Della: Starting a new chapter in Israel
 Della, 52, made Aliya from France in April 2012. When her daughter grew up and moved out of the house, and after selling the bookshop she ran for 17 years, Della no longer felt a need to remain in France. She was ready for a new beginning in Israel. Being an atheist, Della doesn’t see religion as her reason for coming to Israel. She says that she made Aliya as a Zionist and as an idealist; she was upset by the way the world treated Israel. The seeds were planted when she first came to Israel in July 2010. She landed at Ben-Gurion airport and saw the sign saying Welcome to Israel, and “felt as if I came home.” Now, after nine months in Israel, though she feels that the “honeymoon is over”, she still is very proud of the country and what it has achieved. “There are so many wonderful assets to this country that people do not see from the outside,” she said.
Language
Della’s major challenge has been language. Although Della found that most Israelis speak relatively good English, she has had a hard time communicating with people in Hebrew. Even if she can form a question, the response in rapid Hebrew is often delivered too quickly for her to follow. As her eTeacher Hebrew instructor before she made the Aliya, I can say that I was very excited to hear her express herself clearly and conduct a good conversation in Hebrew after only nine months of living in Israel. She started studying Hebrew with eTeacher knowing very little Hebrew and, as she reports, it gave her a good head start. Her knowledge of the language intensified in her daily Ulpan in Israel. Although Hebrew is still a challenge for Della, she seems to be on the right track for acquiring the language.
Employment
Recently, Della joined a two-year Israel Licensed Tour Guide Course in English. The course is both challenging and interesting for her. Della has made many new friends in the course and is looking forward to finding work in the field once she completes the course. In fact, Della was recently hired by the Haddasah Medical Center as a tour guide for the center.
Overall experience
Della says that her overall experience so far has been positive and that she feels lucky to be able to do the tour guide course and to have found a job so easily. She is satisfied with her decision to start a new chapter of her life in Israel, experiencing a different, though not totally unfamiliar, way of life. She believes her biggest challenge is the acquisition of the language and that her biggest difficulty is being away from friends and family in France.
Gavi: Committed to Israel
 Gavi Hanssen (45) made Aliya with his wife (42) and four children (12, 10, 8, and 4) from Denver Colorado in July 2012. When he met his wife, she told him that she wanted to make Aliya and he was open to the idea. Gavi said, “I don’t necessarily believe that all Jews should live in Israel, but we wanted to be part of Israel, part of the history of Jews coming back to their land after 2000 years in the Diaspora. You live only once, and I wanted to experience it in my life.”
When Gavi’s wife’s job ended 18 months ago, they decided to take the opportunity to start something new in Israel. After the decision was made, everything fell into place: Gavi, his wife and the two older children started studying Hebrew with eTeacher; a house was found in a small community in the Galilee– exactly what the family was looking for.
Nefesh B'Nefesh helped them in their preparation by providing accurate information to create a realistic view of what was awaiting them in the Promised Land. After arriving in Israel, Nefesh B'Nefesh “offered more help than we could even take advantage of,” Gavi said with a smile.
Employment
In the States, Gavi was a consultant with non-profit organizations and his wife worked as a teacher. In Israel, his wife easily found a job as an English teacher and Gavi started looking for a job only two months ago after helping the kids settle in. He goes for regular interviews and feels confident that he will find a job soon.
Children’s education
Gavi said that a major motivator for moving to Israel was the children’s education. It was important for him and his wife to give their children a good Jewish education, so they enrolled them in an expensive Jewish day school in Denver. In Israel, they feel, their children get a good Jewish education almost for free.
Housing
Gavi feels happy with choosing Eshchar as their new home in Israel. Though they had never visited the house or neighborhood before making Aliya, as they took their first steps into their new home, neighbors were welcoming them with food and help, and children from the neighborhood came to play with their children. Although they are not a religious family, the Hanssens feel very comfortable in a mixed place where religious families live next to secular ones, where mixed couples (religious and secular) are accepted and where nobody judges you for the way you live your life.
