Updated: 2019-5-20

  Oleg Lazhechnikov

69

I understand perfectly that all the pros and cons are subjective. Therefore, here is my point of view on these issues, after a year and a half of living in Israel. I tried from the very beginning, as soon as I arrived, to write down everything good and bad, since the most vivid impressions are in contrast with the previous place of residence (Moscow). And after he supplemented his posts during the course of his stay.

Food

I love tomatoes. In Moscow, it’s hard to buy tasteful tomatoes, even cherry tomatoes, in ordinary supermarkets (we don’t consider the alphabet of taste) in winter. You must always go to the market. So in Haifa, in the supermarket nearest to me, Cherry tomatoes have a normal taste and cost 7 shekels per pack (131 rubles).

I like cheese more or less here. You know, I’m not so much a cheese fan, but after the sanctions in Moscow, cheese wasn’t very good. I don’t argue, somewhere in the farmers' markets or special places in Moscow, maybe there are normal cheeses, but in the usual regional supermarkets near the house, and in the same Auchan, they disappeared for me. Immediately in Haifa, I can again buy cheese in an ordinary supermarket 100 meters from the house, without doing any searches.

In Israel, there are Russian stores with Russian products. Right here with those that are sold in Russia. The price tag is not Russian, but by Israeli standards they cost about the same as Israeli ones.

Housing with a view

Warm climate

Climate. He is peculiar and amateur, yes. But for some reason I was struck by the phrase that in Israel 9 months of hellish heat. However, this is not at all true. It can be cold here. Although it all depends on the specific city, of course, and your personal perception of what is hot / cold.

Judging by the temperature graphs and my experience of two winters, it is specifically hot in Haifa only from May to October (5 months), and very hot only in August and around it, when the thermometer often keeps above 30 degrees. That is, you must understand that in Haifa there is a whole six months from November to April, when you can completely relax from the heat / heat.

In the winter months, the main problem is not the climate, but the fact that there is no central heating. It’s a common thing to turn on the air conditioner in the heating mode (but it’s expensive for many), walk in warm clothes, sleep on electric sheets. But back to the point about housing, if you have normal windows, a good house, you do not save on heating with air conditioning, then winter will be tolerated normally. Just the whole question is money.

Do not forget that in Israel there is a sea, this is also a plus!

Public toilets

It seems to me that in Russia, even in Moscow, there is a whole problem with public toilets. Here they are, you know where? In supermarkets and banks. Also, banks still have coolers with some water. So, when Yegor and I went to the security guard in the store to ask about the toilet, he did not even immediately understand the question, apparently in his picture of the world it doesn’t happen that there is no toilet in the supermarket. And he is not very filthy, if that, but quite normal (although it depends on the store).

Also, toilets were found on the beach, in institutions, in clinics, on the street. Toilets are all free.

Sidewalks and ramps

In principle, after Russia you will not notice anything special, there are sidewalks everywhere too, but after Thailand (after all, my blog about Thailand), here it’s really very cool. In Thailand, the whole problem is that you can walk somewhere along the street with an ordinary baby stroller, not to mention a wheelchair, and it’s better not to walk on foot without a stroller. Here in Haifa, everything is about the same as in Russia, plus or minus. There are various ramps for prams, you can go to almost any store without problems, as there are no thresholds, and often in large stores there are elevators if the store is two-story.

Each bus has a place under the stroller, where you can put it and fasten it with a belt. Further more. When entering the bus, you can ask him to go down and he drops almost to the ground (apparently, air suspension). And in order for a disabled person to call in a wheelchair, a special bridge is thrown onto the sidewalk. Something similar was remembered in Poland when I lived there.

Russian language everywhere

Almost everywhere you can meet someone who speaks Russian or in English. I mean, the authorities are different or the same shops. At first, it is more than enough to know English at a primitive level, because if a person does not speak Russian, then most likely he will speak English.

Also, in some call centers (for example, Hot Internet provider, Maccabi health insurance fund, Hapoalim bank) they also speak Russian. Of course, not every employee speaks, and you will not get it right away, but they are.

In some instances, the main plates (operating hours, floor layout, etc.) may be indicated in Russian. On the streets there are Russian signs.

People help

I was scared that they looked down on new repatriates, did not want to help them, and almost trolled. Like, it was difficult for us, and you too should slurp the shit. But the reality was completely different, almost every day I meet amazing participation. People are really trying to help, someone in a word, someone a deed. And more often it is a matter. Absolutely strangers! And everyone polls congratulations on the move when they find out that you just arrived.

For example, I asked a question on Facebook in the Haifa group regarding housing, and several people wrote me in a personal email with specific advice, left their phones so that I could call and ask everything about paperwork, contracts, etc. A couple of people offered to directly take and translate the lease from Hebrew into Russian and explain all the points. This is the work of a lawyer, for a minute, which costs money, and the person did in the end it is free.

Another person gave a tour of the area, spending his time on a day off. The landlady of the daily apartment helped to carry our suitcases to the second floor and then offered help in finding housing and generally tried her best to help. The third person helped to transport suitcases from one apartment to another, transported to the store so that you can buy the most basic. A fourth person helped fill out Hebrew medicine forms.

Community and homeland

There is another plus that I know from the words of other people. If you are a Jew, practicing the Jewish religion, then you can be in Israel, as at ease, to feel community with other people with whom you basically have common roots, a common worldview and religion. This is probably why, for some Jews, Israel is their homeland.

Since I am not a Jew, and my ex-wife had roots, for me it was rather a minus, since I am very far from the Israeli mentality, religion, etc.

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  Oleg Lazhechnikov

Hello everyone, my dear viewers. I am very glad to see you on my channel. Now we have just had the rain. Everything is damp, everything is wet. I love this feeling after the rain: this dampness, this smell after the rain, so I decided to go outside, take a walk with the baby and chat with you at the same time. And today I wanted to tell you about the pros and cons that I personally see for myself in Israel, that is, about the pros and cons in Israel that I see through the prism of my experience, through the prism of my outlook on life, through the prism of my preferences, and so on. Further. I identified for myself three pluses and three minuses. In fact, there are many more pluses than minuses, but in order to balance the video, so that everything was equally divided, I decided that I would tell you the three pluses that I see for myself in Israel, and three minuses. And let's start, probably, with the pros.

