, the yishuv is almost full!)
- not a free market ( i.e its more of an old school
experience, cannot just come buy a home like all the
other places, need to live in small rental for a year
before acceptance)

4) Alon Shvut

Like Neve Daniel, expensive, and big lack of housing. In the gush so proximity to Jerusalem. Har etzion Yeshivah on the yishuv.


5) Rosh Tzurim
http://www.gush-etzion.org.il/rosh_tzurim.asp

Looks like a good option for us.
small yishuv / kibbutz in the gush. Down to earth, friendly people. Finishing up a new housing project that is more affordable then other places in the gush.

Keeping in mind as well.....

Tekoa: New road not completed yet.. "outside wall"
Maaleh Adumim: Expensive housing, basically a city...


Thats all for now.... it gets exhausting

Shabbat Shalom

Sunset in Neve Daniel

Just because....

Medical Monday....Vol I ( List Edition)

David Bogner at Treppenwitz http://bogieworks.blogs.com/ has inspired me with his "Photo Friday" to Introduce.... "Medical Monday"...


Here is quick piece of advice if you ever need to visit an emergency room or clinic, Please, please bring a list of your medications and dosages ( your pharmacist will print you out a nice list if you ask).
Here are some examples of answers ive gotten when asking about regular medications

- I take the red one, the green one and the one that looks like a bumblebee

- Oy docter, I take the pression pill, the sugar pill, the water pill and the one that looks like a bumblebee.

- Me: any regular medications
Patient: No, I hate medications
Me: what about aspirin
Patient : oh yeah every morning
Me: dont you have diabtes
Patient: oh yeah, im on high doses of insulin

A list of your medications will be very appreciated and will not only move things along faster but will help your physcian provide you with the best care possible.

Oh and P.S. high blood pressure and diabetes are medical problems!

Welcome to the real world....

I always wondered why aliyah just isn't on the "radar" for so many peopel and yet for others like myself it takes center stage. There are so many people in our "Dati Tzioni" community for whom making aliyah is just totally not something they would ever consider. We all went to the same or simmilar high schools. We all had the same education, so why is aliyah such a "splinter in the mind" for some.

The more i though about it, the more i thought of the movie " The matrix".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix

For some unexplained reason, it seems for some of us, we just know that life here isin't real, and we seek out the "real world" ( even if it means possibly giving up a certain lifestyle")

I thought this was a brilliant, original analogy, until I found this site...http://www.aliyahrevolution.com/

Oh well......

We Are Back...

After a six month hiatus.... we are back!
My last attempt at blogging was cut short due to unforseen circumstances... but im glad to say, im ready to give it another go!
Just a short post tonight, Im on call in the Intensive Care Unit and it's pretty busy and the pager is bound to beep again in the next 10 seconds.

With this Blog I hope to share my experiences as we commence our Aliyah journey. We will G-D willing be making Aliyah 1 year from Pesach and there is much to do and discuss..... here we go ........( again)