Hebrew
Gavi’s wife spent a year at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem during her college years, so her Hebrew was already very good; and she only needed some high-level Hebrew lessons with eTeacher to sharpen up her language before arrival. Gavi also studied Hebrew before and took online classes before and after making Aliya. He felt that his online teacher, Nili Gross, helped him not only with the language, but also with Israeli culture and perspective. Although Olim Chadashim are entitled to a free Ulpan (intensive Hebrew courses), Gavi decided instead to continue his studies online with his outstanding teacher, Nili. The most important thing, beyond the lessons, is speaking Hebrew everywhere: at the bank, the store, at his children’s school, in the street – not feeling embarrassed about mistakes, simply speaking Hebrew.
Children’s adjustment
Gavi has found that the adjustment is easier for his kids the younger they are. His four-year-old daughter already speaks Hebrew that she acquired in her preschool. His older boys have friends and participate in lots of after-school activities. They seem to be happy and well adjusted. Sometimes they do dream about their familiar environment back in Denver and sometimes they miss skiing, but overall, they don’t have many problems.
Gavi says that he sometimes experiences unique communication problems with his children when he tries to help them with homework. The children learn new terms in school in Hebrew and when he tries to help them, he finds that he lacks the words in Hebrew, while the kids lack the words in English.
Revelation
When asked about his greatest revelation about living in Israel, Gavi thought for a moment and said, “It’s a normal life in here. People think that living in the Holy land, surrounded by Jewish people is very special, but people here go around their business and have the same concerns that people all over the world have - mortgage, job, etc. I don’t worry about bombs here, but about rent, education, about normal things.”
Overall experience
Although it was probably easier to stay in their familiar environment in the USA, Gavi and his wife feel that their Aliya gave the family “opportunity for huge emotional and spiritual growth.”
Gavi sees Aliya from English-speaking counties as unique because their choice to live in Israel did not come from a need the way it does for others who may not be able to live freely as Jews in their countries of origin.
“I look from the back of my house at the Mediterranean Sea and I feel that I am part of history, I am part of Israel, and I am happy to be here. We are committed and we’re gonna make it!”
Gabriel: Dreaming of Jerusalem
Advertising consultant Gabriel Guzovsky, 29, now of Rehovot, was your typical Jewish kid in Sao Paulo, Brazil; he went to a Jewish day school, studied mandatory Hebrew and Jewish studies, joined a Zionist youth movement (Habonim Dror) and spent the year after he finished high school on a movement program. For Gabriel, coming to live in Israel was simply a matter of hagshma atzmit – personal fulfillment.
Gabriel made aliya in 2006. Since childhood he had studied at a Jewish school and was always looking towards Israel, especially Jerusalem. When he was a teenager he joined a Zionist movement where he was active for several years, being educated and then educating younger kids about Israel. In 2003 he lived in Israel for a year and fell in love with the country, especially after spending six months on a Kibbutz in the Negev desert.
Perceiving Israel
At first Gabriel had quite an idealized impression of Israel, most likely from school but also probably from having lived on Kibbutz. He perceives the kibbutz as a great societal model for a young, fledgling country. “There's still much to be improved in our society nowadays, but overall I'm proud to be here and happy to be a part of forming history here in our Jewish country.”
Language
Gabriel studied Hebrew at school and came to Israel with a formal basis. Although he never spoke much Hebrew before, it was quite easy for him to adapt to the language and to speak Hebrew daily. Gabriel states that he loves the Hebrew language with all his heart. He refers to a song that he identifies with regarding Hebrew. The Song name is: " אֵין לִי אֶרֶץ אַחֶרֶת " (I have no other land) by Ehud Manor, which includes the following sentence:
רַק מִלָּה בְּעִבְרִית חוֹדֶרֶת
אֶל עוֹרְקַי, אֶל נִשְׁמָתִי
Only a word in Hebrew penetrates
Into my veins, into my soul
Love
When asked what keeps him in Israel, Gabriel replied passionately: “Love, above all, love. Love for our Jewish heritage, for our language and also for my wife, who I met here. The fact that we have shared this whole immigration experience together makes it even more special and close to my heart.”
| 