Pros of living in Israel

And the first plus that I see for myself in life in Israel is security. As I already said in one of my past videos, despite the fact that Israel is constantly in a state of war, once there are exacerbations, once there is a calmer period, but still, Israel is constantly in a state of war, and despite this is a very, very high level of security. Even if you compare with Russia, because I can not compare with other countries, because for my life I have lived only in Russia and in Israel. If you compare with Russia, according to my observations, again, I do not know all the statistics, maybe I'm wrong, but according to my observations, it’s much more likely to suffer from the hands of hooligans and criminals in Russia than to suffer from the hands of terrorists, criminals, hooligans, and all together in Israel. As I said, I'm absolutely not afraid to walk the dog at night. I always walk the dog before bedtime, and I go to bed very late. In fact, I’m absolutely not afraid to go out with a dog at 2 a.m. Children here walk through the streets until nightfall, and also, in general, are not afraid of anything. Of course, in Israel, as I think, in all countries of the world, even in the very most prosperous, there are areas where it is better not to meddle when it is dark, when it is night, and sometimes scary to snoop, in general, Israel is very very safe.

You know, in Israel I can’t imagine such a situation, girls, I think, they will understand me very well now. If walking in Russia by a group of some guys, men of some cattle type, especially if it’s twilight, it’s dark, then the soul goes to heels, and you just think: “If only we hadn’t touched, if only we hadn’t said anything, if only "did not whistle, did not poke, click on the track and so on, did not say any obscenities." The main thing is that if this happens, you can’t answer anything to them, because it can be even worse, just speed up your pace and run home rather and try to forget about this situation, and the situation is actually very unpleasant. In Israel, I can’t imagine such a situation that, passing by a group of some guys, men, they started whistling in the tracks for me, they started barking, clicking in the tracks for me, let alone talking some obscenity. You know, I have never encountered this in all my years of life in Israel. When I lived in Russia, I came across this all the time, moreover, it doesn’t matter how you look, how you are dressed, you are in high heels or in a short skirt, yes, or in sneakers, in jeans and a down jacket, that is, absolutely not important how you look. They can easily pester a girl in any form at all.

The next point is to some extent security, but security is at the level of human rights enforcement. Israel is a very legal state, and you can be sure that even if it doesn’t happen to you, you will always get what you are legally entitled to, starting from medical care and ending, I don’t know, opening your own business. That is, if you get sick, you go to the hospital and receive medical care at a very high level, and you don’t have to give someone on your paw so that you are better treated, that you are not rude, that you are treated with full responsibility, without negligence and so on. If you contact the police, you will not be dismissed, because the policeman is in a bad mood. You will receive a statement, and everything will be exactly the letter of the law. Of course, not everything is perfect, and there are exceptions, but in general, human rights in Israel are fulfilled, and the system works very well. You can be sure that you will receive everything that you are legally entitled to in Israel without any unnecessary gestures on your part, such as giving bribes.

The next thing that I would call Israel's plus is, let’s say, the mentality of the local population. I like that in Israel people are very uncomplexed, very simple, very open in communication. In fact, I do not consider myself to be representatives of such a mentality, because I am a more closed person, a more northern person, so to speak. But I really, really like open people, I really like people who are not shy about anything, can go up to a completely stranger and start a conversation that easily has other people with their openness, their simplicity. I really, really like these people. I also really like that people here are absolutely not confused by their appearance and the appearance of others. They don’t meet here by their clothes, as far as I can see, of course, maybe I'm wrong. Most people don't care what other people think about their appearance. And more people will not care what you look like: whether you went to the movies in home slippers or went for a walk in your pajamas with a dog. Absolutely all the same, no one will look askance, and no one will look at you as if you were crazy. In general, such openness, lack of complexes, simple Israelis I really, really like. And for myself, I consider this a plus.

Cons of living in Israel

Let's talk about the downsides now. Honestly, I can say that I sucked the cons out of my finger, because for myself I do not see any significant disadvantages in life. But here, probably, my character still plays a role. I attribute myself to those people who quickly get used to so many circumstances of life, and I do not pay attention to many things that for other people are very significant, very big flaws and so on. I try to philosophically relate to all the shortcomings, to all the negative factors of life. I believe that only man himself can build happiness, comfort and harmony around himself, and not the surrounding world, not the environment, not surrounding people, and so on and so forth. Therefore, I do not see significant shortcomings in life in Israel, as, in general, I have not seen significant shortcomings in life in Russia, for example. But still, I have identified three minuses that I see for myself in life in Israel, and let's begin.

And the first minus, for some it may seem like a mockery, but still for me it is still a minus of Israel, and I probably will never get used to this minus, but these are my personal phobias, these are my personal fears. I am very afraid of cockroaches, I can not stand them, they cause a wild disgust in me. While living in Russia, I was afraid of such tiny red-headed cockroaches, when I arrived here and realized that there are cockroaches of such a size here, they also fly, my soul left in heels. It was a shock to me, to be honest. I’m not really afraid of other insects, I don’t like them, they don’t cause me any positive emotions, but I’m not afraid of them, they don’t cause me any kind of superversion. I’m not afraid of mice, rats, I’m not afraid of frogs, snakes and so on - I’m not afraid of all these animals, but for me cockroaches are something, I don’t know, but it’s probably my kind of personal phobia. In fact, in Israel they are quite rare. I think they are thoroughly stained, exterminated somehow, but even when I see a dead cockroach, I bypass it, and when I see a living flying cockroach, honestly, I want to fall through the ground. So, for me, this is a big minus of this country, of course.

We are so robust in the rain. Here I found a tree under which I sat, through which the rain does not pass, I decided to wait a bit, because the rain is strong enough, and until we get to the house, we will all get wet. I hope that the rain calms down. And just with you, I’ll finish the topic, finally.

