KUMMUNIQUE

Shalom! We are proud to present another issue of Kummunique.
This issue is filled with Aliyah and Eretz Yisrael inspiration - so enjoy!

In this issue you will find:

1. "Are You Keeping Your Options Open?" By Pinchas Orbach
2. "Dreaming Of Nine To Five" by Tamar Wisemon
3. "Aliyah 2006: Here They Come!"
4. "Arrivals: From Worcester, Mass. to Jerusalem" by Helga Abraham

Check it out at THE KUMMUNIQUE HOME

***ANNOUNCEMENT - ON BOARD WITH NBN AUDIO***
Malkah and I had the great pleasure of accompanying the July 5th Nefesh B'Nefesh Aliyah flight out of JFK. We were able to catch some amazing audio on the flight with so many people: Olim young and old, officials, NBN staff, and flight attendants all poured their heart out about Aliyah. Our four hours cover the whole flight from luggage check-in at JFK to the conveyor belt in Ben Gurion. I believe that these sounds are inspirational and I hope you will take the time to hear the wonderful voices of Aliyah.

I have provided the links to all the hours below, and the show is also posted prominently on ISRAEL NATIONAL RADIO

To hear Hour One click here
To download Hour One click here

To hear Hour Two click here
To download Hour Two click here

To hear Hour Three click here
To download Hour Three click here

To hear Hour Four click here
To download Hour Four click here

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1. "Are You Keeping Your Options Open?" By Pinchas Orbach

Today marks the one year anniversary of my Aliyah, my move to Israel. On this date exactly one year ago I stepped on a plane at JFK airport. It was an event that would dramatically alter the course my life forever. After many years – yes, years - of research I knew all too well what I was getting myself into. I knew about all the hitches and challenges, about all the drawbacks and snags, and about all the shortcomings and hardships involved in completely changing my life. And I also know they were all more than worth it for so many reasons!

And the one I have always considered to be the single most important reason is actually quite simple. I don't want to raise a family in Chutz L'aretz (outside our Homeland). For thousands of years we literally had no choice. Now we do. Honestly, there was not a single obstacle preventing me from making Aliyah. Excuses? Oh, there were plenty of excuses! We hear about those everyday. And I'm sure I could have tried to clear my conscience by picking and choosing from any one of those like so many of my friends are doing today.

Now this piece is not about reasons for making Aliyah. Nor it is about obstacles and excuses preventing so many of our fellow Jews from coming Home. Indeed I have already written about all of that many times in the past. Instead I write of a phenomenon I have witnessed before I came, and something still occurring today and more than ever before.

Three years ago I founded a little endeavor called Project SingOlim. Our mission statement declares: "The goal of Project SingOlim is to prove that there is NO NEED to 'compromise' on either Aliyah or on getting married. Whether you have a pioneer spirit or would prefer to share this common goal with someone special, Aliyah can be the most powerful experience in the world!" I found this project to be necessary because all too often I would hear people say things like "well, she's willing to make Aliyah." Or "she'd love to live in Israel, but you know, she has to keep her options open." Aliyah is reduced to a mere preference or worse – a compromise!

Making Aliyah is not like moving from Flatbush to Teaneck. It's a different country, with a different language and a different culture. It is something that has to be done very carefully to do it right. And it is something that has to be done unconditionally. If you decide Aliyah is for you – and I believe it is right for all Jews - you have to hold your breath and just do it. That does not mean do it blindly. Indeed there is plenty of homework you can do to prepare responsibly and no shortage of people to help you make your Aliyah a success. But you do have to set your mind on the goal.

I know so many people that are still shidduch dating in New York because they feel Aliyah will "hurt their chances." With that mindset one may never realize the goal of making Aliyah. Besides there is no shortage at all of single olim and not to mention English speaking Israelis to date here in Israel. (And by the way there are also Hebrew speaking Israelis.)

Personally I was a bit surprised because not only have I been getting just as many or more dates than I did in New York but I'm having better dates. I am meeting more and more like minded people that are just as committed to Aliyah and living in Israel as I am, since after all, they also "took the plunge" and did not let any excuses get in their way.

