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.

Decisions

Having just finished Seminar 2, here’s the update. This marks the halfway point in the preparation process; in about two months, we’ll be having our interviews with the Committee, made up of representatives from the army, kibbutz, and Garin Tzabar worldwide, who will decide whether or not we’ll be accepted to the full programme.

Me (green t-shirt), Inbar, Daryl and Jake

So as usual, on Friday I made my way down to London from Leeds. I knew that the group had increased in numbers, but I didn’t realise to what extent. We now have 24 Garin members, many from France, new additions from Amsterdam, Turkey, England – it’s a real mix of languages and countries. However, my big news is the decision I have finally made. At the end of the first seminar, I thought I would stay with the European Garin, however, after having spoken to a lot of people with experience, I’ve decided to join the Religious Garin instead. It fits better with my lifestyle, after all I am religious. It wasn’t an easy decision, especially after seminar 2. The people in the European Garin are fantastic and I get on with them so well. It’s not going to be easy saying goodbye after the Opening Ceremony when we all go off to our respective kibbutzim. But I know we’ll stay in touch and I’ll come visit them. I will be doing the rest of the seminars with the European Garin, and I won’t meet the Religious Garin until I get to Israel.

Bar, Maya, Inbar, Jordan and Nicky

So that was decision number one. This seminar made us all think about decision number two; where we want to serve. The seminar focussed on army units and army tests. The first stage of the whole army process is the Tzav Rishon. The Tzav Rishon is a day of psychometric, psychological and medical tests that determine where you can and can’t serve. That will happen in August after we arrive. At the end of the day you’re given a profile, and each section of the army requires a certain profile number. So for example, to try out for the elite Special Forces, you need to get 97 (you can schmooze your way into the tests with a good 82 as well). During the seminar we practised with a psychometric test for the Tsav Rishon. I chose to do mine in Hebrew, and it wasn't easy!

I’ve known for a long time what unit/s I’m interested in, and I do have certain ones I am aiming for. However, it all depends on my Tsav Rishon and the grade I score. At the end of the day though, I am here to serve and to give everything that I can give. So to that end I’ll be pushing myself for the most that I can give, and the best unit that I can get into.

At the end of the seminar, alongside the usual Hebrew test, we were given a psychological one too. The results of the test are passed on to the committee and the army representative. It was a timed test full of strange questions, like filling in open-ended sentences like “my mother needs...”, and being asked to draw a tree. I have no idea how anyone could psychoanalyse those answers, but I hope I’m deemed sane! Although, maybe anybody choosing to do this whole army/aliyah thing is a little insane…

Next seminar is mid-April, so I’ll update you then!

Welcome to Garin Tzabar!

As promised, I’ve just come back from the first Garin Tzabar seminar and here’s what happened. By the way, I’m sorry these posts might not be as exciting as future ones may be – there’s no running up hills, no long marches and no shooting to be spoken of, but as I’ve explained, I wanted this blog to take the reader from the very first steps of IDF service with Garin Tzabar, right the way through (to the more exciting stuff).

The seminar ran from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. On the Friday I came down from Leeds and was excited to meet the group. If these were the people I was supposed to spend some of the most gruelling years of my life with, it would be a bonus if we got along, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. By the end of the weekend, I felt as if I’d known these people for months. The group is a real mix of people, from 17 to 23 year olds, and so far there are 13 people in our Garin (although that number will no doubt change).

The moment we first sat down in our first session, reality kicked in. This was really happening. After years of thinking about this, planning it all, it was really happening. I am about to up and move to the country I love and call home, to go and defend it. And these were the people that are to become my family. It was a strange moment.

The sessions were focussed largely on group-bonding exercises and intro-sessions on the whole Garin Tzabar process. For one of the group exercises, we were told that we had broken a Garin Tzabar record on our time completing the task – a good sign for the future!

One of the main things that came out of this seminar was the importance of learning Hebrew. At each seminar there is a Hebrew lesson, where I chose to stretch myself in the advanced class with the near-fluent speakers. It was challenging, but I think that’s the only way to learn the language – stepping outside of your comfort zone and not being afraid to make mistakes. There is a Hebrew test at each seminar, and we HAVE to show improvement at each one, otherwise we could be kicked out of the Garin. This all culminates in the fourth and final seminar in May, when the Delegation from Israel, including an army representative, comes and interviews us in Hebrew. This is the most important part of this preparatory process. I have to make sure that there is no chance I am sent to Michve Alon (the army Ulpan), because with my age (22 by the time I get there), the army might see me more as a burden than a help, and so might reject me.