So, the second minus that I see for myself in life in Israel, this item should probably be attributed to the topic “What I miss in Israel”, and I don’t have enough snow in Israel. I really like snow, I really like frost. Yes, of course, in Israel there is snow. For example, last winter Jerusalem fell asleep in our country, there is snow in the north. But still this is not that, not that sensation. Here, when the snow falls, it melts right away, it is warm enough here, and the snow, in general, is not worth explaining, I think, because, I think, everything is clear. The feeling is completely different - snow in Russia and snow in Israel. But this, too, is not for me a huge minus, as if I live perfectly without snow, and I can naturally go to Russia and see this snow at any time, in the winter, to enjoy this snow. But still, I don’t have enough snow in Israel. I do not have enough frost and snow, such a good frost of 15 degrees, and when everything is littered with snow, when everything is white and white, everything glistens and the sun shines. Lacks.

Israel is a unique country in many ways. To begin with, the Jewish state arose 3 thousand years ago, after a thousand years it ceased to exist and again appeared on the world map only in the middle of the twentieth century. The oldest cities were built here, the origins of European culture and civilization are rooted in this land. And the old city (Jerusalem) in Jerusalem was, is and hopefully will remain a sacred place for three world religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. With such a history and rich spiritual heritage, Israel is a quite modern developed state with a rather high level of legal and social protection of the population. Given the prospects, many Russians see Israel as a possible place of residence in the future. However, in the field of immigration law, the uniqueness of the country again manifests itself, and not everyone can become a citizen.

Some statistics

According to official information from the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, more than a quarter of the country's population are immigrants. The percentage of visitors among able-bodied residents is even higher. According to statistics, since the foundation of Israel in 1948, more than three million Jews have immigrated to the country. At the same time, new citizens arrived in “waves”: 1948-1951, the second half of the 70s, the beginning of the 90s, when 400 thousand Jews repatriated to the country. And from the end of the 1980s to the present, the number of emigrants has exceeded 1.5 million people. Over the past 10 years, there has been an increase in emigration from industrialized countries such as Germany, the USA, Austria and Canada. At the same time, the number of immigrants arriving in Israel from the countries of the former USSR slightly decreased. As for emigration from the Russian Federation, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Absorption (Russian Federal Migration Service), approximately 300 thousand people left for Israel from 1990 to 2000, and over 200 thousand people left for the next decade. No official data has been published in recent years, but some analysts have noted a significant increase in emigration from Russia, including to Israel.

The figures given include all persons who have moved to the country. However, the immigration policy of Israel is such that the number of non-Jews in the total mass of new citizens is extremely small - less than 3%.

Israeli life

The basis of the welfare of the people of Israel was, firstly, the focus on research and development in all areas of the economy. Secondly, foreign investment, which amounts to more than 10 billion dollars a year, which is quite an impressive amount for a country with a population of 8 million. And thirdly, intensive high-productivity labor. The result was not long in coming: over 60 years of development, starting literally from scratch, Israel has come to the forefront in the world in many areas: science, education, medicine, agriculture, etc. The level of well-being of the population has accordingly grown. The most striking indicator of this is life expectancy. Currently, it is the highest in the world and is 78.9 years for men and 82.4 years for women. The state pays great attention to the development of the medical sector, which competes with recognized world leaders - the USA and Germany in the qualifications of the personnel employed in it and in the provision of the latest technology. Israel is also in the leading position in the field of education. He ranks second in the world (after the United States) in the number of university graduates per thousand population. And Israeli education diplomas are highly regarded and accepted without any additional confirmation.

In Israel, there are more than sixty universities and academic colleges, in which about 300 thousand students study.

Standard of living

Given the intensive development of the state of Israel, it is not difficult to find a well-paid occupation here.   The unemployment rate has long been stable in the region of 5%.  However, it should be borne in mind that the unemployed in the country are not due to a lack of work at all, but because they are looking for a more qualified and highly paid form of employment. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the average monthly income of workers in Israel at the end of 2015 reached 10,100 shekels (more than 2,500 US dollars). Given the level of prices in the country, it can be argued that the level of purchasing power is very high. For comparison, it was 50% higher than the purchasing power in the Russian Federation before the crisis of 2014-2015.

The purchasing power of the population is the amount of goods and services that the population is able to acquire in accordance with the money available to people.

Earnings average Israeli is enough to rent an apartment, abundant - and even more - food, daily expenses, purchase of own housing after about 10 years, as well as one or two trips to Europe or America a year. As in Russia, there is a minimum wage in Israel. But unlike the minimum wage of the Russian Federation, one can live worthily on this salary.

Youth and senior citizens

Let's talk about children and senior citizens. That is, about those whom we often call low-security layers of the population. Only for Israel is this definition least suitable. Social policy is structured in such a way that, on the one hand, it encourages as much work as possible, on the other hand, it does not encourage dependency. The more everyone works, the faster the whole country develops and riches, and returns to its citizens the taxes received in the form of good roads, free schools and kindergartens, medicine, various allowances, payments, etc. This, of course, is not an invention of the Israelis, but unlike many other countries, it works here!

Children in Israel are a national treasure.  And this is not a metaphor, but a legislatively fixed program of the government. Therefore, everything that a child needs, from basic necessities to education, can be obtained for free. Child mortality is very low, and by this indicator, Israel is one of the leaders in the world. The state directs enormous efforts on the physical and intellectual development of children. Each park or shopping center has well-equipped corners. On the streets of cities every 100-200 meters you will find playgrounds intended for children. It is unlikely that you will ever see fighting Israeli children. No, of course, there are skirmishes, there’s no way around this in any country in the world, but a conflicting couple will be immediately calmed down. And not adults, but the same children!

Young people begin to acquire a specialty at school. Then follows mandatory for all Israeli citizens, both male and female, service in the Defense Army. Men serve 3 years, women 2. Next, young people either go to work or continue their education. This can be done both in paid schools and in free ones. Moreover, the quality of education and the qualifications of the young specialist will be the same.

Young people in Israel have a tradition - after the army spend some time traveling around the world. This tradition is being tried by all, secular and religious, living in cities or kibbutzim. Naturally, as far as parents' wallets allow.

The retirement age in the country is 67 years for men, 62 years for women. All persons who have reached the appropriate age receive a pension, regardless of how and how much they worked before. Only the size of the pension for those who worked officially and paid all the required contributions will be significantly higher. However, the pension cannot be lower than the minimum established by law, which is quite sufficient for a secured old age. Therefore, often elderly people while away time in a cafe, talking with the same senior citizens. It is impossible not to mention the Israeli counterparts of Russian nursing homes. These are public or private institutions where many elderly people move of their own accord. And the attitude of society towards this is completely normal and adequate. The fact is that Israeli nursing homes are more like a four-star hotel with the appropriate service (care). And the old people in them are often better in a team of their own kind than to exist alone. But wherever an elderly person lives, in the case when it is difficult or impossible for him to take care of himself, the state attaches a nurse (guide), pays for its services. In addition, older people wear special bracelets, through which, if necessary, you can call an ambulance.

