First week as an Israeli/Countdown to my Tzav Rishon

It's strange to think that it's only been just over a week since I got here. Last Shabbat was my first as an Israeli, and it was a special feeling watching the sun setting over the hills around the Kibbutz on Friday afternoon. That Shabbat, the previous Garin had a "Shabbat Garin", where as many of them as possible got out of the army for Shabbat to spend it together on Lavi. It was interesting to hear where they all were in the army and the advice they had for us. That Shabbat, I also met a woman here who knew my Booba and Zeida (grandma and grandpa). She almost began to cry when she heard my surname! It was they who had persuaded her to settle on Kibbutz Lavi. There's a certain historical circularity about it, as my Booba and Zeida were connected with the Kibbutz (see "The Interview, the Kibbutz and Historical Circularity").

The following day was full of bureaucratic necessities, and that day I received my Teudat Zehut (ID card). I even got a nice message from the woman who sorted my papers.

Later on in the week we had a Hebrew test, which will determine which Ulpan class we'll be placed in. I feel like it went well, but we shall see! I'm working hard on my Hebrew at the moment, and taking advantage of the time I have. Whatever happens, I do NOT want to go to Michve Alon, the army Ulpan.

Today we spent the morning working in the fields on the kibbutz. For the first time since I arrived, I had time to think as I worked. Looking out towards the hills, I realised I'm actually here, I made it. After 4 years of expecting and planning, I'm actually here. 

Of course I miss my family a lot but we still find ways to keep in constant contact!

Next week all of Garin Tzabar will be making their way down south for Gadna. Gadna is there to give Israelis a taste of army life. It will be weird going back, because I was there 4 years ago on Marva, a similar two month course, but judging from Marva it won't be taken too seriously and will be a lot of fun!

We now have our date for our Tzav Rishon, just before Rosh Hashana, the week after Gadna. The Tzav Rishon is the most important army test, and will determine where I can and can not serve. It's a day comprised of a medical, an interview, psychological and psychometric tests. The interview will ascertain my Hebrew level, so the countdown begins to improve my Hebrew as much as possible!

Will update the blog next with the fun happenings of Gadna!

My New Home

The pasts two days have been mad to say the least - I have made Aliyah, given a speech to hundreds of people, met my new Garin and moved into my new home on Kibbutz Lavi. Here are the details.

So Tuesday night I landed in Israel. I can't explain the feeling of seeing the lights of Tel Aviv in the distance as we approached the airport. There is no feeling like it. I could just imagine generations and generations of Olim catching that first glimpse of Israel. What a feeling.

After landing, I went to fill in paperwork (which took hours and hours) and was lucky enough to have a little welcoming party waiting for me! That night I stayed at my family in Ra'anana and I had to be at Tel Aviv University for the Garin Tzabar opening ceremony the next morning.

Before coming to Israel, I was asked to give a speech at the ceremony at which Prime Minister Netanyahu was supposed to be attending. He recently had an operation, so Mrs. Bibi ended up going in his place. There were all sorts of dignitaries there and it was a privilege and unbelievable honour to have been asked to speak.

At the ceremony I met my Garin for the first time. I was nervous at first because I didn't know how I would settle in. I hadn't been with them for the seminars and they already knew each other, but my nerves were pointless. I've joined a great Garin and I'm enjoying getting to know them all.

Most of the things we're doing until Rosh Hashanah are geared towards introducing us to the Kibbutz and Kibbutz life. For now, I'll be getting my bearings around my new home.

My new, humble home.

Aliyah...today is the day

The day has finally come, the day I've dreamed about and imagined since I was a boy. After all the goodbyes, my room is empty and my bags are packed. I have to say, today is an overwhelming one. It goes without saying that leaving behind loved ones and friends is not an easy thing to do. It has been the most difficult thing I have ever done.

Actions are far greater than words, so I will keep this post very brief and catch my flight. Besides, no words could do justice to how I feel on this day. But I will end with a quote from a great Zionist leader and doer. Upon the establishment of the State of Israel, David Ben-Gurion wrote to Chaim Weizmann, Israel's first President, thanking him for his tireless efforts in helping to establish the nascent State. In his response, Weizmann wrote:

"I am fully convinced that all who have and will become citizens of the Jewish State will strive their utmost to live up to the new opportunity which history has bestowed upon them."

Time to strive.