So if you are still hesitating to make Aliyah for some reason or another please ask yourself one simple question.

Are you keeping your options open or are you keeping your dreams closed?

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2. "Dreaming Of Nine To Five" by Tamar Wisemon
From Jerusalem Post

At 25, Chevy Weiss had parlayed over a decade of youthful political activism into a successful career as an independent political consultant in Washington, DC. With numerous Republican connections and her PhD in political science nearly complete, Weiss says moving to Israel was not on her agenda.

"I was born [in Israel] but my parents moved back to the US when I was two," she says. "I wasn't interested in moving back." But during a visit to Russia, Weiss met "a great guy living in Israel," eventually giving up a great career and friends to hop on a plane to Israel. Though she has continued to work long-distance for some of her American political clients, Weiss had to begin in Israel at entry level.

"You have to be willing to begin at the bottom and take baby steps," she says. "Israel is a hard place to work and you really have to learn your way around. That's what it takes to make it here, and I was very determined to be successful."

Today, many of Weiss' former employers have become her clients at Global Visions Israel, the public relations company she founded in 1998 near her home in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Current clients include the International Council of Jewish Women and Yeshiva University in Israel.

"I saw there was a huge need for a company like mine," Weiss says. Her company has thrived, she says, bringing "modern US PR strategy to Israel."

Weiss' hard work and professional patience appear to have worked. "We started as a one-person office and I now have eight employees," she says. "Our client list is growing and we have earned ourselves a good reputation; people have approached us to open additional offices in Tel Aviv.

"Our US clients come to us because we charge less for the same high quality; the Israelis come because we are familiar with foreign audiences. We don't pretend to be in the US. Our clients call us, we call them back and [then] have conference calls. [We] manage the rest through e-mail."

Despite her success in Israel, however, Weiss is still wistful about leaving Washington.

"The US political arena is more exciting - people making a change for the world and influencing it," she says. But, she adds, "What I do here is not remarkably different. I took my skills and channeled them into a different environment - public relations - which incorporates political, educational, business and non-profit institutions. Much of my political work involved researching public issues and planning campaign strategy, understanding the environment in which I was working and communicating, and that's the stuff I use here."

Weiss says she thinks many entrepreneurs born outside Israel make the mistake of moving too aggressively or giving up when trying to find a job. In Israel, she says, flexibility is key.

Danielle Slasky, director of employment at Nefesh B'Nefesh, an organization helping Jews from North America make aliya, claims the majority of Nefesh B'Nefesh immigrants have found work in Israel and only a handful have needed to formally retrain. Most of those who came with careers have stayed within their field, she says, though many have switched to new areas within that industry. She cites as examples computer programmers who became technical writers, journalists who entered other writing fields and scientists who have become patent writers.

"Very few people totally change their career," says Slasky. "We always want people to have realistic expectations. Some do have to take a step back, though many stay on the same level."

Leemor Machnai, Chief Executive Officer of Machnai, Weiss & Partners, an international executive search company based in Tel Aviv, says, "English is definitely relevant for 99% of the positions I work on... Hebrew is an advantage but it is not essential.

"I sometimes have very senior positions for which very few people in Israel have the requisite experience," Machnai admits, "we may even bring over talent from outside Israel if that particular talent is not here."

Because she looks for professionals who've worked for multi-national companies, Machnai considers corporate experience in the US very valuable. But she says of olim, "If they had a very unique niche position in a large company, here they may find themselves doing that position in addition to two or three other positions, because the companies are not as large."

Machnai's other advice: "Network, network and network. Try to focus on what you want to do and what type of skills you have to achieve such a job. Try to find friends, or friends of friends connected to that kind of industry. It is really hard to find jobs just through the regular channels."

AT WEISS'S public relations firm, the office manager, Ruth Wellins, graduated with a degree in psychology and the intention to become an industrial psychologist. But a pilot trip to Israel with Tehilla, the religious aliya organization, convinced her to take what she considers a more pragmatic approach.