Woman in Israeli society

Many are interested in how women live in Israel. Let's just say this: no worse than men. Jews have always had a special relationship with women. From ancient times, it was they, and not men, who were carriers of the identity of the nation. And at present, in Israel, only one with a Jewish mother is considered to be Jewish by blood.  Therefore, the level of legal and social protection of women, and especially mothers, is very high. For example, any man who raises a hand against a woman is imprisoned without lengthy proceedings. It comes to the point that men begin to complain, being powerless against false accusations of dishonest friends. And more than once in the Knesset discussed the issue of eliminating the "excess" in the legislation in favor of women.

Despite the fact that the average salary of women in general is 10% lower than that of men, this does not mean any discrimination. Both women and men receive the same job for the same job. It's just that women in Israel are more likely to agree to less skilled, but also less profitable work, as they are more forced to be distracted by their families and children. However, the state fully compensates for the lower income with allowances and subsidies.

The Israeli police have over 30% of women. And in the patrol service there are even more of them than men. One and the police chiefs is a woman, Major General Inna Wolf. By the way, a native of the former USSR.

Russian emigrants in Israel

The word "Russian" in Israel and Russia means different things. In the Russian Federation, a Russian is a person whose parents, or in extreme cases his father, were Russian.   In Israel, Russian is a person of any nationality, including Jewish, who speaks Russian.  Therefore, when you hear or read that there are 2 million Russians in Israel, keep in mind that we are talking about Russian-speaking Jews. However, there are also ethnic Russians, whose number is more than 200 thousand people. These are the following categories:

1. Orthodox Christians who moved to the Holy Land before the revolution or immediately after it. Their descendants rarely speak Russian and are fully integrated into Israeli society.
2. Citizens of the Soviet Union of Russian nationality, professing Judaism. They first moved secretly to Palestine by communities, then, in the 80s of the last century, they already openly moved to Israel. Now they live mainly in kibbutzim.
3. Family members of Jewish repatriates.
4. Immigrants who have the right to work or citizenship are a very small group.
5. Persons illegally residing in the territory of the State of Israel.

Official statistics on these population groups are not available, but it follows from the report of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that Russian-speaking husbands and wives of repatriates make up about 7% of their total number, that is, about 35 thousand people. Another 6 thousand ethnic Russians acquired citizenship or the right to permanent residence in Israel. The data on illegal immigrants is contradictory - according to various sources their number is from 8 to 23 thousand. In 2011, the Eretz Yisrael Foundation conducted a study of the ethnic composition of immigrants and their age. The table shows only data relating to arrivals from the Russian Federation.

Table: age structure of migrants from the Russian Federation to Israel in 1990–2010

* data are given as a percentage

It can be seen from the above data that the average age of migrants arriving from Russia to Israel decreased mainly due to people of retirement age. At the same time, the percentage of children and youth has increased.

Where is better to live

It is hardly possible to give a definite answer to this question. It all depends on the migrant himself, his mentality, aspirations and, of course, financial opportunities. If a person coming to Israel has a firm intention to integrate into society, learn a language, officially work, etc., then by and large it does not matter where to settle. In this case, other factors will be decisive. For example, the cost of living. If the price of food, clothing and other necessary things in all stores in Israel is about the same, then the prices for similar housing in Jerusalem and a small town will differ several times. The location of the work is also important. Despite the fact that the infrastructure is well developed here, in recent years, traffic jams have appeared in large cities - Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa. Therefore, it is wise to choose a place of residence next to work. That is, in fact, the Israelis themselves who do not have a strong attachment to an apartment or house, as in Russia. The main thing for them is work!

The length of high-quality roads is about 20 thousand km. For a country whose dimensions are approximately 450 by 130 km, this is an outstanding result.

However, not all emigrants from Russia put in enough effort to study Hebrew. The reasons for this are different - both the reluctance to exert much effort and the lack of time. Yes, and everyone has different abilities. In this case, we recommend to purchase or rent housing in places where the concentration of the Russian-speaking population is maximum. We list the main ones:

1. Haifa.  It is a city in northern Israel, the third largest in the country after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The industrial capital of the country. He became the center of immigration of the 90s. Here you can find inexpensive housing, enough work.
2. Bat Yam.  The city is 10 minutes south of Tel Aviv. The population of 150 thousand people, of whom less than 84% of Jews, which for Israel is very small. Many immigrants from the countries of the former USSR live here, but also many refugees from Africa. It is believed that this is the most fun city in the country, where life is boiling around the clock on the Ben Gurion embankment. Bat Yam attracts with low real estate prices, as well as great job opportunities due to the proximity of industrial centers such as Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion and Holon.
3. For those who are close to the socialist idea, the kibbutz may turn out to be the best solution - a kind of commune in which, in short, everything is in common. There are hundreds of kibbutzim in Israel, among them there are Russian speakers.

Video: features of life in a kibbutz

Is there a Russian diaspora

It should be noted that the Russian diaspora in its classical sense does not exist in Israel. The fact is that the vast majority of immigrants are Jews, and the small number of ethnic Russians (Ukrainians, Belarusians, etc.) is clearly not enough to create any social institutions that support and develop their community and identity.

30 km from the capital of Israel, Jerusalem is the oldest city on Earth - Jericho. His age exceeds 10 thousand years.

Sabra and Goy

Sabra (Hebrew tzabar) - the indigenous people of Israel, those who were born on the promised land. This concept is often contrasted with another - goy, that is, not a Jew. Moreover, people of other nationalities, including Russians and ethnic Jews who do not observe religious rules, are not Jews. According to Israeli laws, all citizens of a state have equal rights regardless of ethnic origin. Other persons, legally residing in Israel, have the same rights, except for voting. But this is only in theory. In practice, non-Jews may encounter problems when applying for a job, when applying to government agencies and some others. The fact is that the country is very strongly influenced by religious groups - orthodox and ultra-orthodox, who are struggling to push through the Knesset the idea of \u200b\u200ba Jewish state. And if at the domestic level it is hardly possible to encounter a manifestation of nationalism, then in contacts with authorities it is quite likely.