Aliyah file and Lone Soldier benefits

This afternoon I got a phone call from Garin Tzabar, telling me I had passed the interview. I am now officially a member of Garin Tzabar.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had my first meeting with the Jewish Agency to sort out my Aliyah file. Seeing as this blog's primary intention is to be as informative as possible, here is how the system works.

1. Give the Jewish Agency a call
2. Register online (lots of fun forms)
3. Meeting no. 1 to open the file
4. Your file is then sent to the Israeli Ministry of Absorption to be approved
5. Once approved, your passport is then sent to be stamped with an Aliyah visa
6. Meeting no. 2 to book your free flight

I would recommend beginning the process as early as possible (something I didn't do). 

I compiled a list of all the benefits and rights that a Lone Soldier, who makes Aliyah, receives. It can be a bit confusing if you're researching, so I've done my best to make sense of it.

Sal Klita (Absorption Basket)

August –                  1250 (at airport)

                                 1381 (after bank account is opened)  

September –            2573

October –                2573

November –            2573                  352          (extra after Yom Giyus)

December-                                        352

January –                                          352

February –                                        352

March –                                             352

April –                                               352

May –                                                352

June –                                                352

July –                                                 352

August –                                             352

September –                                       352

October –                                           352

November –                                       352

Total:                      18,069 (the rest being given after the army)                                               

                                                           4224       = 22,293 NIS

Army

1400 NIS/month

Nefesh B’Nefesh

5,500 NIS (On Yom Giyus, drafting day)

Rent

Misrad HaBinui v’HaShikun – after one year, 402NIS/month

745 rent + 305 bills = 1050 NIS/month (no local tax during service and 4 months after)

Supersal (a supermarket chain)

120 NIS/month (on Choger)

RIGHTS

• ·         30-day leave per year and can travel abroad during regular leave
• ·         1 free flight (after training)
• ·         Yom siddurim – 1day/month (during training) 1day/2 months (after training)
• ·         Early leave on Fridays with free weekend, to be home by 12pm
• ·         Parent visit – 8 days/year

     I hope that makes things marginally clearer for anyone looking into these things.

The Interview, the Kibbutz and Historical Circularity

I've just come back from the fourth and final Garin seminar, and there's lots to update the blog with. I have had my interview with the Committee and have found out where my new home will be...Kibbutz Lavi! Kibbutz Lavi is in the north of the country, 10 minutes away from Tiberias, by the Kinneret. It looks like an amazing kibbutz, in an incredible location. Lavi was the one I wanted, and I feel privileged to have been given, as I see it, this honor. The reason I wanted Lavi was because of my family connection to the place. Part of my family were instrumental in its establishment, and my Booba (grandma) fundraised for the kibbutz during the Second World War. There is even a plaque in honour of a family member outside the Kibbutz synagogue. I'm not usually one to ascribe to theories of fate, but emotion does swell when I think of the historical circularity. Out of all the kibbutzim in the country, I have been given Lavi, one that my family helped establish. I will be living in the place that they set up. I hope I do their memory proud and play my small part in adding to their Zionist legacy.

It's not a very clear picture, but this plaque on Kibbutz Lavi says "Synagogue, in the name of Rachel Sklan" (family member)

Being the fourth and final seminar, I had my interview with the Committee. I thought it went well, I managed to make them laugh a couple of times, and I managed to get across what I wanted to. There were no surprising questions really: they asked me things like when did I decide to do this, and where would I like to serve. They also asked me more personal questions about my family, and asked me about my health etc. All in all I quite enjoyed it, and we will hear whether or not we are formally accepted to Garin Tzabar by Wednesday. At the end of the seminar, there was a parents' meeting, at which parents of the Garin came to ask questions and hear more about the kibbutz and army service. Tomorrow I have a meeting with the Jewish Agency concerning my Aliyah File (to make Aliyah you need an Aliyah visa stamped in your passport), so will update the blog after Wednesday.

Being the last seminar, we reflected on this whole preparation period that has now come to a close. For me, this all started in December, and I sat there this weekend, thinking about how the first part of my Aliyah process is coming to a close, and the next part is just about to begin. I am about to start my new life as an Israeli, and the thought of this both scares and excites me greatly. It suddenly hit me how much I am leaving behind. When you deal with all the small preparatory details, you don't have so much time for reality to really register. It all seems like a blur. However, it really hit me this weekend. It is not going to be easy I know, but I am truly proud of myself. I am about to become an Israeli.

