Frustrated Immigrant: Stop Aliyah. Period

[El Cabong!]

One American immigrant's tale of woe and frustration in Israel. I'm sure it's not easy, but no one told this guy it would be this difficult. Does anyone have any experiences in Aliya? I'm not Jewish as you may know but interested in all things about Jews.

Article short:

Personal account of American Jew adjusting to life in Israel. Frustrated with widespread neglect of immigrants, he points out that aliyah is not rosy picture painted by Jewish Agency. His conclusion: Best to stay put and not come until Israel can absorb existing immigrants.

 The first sign of trouble was when there was no one at the airport to greet him. The next bad omen was the absorption center he arrived at (after taking at taxi from the airport)—it was closed for the day. 


Nearly 30 years later, Rubin’s troubles in Israel have only multiplied. Today, he is sinking in a mire of debt, has been repeatedly hospitalized, and, somehow, spends a good part of each day avoiding the police who have a warrant for his arrest.

Full Article:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3311519,00.html

[genteelgentile]

I do truly hope things like this can be fixed.  But as with everything thing else that is wrong with Israel, it might take awhile.

[MassuhDGoodName]

Writing from first-hand experience:

The Land Of Israel is a harsh land inhabited by a harsh people.

The average Israeli, by American standards, is obnoxious, rude, uncaring, infuriating, & aggressive; just to list some of their best attributes.

The Israeli Government of today is corrupt beyond what is believable and/or conceivable by American standards.

The political system itself is a hastily thrown together amalgam of Turkish Law from the Ottoman Empire, British Parliamentarianism, Eastern European old-line Marxism, and New World Order Political Correctness; all to the extreme.

As of late, the Israeli Gov't. appears to be concerned with Aliyah only for the purposes of taxing to death the olim (newly arrived immigrants).

The government deliberately lies and misleads potential new olim to "take the leap of faith" and make Aliyah.

Once they do, deep bitterness soon sets in upon finding the various laws, taxations, rules, and assorted assaults to one's dignity which were never mentioned prior to the big move.

Then, when turning to the Government agencies for "promised assistance", the olim discover that "they've been had" by deceitful bureaucrats with no regard for anything or anybody (least of all to the numerous "iron-clad" promises and agreements they make daily).

If one desires to know what to expect in the way of government assists in assimilating into a very foreign & complex way of life, one need look no further than to the Israeli Government's treatment of long-time Israeli citizen patriots of Gaza; both in the lead-up to the expulsion, the expulsion itself and the brutality used against its own people, and also in the follow-up to the debacle; when all of the promises made to the "settlers" regarding just legal compensation for their property and businesses, and the creation of new housing and shelter for their reimplanting into society, were immediately thrown right out into the garbage with a cynical sneer the very second the "Gaza Pogrom" was complete.

I write these observations not to discourage anyone from Aliyah, but merely to make sure the move is taken "with eyes wide open" and with no misconceptions about what to expect.

I tend to think that most of the unpleasant matters of which I write are the direct result of the so-called "post-Zionist" thinking surrounding the Oslo Suicide Process... at was following Oslo that "ultra-left internationalist" thinking replaced the "Ingathering of The Exiles" policy which played such a prominent role in Israel's early modern history.

'Nuff said for now; I have many wonderful things about life in Israel which I'll offer in the future.

MassuhDGoodName

[davkakach]

Writing from first-hand experience:

The Land Of Israel is a harsh land inhabited by a harsh people.

The average Israeli, by American standards, is obnoxious, rude, uncaring, infuriating, & aggressive; just to list some of their best attributes.

The Israeli Government of today is corrupt beyond what is believable and/or conceivable by American standards.

The political system itself is a hastily thrown together amalgam of Turkish Law from the Ottoman Empire, British Parliamentarianism, Eastern European old-line Marxism, and New World Order Political Correctness; all to the extreme.