What can be expected in the future? It all depends on which parties will have a majority in parliament. So, if 60 years ago there were 18 religious deputies in the Knesset, now there are already 40 of them. But this is not enough to pass laws that can significantly limit the rights of goyim. And it’s not a fact that even in the case of the victory of Orthodox in the parliamentary elections, such laws will appear soon. After all, it is known that the Palestinian issue has been resolved for almost 70 years, but without much success.

There is still no Constitution in Israel, although at every Knesset election, MPs promise voters to accept it. And each composition of parliament postpones this act, leaving it to the discretion of the following deputies.

First-Hand Information: Migrant Reviews

In order to more fully imagine what life is like in Israel, we offer you excerpts from the author’s conversations with three of our former compatriots. So, Vladimir, 52 years old, lives in Bat Yam:

I am Russian, and I was not going to go anywhere from Russia, but the child fell ill. Doctors advised a marine climate. Then the wife - she was Jewish - suggested temporarily moving to Israel, and after treatment, if she does not like the new life, return. We arrived in 1996, my son recovered a long time ago, served in the army, graduated from university, got married, gave birth to a granddaughter, and we still live here. I got citizenship a long time ago, my wife by aliyah (state repatriation program - author's comment), and I, as the husband of an Israeli citizen. I know Hebrew well, I can also read and write. My wife with a language is much worse, since she works in a hairdresser with Russian-speaking clients and simply does not have the necessary practice. I work as a forwarder. The salary of 20 thousand shekels for two is official, that is, with all taxes and insurance. We do not have our own apartment, but in Russia we bought as much as 3, we rent it out. I know Israel well, but I do not like traveling. For twenty years, three times I was in Jerusalem, a couple of times on the Dead Sea ... But every summer I go on vacation to Stavropol, where my relatives stayed. The wife at this time has a rest in Austria or Switzerland. After what happened to the dollar exchange rate in Russia last year (2013 - author's note), we are considering selling apartments and forgetting about returning to Russia.

Now Mark's tip, 26 years old, lives in Haifa:

My parents brought me to Israel 15 years ago. The family is purely Jewish, but not religious. He graduated from high school, served three years in the army, and received the profession of an aircraft technician. After that he left for Canada, where he rested and had fun and studied English for two years. Now I work at Ben Gurion Airport. The salary is good, 16 thousand shekels, but the work is very hard - you have to go out both at night and on Shabbat (Saturday, the day when Jews can’t work - author's comment). Yes, and travel far - about 100 kilometers. I’m thinking about working in Haifa, in the port. Salary, of course, is less, but more free time for training, because I want to get a specialty web designer. I’m not going to get married yet. Plans for life: I’ll work for three years, gain experience in programming and go to work in the USA or Canada. There are higher incomes.

Finally, Nathan, 64, has just purchased an apartment in Petah Tikva, an industrial suburb of Tel Aviv:

In Soviet times, he held a rather high position. But as soon as perestroika began and the gate was opened to exit the USSR, he immediately moved to Israel under the repatriation program. He learned the language while still in Moscow, in an ulpan (a Hebrew school - author's comment) at a synagogue. By profession - and I am a biologist - did not work. After serving in the army for several years, he was an international observer for the UN in hot spots. Then he organized a company and drove tourists to local attractions. Now I am privately engaged in medical tourism. I work from eight in the morning, and even earlier, and until nine in the evening. The income is up to 4-5 thousand dollars, but this is after 10 years of business promotion. And before months there were no customers. A few years ago, divorced his wife, but remained good friends. Great relationship with my daughter. I am satisfied with my life, only my only wish is to work easier. Almost every year I fly to Moscow - my sister stayed there. Everything tried to transport her to Israel, but she did not want to. Well, everyone has their own way ... And I hope that all the best is yet to come.

Video: who lives in Israel well

Different people, different fates ... But the interviewees will be united by the absence of any regret that they live in Israel. Even the young man Mark, who is going to America, goes only to earn money, and not with the goal of emigration. This is probably indicative.

Pros and cons of living in Israel for Russians

If you see Israel as a likely immigration destination in the future, it will be helpful to assess all of its main advantages and disadvantages. Immediately make a reservation that Russians here are Russian speakers of all nationalities, with only one condition: they have acquired the right to lawfully reside and work in the territory of the state of Israel. So, what can be a good life in the Promised Land for the Russians?

Pros:

1. Climate and environmental well-being. In this country, there is a wide selection of places of residence in areas with different natural conditions - from humid Mediterranean to dry desert or alpine. Moreover, negligible substances harmful to humans are contained in air and water.
2. Security. Extremely low crime rates, including street crime. In all cities of Israel, you can safely let children out for a walk at any time of the day.
3. Democracy and highly developed civil society - the latter is primary in relation to the state.
4. Priority laws. Probably not for all Russians, given their mentality, this is a plus. However, law obedience is necessary for the development of society and the state, and you quickly get used to it.
5. High quality of life.
6. Developed infrastructure - roads, transport and other communications, as well as an abundance of recreational areas.
7. Advanced medicine and social security.
8. State care for children, women, the elderly.
9. High educational and cultural level.
10. The highest concentration of historical and religious monuments in the world.
11. Tolerance and peacefulness of the Israelis, their desire and ability to agree on any contentious issues.

Minuses:

1. Very hot summers and strong winds, sometimes with sand, in winter.
2. The country is at war with radical Palestinian organizations, so terrorist attacks are likely.
3. Strengthened security measures and checks at the entrance to any more or less significant institution.
4. Mandatory study of Hebrew.
5. The strong influence of religion and religious organizations on society and politics.
6. The need for intensive work.
7. High real estate prices in large cities due to lack of land.
8. Isolation of the country. The borders with Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are virtually closed, and all other countries can only be reached by plane.

10 unusual facts for a Russian in Israel (video)

So, what can we say about Israel for the Russians? A pleasant country in many respects, where people, including Russians, live no better and no worse than in most highly developed countries of the world. A society of worthy people whom two thousand years of forced emigration and persecution have taught to be smart, strong, dignified and hospitable. Therefore, the choice of Israel as a country for immigration can be considered quite successful.