"I spoke with many psychologists, and they all said that without good Hebrew and insight into Israeli society, I wouldn't be able to find a job in my profession," Wellins recalls. "So upon my return to Manchester, I studied for a certificate in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)."

That plan also turned out to have its shortcomings. While Wellins's husband, a former computer programmer at Intel UK, successfully transferred to Intel in Israel, Ruth juggled a variety of English teaching jobs until the couple moved to Ramat Bet Shemesh, home to a high proportion of English-speaking olim, and Wellins's English teaching skills lost much of their value. Searching for an alternative, she landed her administrative position at Global Visions Israel.

She calls the job "the perfect match - part-time, close to home, close to my children's schools and intellectually challenging."

Another immigrant who adapted her skills is Sarah Bronson, who made aliya with Nefesh B'Nefesh in July 2003, arriving in Israel with a Masters degree in journalism and freelancing experience at, among others, New York's Observer, The Jewish Week, Hadassah Magazine and the London Jewish Chronicle. Bronson hit the deck running.

"I started working as soon as I had my Internet connection and got back in touch with my previous clients," Bronson says. "One of the problems was that my Jewish media clients already had correspondents in Jerusalem, and there isn't as much room to break in."

Somewhat paradoxically, Bronson's move to Israel led her to focus on non-Israel-related topics, especially for women's magazines.

"I can do all the research on the phone and through the Internet, and it makes absolutely no difference where I live as long as I'm willing to stay up late enough at night to make my phone calls. The world is my office," Bronson says.

One of her key tools, she says, is a Packet8 telephone with a US telephone number. Unlike Weiss, who says she dislikes the sound quality of VOIP communication, Bronson points out the advantages of having a US phone number.

"The chances of a client or interviewee returning my call increase 10-fold if they can dial within the US," she explains.

Like Weiss, Bronson says most of her editors are aware of her location, and sometimes find it useful. "Figure magazine once had a feature on dating mores around the world and assigned me the Israel section," she says. Though working for overseas publications, Bronson is careful her payments are processed though Yiul Sachir, a service that converts her receipts to shekels and pays her national insurance, health fund and other taxes.

"The job market has not improved much over the past three years," says Chaim Fox-Emmett, the founder and CEO of job search firm ISRAEMPLOY. "There may be more jobs in some industries, but many people are not in the jobs of their choice."

An ISRAEMPLOY survey last year of 450 respondents found that most respondents are merely satisfied but not thrilled with their jobs. However, Fox-Emmett says, the survey showed that very few of them would be prepared to relocate within Israel for a better position - a finding he considers odd.

"If people can stay in their profession, obviously that is the best choice. But in the main, the majority are not fortunate enough to get what they trained for. When people first come, they are often not realistic enough to look beyond their first profession. When they do look further afield, some discover they are happier and have more satisfaction from their second profession," Fox-Emmett says.

The exceptions, he says, are licensed professionals - accountants, dentists and doctors, 95 percent of whom find work in their profession, though most of these require bilingual ability and a limited amount of study in Israel to qualify. The legal profession, on the other hand, already has too many people competing for positions here.

Fox-Emmett founded ISRAEMPLOY from his Ramat Bet Shemesh home in November 2002, when he was himself an unemployed new immigrant from London with a background in human resources. He created an e-mail list of job opportunities and related information for English-speakers, then watched the number of subscribers snowball.

In 2004, Fox-Emmett was awarded the first Venture Network Israel Social Entrepreneur Fellowship (ISEP) in a partnership with the New Israel Fund (NIF). This gave him the equivalent of a full-time stipend for two years, as well as the mentoring and connections needed to develop his list into the brand name it has become today.

With over 15,000 subscriptions, ISRAEMPLOY outgrew the mailing list and launched an interactive website in March that has attracted 40,000 unique hits and over 400,000 page views in its first eight weeks. Around 15 people join ISRAEMPLOY per day - but those who find jobs often unsubscribe from the service, a number he estimates to be about five people per day.

