Liza and her family might be considering moving back to the USA, but for now, they are loving their life in Karkur, Israel, where she's been living for more than 15 years. People who are thinking of relocating to Israel, or at least visiting this ancient yet vibrant land, would do well to read on in order for them to learn more about issues like language, getting a job, and local customs from the perspective of a long-term resident such as Liza.

Liza Rosenberg

February 23 2007

-Where were you born?
Brooklyn, New York, USA

-In which country and city are you living now?
Karkur, Israel

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my husband, our 2-and-a-half year-old son, and our 14-and-a-half year-old dog.

-How long have you been living in Israel?
15-and-a-half years

-What is your age?
38

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Israel?
I was 15 the first time I visited Israel, and immediately fell in love with the country. I was impressed by the warmth of the people and the attitude towards life. I liked the idea that the country was small enough for individual citizens to be able to make an impact on society. After my initial trip, I spent a year here after high school, and made a number of subsequent trips during my university years, all with the intention of truly getting to know the country where I believed I wanted to spend my future.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Not at all. Under Israeli legislation, being Jewish, I was immediately granted citizenship (after completing mountains of required paperwork prior to leaving the US), so acquiring a visa or a work permit wasn't necessary.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
No, given that new immigrants can join an HMO immediately. There are several different health maintenance organizations here, and new immigrants are given a certain time period after which they must decide which HMO they're going to join.

-How do you make your living in Israel? Do you have any type of income generated?
I'm currently working as a technical writer in a hi-tech company. In the past, I've done secretarial work, translating, editing, speechwriting, and data entry. I'm also planning to start doing some freelance feature writing. I've gotten most of my positions via employment agencies, though I found one of them via a newspaper classified ad. There are a number of very successful online job hunt websites as well.

The Israeli economy has had its ups and downs over the years, and as a result, there have been times where I was going to three job interviews a day several times a week. Other times, the interviews have been few and far between. I was fortunate early on, as there was a constant demand for native English speaking women for administrative positions, and the fact that I could write was definitely seen as an asset, so the fact that I didn't have a lot of work experience didn't really count against me. To be honest, I'm not sure how the situation is these days, though technical writers with at least a year or two of experience shouldn't have much trouble finding a position in the center of the country, whether it be Jerusalem or the greater Tel Aviv area.

-Do you speak Hebrew and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I started learning Hebrew when I was very young, and unlike most of my classmates, I actually really enjoyed it! I've worked very hard to become fluent and to get rid of my American accent when speaking Hebrew, and it's definitely paid off in terms of my assimilation into Israeli society.

Learning the language is so important! Most people speak at least some English, so one can get by without knowing Hebrew, but my life is so much fuller for having that knowledge. I know and understand what's going on around me – I can read the newspaper and understand the television news. I have Israeli friends, and people who meet me for the first time often don't realize that I am an American, thanks to my efforts with language (including slang), cultural knowledge, etc. I know other Americans here who have trouble with the language and have not tried very hard to get to know the ins and outs of the culture, and it seems to me that this is a real shame. That they are missing out on so much, and it keeps them from fully integrating into Israeli society.

As for respecting or observing local customs, I think that veteran Israelis appreciate efforts by expats/new immigrants to become familiar with the local culture and language, and even in my early days when my Hebrew level wasn't high, Israelis would appreciate the fact that I was trying (though they would usually hear my accent and switch to English, as they wanted to practice English instead of letting me practice Hebrew!).

As for local customs, Israel is a really relaxed country. Anything goes, and Israelis are not easily offended. If anything, I think it's the new immigrants who might be offended by the directness and brashness of Israelis, which sometimes still offends me, even after more than fifteen years in the country. I've learned to give as good as I get, though, and can definitely hold my own when necessary.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I do, especially around holiday times, or when I know I'm missing a family gathering. Email and chat programs have helped to bridge the distances, but there are still difficult times. I'm very happy living in Israel, but I spent my formative years in the US, and that is the country where things come naturally to me, the country where my memories are. I think it's perfectly normal to have occasional yearnings for things we've known and enjoyed in the past.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
As far as travel, we sometimes talk about relocating to the US for a few years in order to allow our son to get to know his American family and his American roots, but we're still not certain about making the move.