On the promised land, history is closely intertwined with the political course of the modern state, which helps Jews from all over the world to gather in their historical homeland under the motto "all Jews must live in Israel." Continuing a series of materials about former compatriots abroad, Lenta.ru talked with Alina Farkash, who had recently moved with her husband and two children from the Russian capital to the Israeli city of Raanana.

The idea of \u200b\u200bmoving arose a bit messy, a little over a year ago, and for the first six months we just often “talked about it”: one day we’ll move ... Until one day we visited Raanan (19 km from Tel Aviv - approx. "Tapes.ru") - our ideal city. When the decision was made, they began to search for information on the Internet, write to the city administration, the school director for the son, collect information about kindergartens for the daughter and choose a rented apartment. In general, preparations for the move took about six months.

Moscow is a very large city, but it does not live in a single organism, but in regions. We lived in Kurkina, and it still seems to me to be the best place on Earth: it is a lovely European region with a pleasant audience, architecture and nature, there are well-organized events for children, we had friends there, and for birthdays or cultural events we We went to the city center. Moscow districts differ from each other approximately like cities in Israel.

Now we live in Raanan, and our life is organized in a similar way: 500 meters from us - the largest and most beautiful park in the country, lots of greenery, the school is in the next building, the kindergarten is also very close, and we are about 40 to Tel Aviv minutes by car (it was the same way to the center of Moscow from Kurkin). A respectable, prosperous public lives here, many expats and employees of IT companies - there are many office centers around the city.

No need to listen to the negative stories of emigrants

Of course, at the stage of preparing for the move, we contacted the Sohnut agency, which has representative offices in many countries of the world, including Moscow (an international organization dedicated to education, public relations and repatriation to Israel - approx. "Tapes.ru") Theoretically, they should always help, but in practice, everything is different. For example, the agency provided invaluable assistance to my friends: they persuaded us not to rent an apartment right away, but five months of studying in an ulpan (a language school for learning Hebrew - approx. "Tapes.ru") live in his dormitory in Tel Aviv in order to save money, look around in the city and slowly find housing.

The Law of Return affirms the right of every Jew to repatriate to Israel. It was adopted by the Knesset on July 5, 1950. The document is the legal basis for granting Israeli citizenship under the Citizenship Act of 1952, which provides for the automatic acquisition of citizenship status by every Jew who arrives in the country on the basis of the Law on Return.

But “Sokhnut” was mainly intimidating us: they strongly discouraged us from going to Raanana, claiming that the city was very expensive, that repatriates didn’t go there, and the hostel at the local ulpan didn’t accept families with children. In practice, everything turned out to be wrong: there are many repatriates in Raanan, the ulpan here is one of the best in the country, and families with children can not only live in a hostel, but even have a kindergarten.

I rented an apartment via the Internet, despite the fact that all the acquaintances of Israel considered this impossible. We have an apartment with a pool in the courtyard and with a garden in the best area. Everyone dissuaded me: they say you won’t find anything decent in Raanan for the money (our apartment costs 5600 shekels, that is, about 96 thousand rubles a month), no one will talk to you on Skype, no one will rent you an apartment without guarantors with a large "white" salary, and in general you are new repatriates without work who want to rent a good apartment in a good area - no one wants to contact you. But we succeeded, we signed an agreement with the landlord directly by e-mail, and I translated it with the help of friends and an online translator. We bargained with the owner of the apartment and we discussed this agreement for three days - in English. In the same way, I agreed with the school directly from Moscow: I wrote to the principal by e-mail. And I came up with one of the most important rules for people moving: do not listen to negative stories, it is better to focus on positive experiences and rely on your common sense.

Nobody knows Hebrew in our family, although the language here is more necessary than I expected. Experienced repatriates said that in Israel "those who do not speak English speak Russian." But in practice it turned out that the teachers of the daughter's kindergarten speak only Hebrew. Or, for example, without knowledge of Hebrew, I cannot refuel a car. Gas stations all work on the principle of self-service, while you need to enter complex personal data, and the interface is only in Hebrew. Poking buttons at random does not help. Moreover, the network of gas stations is different, and each has its own requests. While I have never managed to do this myself, I have to ask for help.

I took Hebrew lessons before the move - only 12. This, of course, is not enough. We live in an area where there are almost no Russians, and almost no one speaks our language. When we arrived for the first time, we knew only letters: it helped to read signs, metro schemes, bus stops. That is, any level of language can help you, even one preliminary lesson is already good.

Hammering nails with microscopes makes no sense

The country's policy is aimed at ensuring that people with higher education work by profession. Diplomas from other countries are recognized, some automatically (for example, my state diploma from the journalism department of Moscow State University), and some (like lawyers and doctors) need to go through a rather complicated confirmation procedure. It is much easier for journalists, economists and various managers: translation and notarization need only be sent to the Ministry of Education. What will it give me? Firstly, if I register at the labor exchange, they will pay me a slightly higher unemployment benefit, and they cannot legally offer me a job below my qualification. Many do not know about this, and officials use it.

In Israel, as in Russia: if you know your rights and know how to convincingly and noisily defend them, then everything will be fine.

In the 1990s, the country could not cope with the influx of repatriates from the collapsed USSR, and therefore, among people who moved at that time, there was an opinion that it makes no sense to learn a language in an ulpan, but it is better to immediately look for any job.

Now everything is working very efficiently: my friends study in an ulpan for five hours a day, do their homework for another five hours - as a result, in five months they start talking, writing and reading books. It is interesting that in recent years there has been almost the same influx of immigrants from France, but this is good: French cafes and restaurants appear along with them, they bring fashion, the secrets of winemaking and cheese making with them.

I received confirmation of this rule when I brought my daughter to kindergarten. At first, we considered only the option of a private kindergarten, since, according to our information, there are no state preschool institutions for children under three years of age (my daughter is two years old) in Israel. However, it later became clear that there are almost free nurseries for children, which are funded by the Ministry of Labor and charitable organizations, but there are many who want to get there, you need to sign up almost from the birth of the child. They told me that even trying to get there makes no sense. I called randomly and asked if there were any places. They were delighted with us: it turns out that they have a shortage of children from families of unprotected layers of the population, and we, newly minted repatriates, are just such. They helped us to get a discount, and now it costs us about 930 shekels a month (about 16 thousand rubles) instead of 2,800, which we were going to pay for a private kindergarten.