According to Fox-Emmett, the jobs most in demand today are in technical writing, software engineering and general administrative work.
"There are many Anglos who teach for private schools," he adds, "but the regular teaching profession in this country is not a desirous profession - teachers suffer from low pay [and] are subject to violence, and classroom management is an absolute nightmare."

One reason Fox-Emmett gives for the popularity of technical writing is that it can be done by English-speakers from many different work backgrounds. A Web group for technical writers, Techshoret, has around 1,300 members, all of whom are Anglos.

Because of the relative absence of ageism in technical writing, many of the applicants for writing positions are women.

"There are a lot of very intelligent women who stopped their careers to have families, and [they] see this as an ideal job to be retrained into," explains Lynn Kolber, co-founder and general manager of OnTarget, a documentation service for high tech companies. "One of our interns is in her 50s, we placed someone over 60 at Amdocs the other day. [The] oldest writer I know in the profession is 77." Kolber says technical writing is a great profession because it pays relatively well - a serious consideration when one recalls that many of the English-speaking immigrants who leave Israel do so due to financial difficulties.

Kolber made aliya from South Africa eight years ago, selling a successful training business that had six branches nationwide.

"I finished ulpan, was building a cottage [in Hod Hasharon] and saw lots of Anglos in technical writing. I had written courseware for my business and got a job on contract for Docustar," she explains. "After two years I decided to start my own business, together with a South African accountant I met here who began technical writing in his 50s."

Applicants for OnTarget's four-month internship program are carefully screened for the ability to write logically and fluently, and for persistence. The profession is not for every English speaker, Kolber warns, adding that "if you don't have the basic ability and attitude, it can be lethal." Of 25 applicants for the last internship, only eight were accepted, including a social worker, a real estate agent, a bookkeeper and a special needs teacher.

While the average technical writer doesn't need a technical background, he or she does need a lifelong aptitude for learning. A good command of Hebrew is not mandatory but provides a distinct advantage. Technical writing salaries range from between NIS 10,000 and 25,000 a month, making the profession very attractive for new olim.

LAURIE HELLER considers herself an exception to the aliya rule, having moved to Jerusalem 13 years ago after transferring her position as director of the Legacy Fund at the UJA-Federation of New York to the organization's Israel Office.

"I initiated the transfer," says Heller, "coming on a three-year trial. After six years in the Israel office it was time to move on." With 12 years of experience allocating over one hundred million dollars in Israel, Heller founded Laurie Heller Associates, which provides local non-profit organizations with fundraising, development and grant writing services from a funder's perspective.

"If I had stayed in the US, I would probably have remained in the Federation world and not gone to the other side of the table," says Heller. "I brought my experience as a funder to help organizations to obtain a grant, but I also had to learn new skills. I hadn't overseen grant writing before."

Heller employs four full-time and five part-time staff, but admits her writers need a grasp of Hebrew to connect with clients and work with documents. Nonetheless, she does hire new olim.

"Last year I hired someone from Nefesh B'Nefesh who had been here for four days," Heller says. "We have had lawyers, social workers, teachers. I don't look at the history of the person, other than ascertaining that they are reliable and stable."

While she realizes that money is a concern to new immigrants, Heller points out that olim don't move to Israel to get rich quick.

"Most people want to make a difference," she says. "Most days I feel very blessed with my work. My staff get a sense of gratification working with non-profits who are doing good things here."

Perhaps the best-known employer of Anglo immigrants today is Jerusalem-based IDT, an outsourcing center that offers English speakers the opportunity to continue working in their native language, albeit often during US business hours. One of IDT's first employees, Yoel Bender, 29, came to Israel from St. Louis four years ago to join the rest of his family, which had previously made aliya. Before his move, Bender was working in industrial graphic design for a shoe company.

"In the States, everyone warned me that I wouldn't be able to find a job here in my field... It was right after the high tech crash and I was a little concerned, but I stayed optimistic," he recalls.

Bender began an ulpan program but dropped out when he was accepted in the second intake of IDT's call-center staff.