As for business plans, I'd like to move more towards freelance writing, so that I can eventually give up the technical writing, which, while being relatively well-paid by Israeli standards, is not terribly interesting.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We rented in the center of the country for several years, before purchasing our own place in the North about ten years ago. Real estate costs, especially in the center of the country, are quite high here. I'm not up on real estate costs these days, so I can't really give precise numbers, but in general, the farther you get from the center the more reasonable the prices become. One of the reasons we bought in our town is because the prices were relatively decent. We bought our home approximately nine years ago and paid $165,000 for it. The home itself is approximately 120 square meters, and we also have more than 100 square meters of porch. I can't even imagine what an apartment like this might cost in the Tel Aviv area, but it would be at least double, if not more.

-What is the cost of living in Israel?
Aside from real estate prices and car prices, the day-to-day costs are comparable to other places in the US and parts of Europe. However, salaries here are considerably lower, which makes it harder to get by.

-What do you think about the Israelis?
As a whole, they can take some getting used to. On the one hand, I'm impressed by the warmth, and especially by the way that the entire country comes together in times of crisis. I've seen such incredible generosity here, and the lengths that people will go to help someone in need are amazing. On the other hand, Israelis can also be utterly maddening and incredibly rude and direct, which can be very off-putting, to say the least.

With regard to how Israelis treat foreigners, I think the answer is rather complex. It depends, unfortunately, on which foreigners and what they're doing in Israel. I have always been treated well here, as are most of the other Western immigrants I know. Israel is a country with a large immigrant population, and the framework is in place to help them with acclimatization. I think that as long as an individual makes the effort to assimilate, Israelis will be welcoming. That's not to say that there aren't stereotypes working against the various immigrant groups in general, but individuals who make the effort will be rewarded.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Israel?
There are so many positive aspects! The weather is great! Here we are in the middle of February, and today it's warm enough outside to go without a jacket. The atmosphere is incredible! Israelis live life to the fullest, and there's always something to do, whether it be music festivals, food and drink festivals, film festivals, all-night dance parties, etc., or even just grabbing a seat at your favorite outdoor cafe and watching the world pass by while drinking fabulous coffee and surfing the internet, given that the majority of the hundreds of cafes here seem to have free wifi.

The people can be amazing, whether it involves helping a person in need or striking up a fascinating conversation with the person sitting next to you on the train.

Obviously, there are negative aspects too. The security situation can be very stressful at times, though I feel personally safer here than in the US. Here, I can take my dog for a walk in the middle of the night and not have to worry. A woman can walk around Tel Aviv during the wee hours and feel perfectly safe. Another negative is that most salaries are generally not high enough to support the quality of life that most Israelis want, and consequently, many people are perpetually in overdraft at the bank. Bureaucracy can be rather daunting at times, and it doesn't matter if you are dealing with government offices, banks or utility companies – it's all very frustrating!

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Israel?
Be sure to bring a lot of patience with you when you arrive! Learn the language, and don't be shocked or offended by the directness of Israelis. Relax, loosen your tie a little, and have a good time. Israelis work hard and party hard, and casual dress is the norm, wherever you happen to be. Do what you can to assimilate, and you will be rewarded with friendship.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Israel?
Check out my life-in-Israel blog at Something Something.

The English-language Israeli blog aggregator can be found at English-writing Israeli Bloggers.

Local news in English can be found at HAARETZ.com.

Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel

There are a variety of local Yahoo groups for English speakers. Check out TAANGLO for Tel Aviv, JANGLO for Jerusalem, and Five-Towns for Northern Israel, and I believe there are local groups for Raanana and Beit Shemesh as well.