From journalists to stylists

How am I going to solve the issue with work? I’m a journalist, I write a lot, including for, but the ruble exchange rate against the dollar and the shekel is, of course, horrifying. Because of this, all my fees and husband’s salary are melting before our eyes, and we are now actively thinking about working in Israel, but so far this is all under discussion.

At the moment, my main income unexpectedly becomes what started as a hobby - work as a stylist. I studied in Moscow at the school of stylists Stella Clar, but I did not think to turn this into a source of income. As a result, it turned out that it was easy and pleasant for people to deal with me, and I like to see how they are changing before my eyes, so that work on the image gradually turned into a real profession. My main clients are Russian-speaking people living abroad, we work on Skype. The essence of the work is not to dress a person in the style of “I am an artist, I see it this way”, but to teach him to choose the right things on his own, to explain the principles and patterns.

Pajamas for bombing

I was often asked before moving: are you not afraid to take children to a country where the war is actually going on?

Last summer, we were in Israel at a time when Arabs shot through the entire territory of the country, and not just the border zone. It was very scary: it turns out that with the sound of sirens a “patrimonial memory” wakes up in you, you are surrounded by such a panic that you did not even expect existed. But I was struck by the general calm and harmonious actions of others. There are no bomb shelters in our house, and according to the instructions, we must run out into the staircase at any time of the day.

During the bombing, everyone runs out into the porch and behaves very dignified: our neighbors joked, boasted of beautiful pajamas, bought specifically for the bombing.

Israel has a special iPhone app that signals bombing in different parts of the country. This is unimaginable and does not fit into the head: after all, someone created it, someone tested it! And it is installed on the phones of all our friends.

I saw how interceptor missiles work clearly. I know that one such rocket costs about 50 thousand dollars, and I saw how taxpayer money is effectively spent. Bombs rained down many times a day throughout the country, resulting in the death of one person, and then by accident. At about the same moment, in the Moscow metro on the stretch between Victory Park and Slavyanskiy Boulevard, the train went off the rails - in the morning, at the very rush hour. According to official figures, 24 people died and more than 200 were injured. In the middle of a peaceful white day, people died - just because other people are doing their job poorly. Indeed, no one is safe from the notorious “brick on the head”. This is my answer to the question of friends, am I afraid here for the children.

The same nostalgia

We drove with doubts: Israel did not know very well, we have no relatives and close friends here. We had no idea how it would all be, but, of course, we were awake. In the end, we like it more and more. Everything that scared us turned out to be much simpler in practice. The whole bureaucracy seems logical, thoughtful and not at all scary (after Russia, then!).

I am sad without close people and friends, but it’s fixable: many of them are going to move to Israel, and again the Internet helps. Although sometimes you want, as before, just to break loose and go. Well, and then - I love Moscow: I miss its never-sleeping central streets, its elegant metropolitan fashionistas.

But on the whole I miss Moscow so far less than I expected. There is a proverb: “It will be better than me - it will be forgotten; it will be worse than me - I will remember. ” It turns out that I found the place where I feel better.

13.04.2012 10:52

"Interlocutor" talks about the Russians (often they are all called "Russian" regardless of nationality), who chose to live abroad. Today's story about Israel.

Six months ago, on an early August morning, an Israeli airline plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport. Weighed down with backpacks, bags from the Moscow duty-free and four sleepy children, we, two lonely mothers, crawled out of the sleeve of the air corridor. At the escalator, as warned in Moscow, we and five other Russian families were met by a stocky uncle with a tiny hat on the back of his head.

Shalom, olim, come to me! Welcome to Motherland! - He shouted nasally and buried himself in the list of arrivals. We dutifully huddled together. Everyone was quiet. Indeed, our new life begins ...

Shalom! Shalom!

We obtained Israeli citizenship right here - at the airport. Rather, a blue rag bag with brochures for repatriates and a package of documents confirming our new civil status. An official with difficulty selecting Russian words, filled out a questionnaire, clicked on the camera shutter and pasted our photographs into a blue booklet. The pass to a new life is ready - teudat ole (certificate of a new repatriate). Now for three years we have become “new” in this country. And almost like a nickname, they received the title of Olympus: so the first Zionists called themselves - "ascended to Zion."

True, at that moment we were far from romance. I went with children to Haifa, which was incomprehensible to me then. A friend with her offspring - in the capital, in Tel Aviv, to her aunt.

My Moscow in Haifa

Well, everyone passes through Adar, said Avner Korin, a spokesman for the Haifa Absorption Department, and with a noise opened the window of my rented apartment, “but what a view from the window!”

I timidly peered over my colleague's shoulder: the gray ragged houses with terraces descend from the mountains, palm trees, blooming bougainvilleas. In the distance is the tower of the cranes, and there, on the very horizon, is a tiny piece of the blue-blue sea.

Haifa - the port city, the third largest and most significant in Israel - as a professional guide, introduces me to Avner. - I'll show you the Russian Haifa. let's start from the capital ... Let's go to Moscow ...

Adar is the most “Russian” district of the city. Several streets with cheap shops, small workshops, a central market. It’s hard to get lost here: Russian sounds everywhere, a special feature is signboards in Russian. Higher down the street is the employment office, and around the corner below the currency exchanger.

"Moscow" is located in the heart of Adar. A store that looks a lot like the Soviet deli of my childhood, with the same colorful saleswomen and familiar products. Ham, boiled pork, Borodino bread, raspberry jam, sprats, cod liver, buckwheat and drying with poppy seeds. And higher down the street is the more pathos Yeliseyevsky.

Chain stores with a typical Russian range of products are distributed throughout the country. After a few months, having become saturated with oriental exoticism, you notice that you are increasingly looking into such a “general” to some Misha or Glory. There really is a delicious doctor’s sausage, caviar and fresh vodka ...

One walk along the Adar, Avner teaches me, and you studied Russian business in Israel.