As of late, the Israeli Gov't. appears to be concerned with Aliyah only for the purposes of taxing to death the olim (newly arrived immigrants).

The government deliberately lies and misleads potential new olim to "take the leap of faith" and make Aliyah.

Once they do, deep bitterness soon sets in upon finding the various laws, taxations, rules, and assorted assaults to one's dignity which were never mentioned prior to the big move.

Then, when turning to the Government agencies for "promised assistance", the olim discover that "they've been had" by deceitful bureaucrats with no regard for anything or anybody (least of all to the numerous "iron-clad" promises and agreements they make daily).

If one desires to know what to expect in the way of government assists in assimilating into a very foreign & complex way of life, one need look no further than to the Israeli Government's treatment of long-time Israeli citizen patriots of Gaza; both in the lead-up to the expulsion, the expulsion itself and the brutality used against its own people, and also in the follow-up to the debacle; when all of the promises made to the "settlers" regarding just legal compensation for their property and businesses, and the creation of new housing and shelter for their reimplanting into society, were immediately thrown right out into the garbage with a cynical sneer the very second the "Gaza Pogrom" was complete.

I write these observations not to discourage anyone from Aliyah, but merely to make sure the move is taken "with eyes wide open" and with no misconceptions about what to expect.

I tend to think that most of the unpleasant matters of which I write are the direct result of the so-called "post-Zionist" thinking surrounding the Oslo Suicide Process... at was following Oslo that "ultra-left internationalist" thinking replaced the "Ingathering of The Exiles" policy which played such a prominent role in Israel's early modern history.

'Nuff said for now; I have many wonderful things about life in Israel which I'll offer in the future.

MassuhDGoodName

This is an excellent, accurate account, and I hope you don't mind if I quote this text in other forums.  My cousin who immigrated from Russia, after a couple of years concluded that "you need to immigrate to Israel to become anti-Semitic."  These are harsh words, but they reflect what you just described above.  I was born in Israel, I lived there for 22 years of my life, and I still can't STAND Israeli rudeness.  You can't imagine how shocked I was when I landed in Texas and 60-year-old professors called me "Sir".     Once in Israel, I will definitely miss American law, order and civility...   

[El Cabong!]

Is is having to deal with muslim animals that have made Israelis rude? Or is itthat they have more important hardships to deal with as in staying alive and protecting their children from arab killers that have put politeness in the back of the line?

[MassuhDGoodName]

Thanks for your kind words, Davkakach!

Maybe it's the "Land" itself which molds the Israeli mentality & temperament.  Constant violence and warfare might be another factor.
Then again; perhaps it's simply a carry-over from Eastern Europe & Russia, where everyone was slovenly and crude.
Sometimes I try to tell myself "No...it's ME that is unusual...most people in the world do not share a respect for "rules of etiquette", politeness, proper demeanor, "being a mentsch", etc.... .
Ever since I lived in Israel, I've said the following every time I heard about a non-Jew travelling to the Holy Land:
"One thing's for certain; if they don't hate Jews now, they sure as hell are going to hate Jews after they visit Israel!".
I have often thought that the modern State Of Israel is quite literally a rebirth of the Land Of Israel of old, and that the "personality" type of the Israeli today might possibly be identical to that of our ancestors.
Let's face it:  we are a most unruly people.
Sometimes I attempt to view the ancient world through the eyes of Rome; the "Pax Romana" which came with the Roman Imperial Rule.  From ancient Rome's point of view, they probably felt that the Judaeans were the most rebellious and troublesome bunch to ever fall under Roman Rule.  Don't you at least feel just a little sympathy for the Romans; considering what an ordeal it must have been to attempt the pacification of we Jews?   

[davkakach]

No, it's not the belligerence of the surrounding Muslims, it's not the East European or North African background of early Israeli immigrants, and it's certainly not the blessed Eretz Yisrael.  It's the forsaking of Judaism, which created a spiritual void that was filled with secular ugliness.