The second question that was answered for me at the seminar was Religious vs. European Garin. There are Garinim from all over the world, mostly divided up according to geography. So there is the European Garin (our one), LA garin, New York Garin etc. There are also Religious Garinim that cater for observant Olim. Being religiously observant myself, I didn’t know whether to stay with the European Garin or move to a religious one. However, I was told categorically that I would not suit the Religious Garin environment; boys and girls are kept separate, you have to pray 3 times a day – it’s all a bit much for me, even though I do keep Shabbat, Kashrut etc. It’s just not the atmosphere I want. Plus, if the 13 of us are this close already, I can’t imagine how close we will be once we get to our Kibbutz. Why would I want to up and leave the group? So looks like I’m staying with the European Garin.

At the end of the seminar we were all asked to sum up how we were feeling. I said that going there, I was 100% sure of my decision and now I am 150% sure. Though the journey will be long, and the obstacles will be huge, I have made the decision to fulfil my dream – to become a part of the future of the Jewish people, and to defend its State. Plus, I’ll be doing all that with an amazing group of people.

The next seminar is the beginning of March, and will focus on the precise details of the Army, its units, its tests etc. Will report back then!

The Very Beginning

The decision to start this blog came after a long debate. I’m not sure if it’s going to amount to anything, and not sure if many people would be very interested. But in the end I decided that it can’t hurt to add to the blogs already out there about Aliyah and the IDF (a big shout out of course to http://samsank.blogspot.co.uk/), giving the most up-to-date info for the benefit of those thinking about making the same choice as I have. Reading about other people’s experiences certainly helped me, eased my mind about certain things, and made me question others. So I hope to do my bit and add to the Aliyah/IDF-related literature out there already.

So first, an introduction: my name is Michael Kosky and I am currently in my third and final year studying Philosophy and Politics at the University of Leeds. Before University, I went on FZY Yearcourse, which changed my life. Though of course it didn’t represent daily life there, it was the first time that I had immersed myself into the culture and the people, and I fell in love. The decision to take this step was made long ago. I even remember, at the age of six, seeing a group of soldiers at the Kotel and turning to my dad, declaring that one day “I want to be one of those”.

The primary purpose of this blog is of course to describe the details of the process, right from the start. I might also throw in the odd observation here and there of how I’m feeling about it all. Of course, people who have already gone through the process might pity my naivety, and fair enough! I can’t wait for the day that I can read someone else’s first blogs and silently laugh at their inexperience. I know that there’ll be times when I will hate myself for even thinking about considering this decision (I’ve been forewarned, many times), but that’s all part of the process.

So why have I started this blog here, 7 months before my planned departure? Because for me, my Aliyah starts here. Having exhausted all avenues of research, knowing the details of each step and its finances etc, and having discussed this in-depth with family and those close to me, I have officially signed up to Garin Tzabar. In short, Garin Tzabar is the organisation that facilitates Aliyah and IDF service, where the group lives together on a Kibbutz throughout their service (plenty more details to come).

There are three preparatory seminars, and the first one is in a few weeks. These seminars are there to give us the relevant information, and for the group to meet and get to know each other. Even getting up to this point was a very small lesson in Israeli bureaucracy, having to speak to quite a few people before getting through to the relevant ones, with this one telling you to go to this one, and another one telling you to speak to someone else, and so on. But I got there in the end, and I’ve been told that the bureaucratic procedures are a nightmare without Garin Tzabar, so I can’t complain.

Though I don’t want this blog to be taken up with too much emotive description, this first blog post is a good opportunity to explain why I have made this decision to join Garin Tzabar. Aside from the practical side of things, ideology does of course play a part. I feel a certain sense of responsibility. As a kid, from the point at which I began to realise what Israel was, I felt an inalienable connection. Growing up, Zionism was a constant topic brought to the Friday night table. Books on Israel, Jewish history and Zionism monopolised the shelves, and my heart was always there. Now is the time to take the step in realising my dream. Why not before? Why didn’t I make Aliyah when I was 18? As well as being an impassioned idealist, I also have a practical head. I wanted to keep my options open and come back to the UK to get a degree. Even now, it’s only after months and months of speaking to people, researching the details, that I am prepared to take the step. Otherwise, despite my idealism, I wouldn’t be ready.

So what now? I have my first seminar with Garin Tzabar coming up, and I’m also taking the opportunity to work on my Hebrew. The focus at the moment is on the grammar, which seems unnecessarily complicated. Between now and August, these blog posts will be few and far between, as there’s not a huge amount of details to be shared. But I will report back after the seminar. Until then, I’ll be enjoying my last real festive season for a little while!

The current addition to my University work

L’hitraot x