"I started at the very birth of the company, before there were any graphic opportunities... it wasn't easy to find a job and so I did what was available. The [call center's nighttime] hours were hard, and of course I felt the lack and continued to look for other jobs and opportunities in my field," he says. "After a year the company began to expand into other professional services, and one was graphic design."

In the right place at the right time, Bender was asked to do some temporary graphics work for a client, which led to his position today as IDT's Creative Director. He's now responsible for graphic production and managing an in-house staff of five designers and two project managers.

"Career-wise, I am absolutely satisfied," he says. "I couldn't have asked for more." Plus, his department works regular Israeli business hours.

"As a general rule, not everybody here ends up doing what they were trained to do. That is the reality," he admits, and advises potential olim to make sure their CVs are up-to-date and that they have the required skills for their intended profession. "There is a high level of graphic design in the States, and I felt that with my skills I could make a difference in the industry here. I still don't see that as being out of reach."

"I would never discourage a person from making aliya based on their career," he continues. "If they are capable and have determination, they can come, succeed and create their place here."

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3. "Aliyah 2006: Here They Come!"
From YNET

Ten special flights of new immigrants to land in Israel this summer from North America, France and Great Britain. For the first time in decades - 650 new immigrants from France to arrive in one day.

This summer, 2,000 new immigrants from North America, France and Great Britain will arrive in Israel on ten special flights sponsored by the Jewish Agency, in conjunction with two organizations specializing in immigration and absorption assistance: North America-based group "Nefesh B'Nefesh" and France-based group AMI (Aliyah Meilleur Integration).

According to Jewish Agency estimates, 24,000 people, from countries all over the world, will immigrate to Israel in the course of the year 2006, up from the 22,657 people who made aliyah in 2005.

During the summer months, six El Al flights will land in Israel carrying 1,500 new immigrants from North America. By the end of the year, it is estimated that there will be a total of 3,400 new immigrants from North America, up from 2,987 in 2005.

In parallel, three special ISRAIR flights - two from Paris and one from Marseille - will land in Israel on July 25th, bringing 650 new immigrants from France. This is the first time in decades that such a large number of French immigrants has arrived in one day. There are expected to be 3,500 new immigrants from France this year, as opposed to 3005 in 2005.

Also this summer, for the first time, there will be a special El Al flight from Great Britain bringing 100 new immigrants. Since the beginning of the year, there has been a marked rise in immigration from Great Britain. By the end of May, the number of new immigrants from Britain was 219, up from 134 over the same period last year. By the end of the year 2006, 500 British immigrants are expected to have arrived in Israel.

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4. "Arrivals: From Worcester, Mass. to Jerusalem" by Helga Abraham
From Jerusalem Post

Although Itamar Ben Harav, 27, was born and educated in the US, it was the formative years he spent as a child on a kibbutz in Israel which left the deepest imprint.

"Those years formed my connection to Israel," affirms this amiable, highly committed Zionist. "I was only a child but when we returned to the US, I identified myself as an Israeli and was always determined to come back."

FAMILY HISTORY
Ben Harav's connections to Israel go much deeper than early childhood memories. Indeed, his family history is a colorful microcosm of Israeli history, covering pioneering settlement, the War of Independence and the birth of the Jewish state.

Ben Harav's maternal great grandfather left a wealthy living as a textile merchant in Iraq to come and live in Jerusalem, with all its hardships.

"My grandmother Yehudit, who was born in the Old City, tells me that the family was so poor they would boil up pots of water before Shabbat so the neighbors would not suspect they had no food," says Ben Harav. "And she still shudders as she recalls the riots of 1936, when the Arabs streamed out of the mosques brandishing swords and shouting "itbah el yahud, itbah el yahud" (death to the Jews)."

With the outbreak of the War of Independence, Yehudit joined the Palmah as a paramedic and met a Holocaust survivor from Poland. The two married and went off to build the settlement of Kfar Truman. The American connection entered the family jigsaw when their daughter, Ilana, Ben Harav's mother, met and married Arieh, a young American who had made aliya at 18 and joined the IDF. The family lived alternately in the US and on Kibbutz Tel Katzir in the Jordan Valley before settling permanently in Worcester.

