Aliyah can’t be made at the drop of a hat

JORDAN MOSHE

Liat Amar-Arran, the director of the Israel Centre in South Africa, says emigrating to Israel isn’t impossible, but doing your homework is more important today than ever before.

“The dream of making aliyah ‘just like that’ isn’t one we encourage anymore,” says Amar-Arran. “We need to know what a person is going to when they go to Israel. We worry less about certain people, but everyone should have some sort of plan.”

Ahead of the upcoming Aliyah Expo, the SA Jewish Report met Amar-Arran and Johannesburg aliyah co-ordinator Ziva Taitz to unpack what it takes to relocate in 2020.

“We want to make sure that people do the right thing for themselves,” says Amar-Arran. “It’s very rare for us to stop people from going, but we try to make them understand what they’re giving up, and what they’re going to get.”

In 2019, a total of 417 individuals made aliyah from South Africa, an increase of more than 20% from 2018. This number includes about 150 families and people from across the age and career spectrum.

People need to know what life in Israel is like today, Taitz and Amar-Arran say. Israel today faces an uncertain future, the result of multiple elections and political instability. “Government has also stopped operating for a year,” says Amar-Arran. “People in Israel are feeling it only now. Certain government budgets and programmes have become stuck because of politics, and this has affected infrastructure to some extent.”

Other major, contemporary topics include Israel’s growing recognition of its diversity, and a renewed prioritisation of the conflict with Arab states, primarily the result of Donald Trump’s political manoeuvring.

“Israel today is a very materialistic country,” says Taitz. “There’s a big gap between the haves and have-nots. In spite of much wealth entering the country, it’s still a socialist country in which people expect the government to care for the poor. Organisations do exist to help people, but it’s very different to what we have in South Africa, where people can expect more from the Chevrah Kadisha.”

Unlike before, more parents are open to making aliyah sooner than later, no longer opposed to taking their children out of school and placing them in the Israeli system before matric.

She and Amar-Arran stress that while failed aliyah does exist, these cases are in the minority, and are far from ideal. “We don’t want people to have to come back,” says Taitz. “When you’re back, you’re often in a worse position than before.”

Amar-Arran emphasises the importance of making people understand that the support they may get here might not be the same in Israel. “Social services in Israel recognise a person after one year only,” she says. “It takes time to find the best fit in Israel. People need to know it’s a process.”

According to Taitz and Amar-Arran, younger, financially stable candidates without family ties to Israel are often the easiest aliyah cases. Those who don’t have all the necessary documents in order in advance, those with an unsold South African property, and those who have no potential career plans, are those who experience some difficulties.

Israel continues to offer an appealing array of absorption benefits (including a monthly stipend for six months after arrival in the country), but Taitz stresses that one cannot live on this alone. This means that unless one is emigrating with a sizeable financial reserve, efforts to find a job must be undertaken timeously.

While almost 99% of those who emigrate do so without any job on the table, jobs are available in Israel, but finding them requires considerable flexibility and savvy. Fields with potential for South Africans include the high-tech and medical industries, engineering, and English teaching.

“On average, it takes six months to find a job,” says Amar-Arran. People who want to work and are willing to compromise can find a job. One must remember that an employer isn’t obligated to do anything until a person lands in Israel. It’s rare to sign a contract in advance, and most employers wait until you arrive and settle your citizenship before committing to anything.”

Essential to finding a job and ultimately to making aliyah successfully, is a firm grasp of Hebrew. Taitz says that whether undertaken prior to departure or after arrival, ulpan remains an essential part of integration into society, school, and the workplace.

Ultimately, knowing exactly what you want out of your aliyah can help soften your landing. It’s important to consider the type of community you want to be part of, whether settling in a central location is essential, or what type of school you require if you have children.

This means doing research well in advance, and utilising opportunities like the Aliyah Expo to ask questions, even if you’re not poised to make aliyah right now. The expo will feature 57 delegates giving lectures and one-on-one meetings not just on aliyah, but subjects including investment opportunities, property, higher education, and gap-year programmes.

Perhaps most essential, however, is to remember that Israel isn’t always the answer to whatever problem you may be facing.

“Israel is waiting for no one,” says Taitz. “If you want to be part of it, you need to do your research and weigh up what you’re getting into. Israel supports aliyah, and we can help, but in the end it’s your journey, and you need to make it yourself.”

• The Aliyah Expo takes place in Johannesburg from 23 to 25 February. For more information or to book, contact info@israelcentre.co.za or 011 645 2666.