When the Garin Becomes Home

This weekend was the penultimate preparatory seminar for Garin '13. Well, really it was the last preparatory seminar, given that the next one's focus is on the interview with the Committee (I'll come to that in a bit).

The focus of this third seminar was on kibbutz life, especially in the absorption period from August 14th until our draft date in November. We were meant to find out which kibbutz it's going to be, but, in typical Israeli manner, the date of us finding out has been pushed back. The Garin has grown to 28 members with some new editions from France, Amsterdam and the UK. We were told that ours is the most multi-cultural European Garin they've ever had. Absorbing the new members took no time at all, and by the end of the seminar I had to remind myself who had recently arrived and who had been there since seminar 1.

On Friday we carried on with some more group-bonding games and exercises, and the next day we focused on the Garin and kibbutz life. We were introduced to a rough plan of what each week might look like: working on the kibbutz, ulpan, physical prep for the army, trips around Israel, a week on Gadna (!) and army tests. It sounds like an intense 3 months. Given the intensity, we ran through scenarios that might cause frictions within the Garin, and discussed ideas of how to rectify them. It was at that moment that I felt my age, having had to deal with many of those situations on my gap year and at University.

Another major focus was on the Committee interviews. Next seminar there will be a panel that come and interview us one-on-one (or five-on-one actually). The Committee consists of an army representative, the kibbutz co-ordinator, a representative from Garin Tzabar worldwide, and our seminar co-ordinators. Each one is looking for a certain thing, and each will be seeing if we fit their criteria. It's worth noting that you're not formally accepted into Garin Tzabar until you pass this interview (so I hope I'll be able to write the next blog post!). The interview will be in hebrew, or as much hebrew as each person can do. So this month I'll be focusing on the appropriate vocab.

As I said, by the end of the seminar I couldn't easily tell apart those who had just arrived to the Garin and those who had been there since the beginning. I can see how quickly the Garin becomes your home.

One last thought for this post: a few people asked me why I hadn't written something around Yom Hazikaron/Yom Ha'atzmaut (Day of Remembrance of Fallen Soldiers/Independence Day). I think I'll wait until next year when, please G-d, I'm wearing the uniform of the IDF, with an Israeli I.D. card in my pocket and serving my country.

The fourth and final seminar is in a month, and until then I have lots of forms to fill out and an interview with the Jewish Agency to get my Aliyah visa. More on that next time.

Garin '13 משפחה לכל החיים

(Very Limited) Advice

Seeing as it's almost 4 months until my aliyah date, I thought I'd share some of my limited advice for anyone considering taking the plunge. Here's a checklist:

• Talk to people - talk to anyone and everyone who has anything to do with Aliyah/the army/Garin Tzabar to help you with your decision.
• Call your local Shaliach - speak to the Jewish Agency Shaliach in your area, or the head office in London. You might end up speaking to a few unnecessary (and confused) people in the process, but call the Shaliach and they'll put you through to the organisers of Garin Tzabar.
• Interview - you'll have an informal interview with the organisers (I had mine on the phone).
• Research - research everything you possibly can about the army/aliyah. I've personally found it really useful to know details before the seminars. Though the seminars are of course there to relate the information, some bits are a bit confusing. It's always good to be one step ahead of the game. Useful things to know are a) units/structure of the army b) rough dates of the whole process c) financial benefits you receive from the government, the army, and agencies, for being an Oleh Chadash (new immigrant) and Chayal Boded (Lone Soldier) (these are a bit confusing).
• Register with Nefesh b'Nefesh - this can be done online. Nefesh b'Nefesh have a support programme for Lone Soldiers, and you can receive a grant from them. You might as well sort that out while you've got plenty of time. 
• Learn Hebrew - I haven't seen what it's like if you do or don't learn it at this point, but you might as well, and they always tell you to work on it.

As I said, I'm reaching the 4-month mark until my aliyah, and it's around 7 months until my draft date (my research tells me it should be November 24th). We just commemorated Yom Hashoah, the Jewish memorial day for the Holocaust. This picture did the rounds on Facebook that day.

To be a part of the rebirth of a people is a total honour for me. I like to think that whenever things might get difficult for me, be that in tests, training or service, I will cast my mind to images like these.

The third and penultimate seminar is coming up, so will update you then.