BEFORE ARRIVAL
In Worcester, Ben Harav grew up with his three siblings in a mainly secular environment.

"My father made Friday night Kiddush, but we were not really associated with any synagogue. I attended regular high school and it was by pure chance that I went on to study at Yeshiva University."

Ben Harav studied economics and political science, and while inspired by the students and staff of Yeshiva University, he still remained secular.

"The process of becoming religious was very slow for me," admits Ben Harav. "It spread over many years and only really crystallized when I came to Israel."

As soon as he graduated from college in 2003, Ben Harav made aliya and volunteered for a special unit in the IDF.

UPON ARRIVAL
Ben Harav served in the army for two years.

"It was pretty frightening," he recalls. "We had to go into Arab areas in the middle of the night. I was 25, but the soldiers with me were just 18 and 19-year-old kids... they were incredibly brave and cool."

Ben Harav's absorption, he says, was facilitated by his army experience.

"The army gave me a base. I made friends and very quickly felt part of Israeli society. I also understand it better as a result," he says. After completing his service six months ago, Ben Harav decided to settle in Jerusalem and establish himself as a wedding photographer, a trade that runs in the family.

"My grandfather, mother and father are all professional photographers and as kids, we grew up helping out in the photography business." Ben Harav also works on a construction project in Nokdim and is studying graphic design.

ROUTINE
Ben Harav gets up at 5:45 a.m. to travel to Nokdim and returns in the evening. He then works from 7:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. developing his photographic business. On Shabbat, he rests.

"I wouldn't be able to function without Shabbat," he says.

LIVING ENVIRONMENT
Ben Harav shares an apartment in Katamonim with two American friends, Arieh, who runs an organization to spread the Torah to non-Jews, and Arieh Dan, who is researching bio-fuel techniques.

CIRCLE
Like his flatmates, Ben Harav's friends are mainly American religious immigrants who are in one way or another involved in pioneering enterprises. Ben Harav describes his friends as "amazing visionaries" whom he would not exchange for the likes of Brad Pitt or George Bush. The focus, however, of his circle is his fiance'e, Debbie, whom he met while in the army.

"She's a wonderful girl who comes from a religious family and we hope to marry sometime next year," he says.

FAITH
Ben Harav is an observant Jew who loves to synagogue hop and discover new traditions.

"I come from a family of rabbis on both sides. I used to be into Hassidut but I feel very connected to the Lithuanian tradition and I also like the Sephardi way of life. I am lucky to be descended from so many parts of Am Yisrael - I can relate to nearly everyone."

IDENTIFICATION
"My essential identification is as a Jew. I think Israel is the future of the Jewish people. If you want any chance of having a normal Jewish family life, of your kids being Jewish and loving their identity, you have to live in Israel. People say Chabad is the fastest growing Jewish organization in the world, but I say Israel is the fastest growing Jewish organization in the world, and we must make it work. However, to do so, we need to come to terms with the fact that we are Jews living in the Land of Israel - not just Israelis."

LANGUAGE
Ben Harav is fluent in Hebrew but speaks mainly English and is unapologetic about it.

"I don't see this as a sign of not being integrated," he says. "My friends are mostly American, but I don't keep an American lifestyle. The only American thing in my lifestyle is the language. I like speaking English but I also lapse into Hebrew when I want to say something important, because Hebrew is, after all, the language of the prophets, the language of truth and the language of the blueprint of the world."

FINANCES
With several jobs in hand, Ben Harav manages to make a living.

"People say it's hard to make it in Israel but I enjoy working here," he says. "In the US, everything is about immediate success, but I think it is also important to build and I am confident I can make it work here."

PLANS
Ben Harav and his fiance'e plan to settle in Jerusalem.

"I lived in Boston and in Manhattan, but Jerusalem is the most extraordinary city in the world. It's God's city, after all, and there is a palpable electricity here." But Ben Harav also nurtures another dream in his heart - to go out and settle the Land of Israel.

"My dream is to be a redneck and live in a caravan," he laughs, "but we shall have to see what the missus says!"