Posters and bulletin boards - all in Russian. Invitations to excursions and boat trips, renting and renting apartments, slimming products and psychological training, dating clubs and professional matchmakers ... With the influx of Russians, hairdressers and manicure salons, travel agencies and souvenir shops appeared on Adar. Everyone survives as best he can.

A special business where ours has no competitors is book stores. They look like old school libraries. With the roots of collections of works by Shakespeare, Kuprin, Tolstoy, familiar from childhood ...

Step left, step right

The main Hebrew word that new immigrants in Israel will recognize is “savlanut” (“patience”). Patience and again patience are repeated everywhere: in long lines at a supermarket, at a bank, in a clinic, at the Ministry of Internal Affairs ... Queues, queues, queues ...

You may receive a permanent passport in a year, ”the official at the Ministry of Internal Affairs says in a tone that does not take objections and gives me a plastic card. This is my ID. I must remember his number by heart and instantly call if they wake me up at night. From these few figures in any computer of the country it will now be possible to trace my whole life. This account has a bank account, medical insurance, and my personal files in all ministries and departments. Without it, I cannot go to the doctor’s office, arrange children for school, buy a theater ticket, make purchases at the store, pay for a mobile phone ... Not to mention loans, subsidies and allowances, starting a business.

Darcon - a permanent passport of an Israeli citizen - is issued for a period of 5 years and only after a year of non-departure in the country. You can leave for a short time abroad, but only if after 3 months you receive a loess pass (passport) or a certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs that you are allowed to cross the border with a Russian passport. Darkon gives the right to enter without a visa in more than 100 countries. Therefore, Israel strictly regulates the permission to receive it. He proved himself trustworthy - get it. You cause doubts at the emwedeshnik - you will endlessly go to receptions, ask, download rights ...

Chemistry and life

I used to think that the absorption process is a chemical reaction that has nothing to do with a person. But in Israel there is a whole Ministry of Absorption with a huge staff and Madame Minister at the head.

We all, who came from the Union in the 70s, 90s, began with the most dirty work. They cleaned the apartments, washed the toilets, worked as loaders and watchmen ... And - they studied, received new professions, cured Hebrew, - says the head of the department, Sofa Landver.

The absorption center was established in 1973, its task was to help repatriate scientists as soon as possible to find a job in their specialty, to adapt to Western methods of work.

The fates of immigrants from Russia are often called the history of lost opportunities, ”says sociologist Moshe Kenigstein, specialist in Russian-language emigration. - Many were here "strangers among their own."

Israel knows the riots of former Soviet scientists and doctors, strikes and hunger strikes. In the 90s, a lot of people with higher education came here, representatives of free professions. And two big problems appeared: firstly, the correspondence between the professions of repatriates and the demand for these professions in Israel. Secondly, for many, relocation interrupted a successful career in Russia and forced them to lower their professional and social status.

Despite the difficulties, more than 70% of immigrant scientists of the 90s managed to find a job in Israel with the help of state scholarships, although not everyone was able to keep it after the payments were completed.

You are a journalist, ”Asya from“ Suhna ”(Jewish emigration agency) says thoughtfully, and looks at me sympathetically. “You can, of course, try to find a job as a journalist, but now I have requests for workers.” Go to the factory, there on the assembly line women without qualifications are needed. Or try to take translations to your home - you have English, French. If somewhere in the office to look for work, you need good Hebrew, knowledge of office work. If you were a programmer, we would send you to courses. Or a cook, they are also in demand. Try to send out resumes to newspapers. But there they pay very little - the states are crowded. In general, come in 5 months when you finish the ulpan ...

From right to left

Ulpan is a Hebrew school. Each emigrant is entitled to 5 months of free education. It is assumed that, having passed the exams, a person will be able to speak intelligently with the native Israeli on any topic. It turned out that learning a language is the hardest thing in Israel.

When you see signs in the store with intricate squiggles, you are horrified. And receiving by mail receipts with these mysterious letters drives into a real stupor.

Patience, says teacher Judit. - There are 22 consonants in our alphabet. No vowels. We read from right to left.
And we, 20 fresh little students, like first-graders, carefully begin to display in notebooks: aleph, bet, dalet ... The first euphoria from the fact that combinations of hooks and sticks add up to words and make sense is replaced after 3 months by despair. Words that have no analogues with Latin roots do not linger in the head for more than 15 minutes, and the grammar of the ancient language seems completely inaccessible to understanding.

There is a crisis. Collapse plans for a quick job (at least some), at the end of the lesson "boil the brain", the verbs are confused with nouns.

Winter

And then comes ... winter. Its first forerunners are Ethiopians, wrapped from head to toe in multi-colored fleece blankets. These poor fellows suffer the most from the cold because they live in the cheapest, coldest, uncomfortable houses.

If you came here in the summer, rented an apartment, then it would never occur to you that it was time to “prepare the sled”. There is no central heating in Israeli homes; at best, the landlord installed an air conditioner that will work in the winter for heat. But it is impossible to warm this apartment. Thin concrete walls do not hold heat and absorb moisture, the wind blows through the flimsy window frames.

Our first winter in Israel was unusually long, cold and rainy. For three months it rained incessantly. And winter clothes remained (as it seemed, as unnecessary) in Moscow.

That's all, I can’t take it anymore, I’m coming back, ”said Tanya, my desk neighbor in the Ulpan, 3 months after the arrival. - There is not enough money, the dog’s cold, the child is sick, the apartment is a stranger. Nobody needs us here.

It was as if I read my thoughts ... With the onset of winter, my mood went bad, optimism disappeared. I suddenly saw the world not through pink glasses, but through a magnifying glass. And she took up elementary arithmetic.

Israel through a magnifier

The allowance for emigrants, the so-called absorption basket (approx. $ 1000), after six months after arrival, will cease to be paid. All that can be counted on is another 6 months unemployment benefits (approx. $ 500). Then you need to get a job or receive payments from the Ministry of Social Insurance, for example, a single mother’s allowance (about $ 650) plus money for children (about $ 50). But this is not so simple, there are conditions. You can’t count on social money, for example, if you have a car. In Israel, for some reason, they consider a car a luxury, which means: you do not need help. And you won’t be considered a single mother if you have a man (friend, lover). Social workers will come to your house and ask the neighbors. If they say that they see you together, he carries you in a car, gives gifts and helps financially, you can forget about the allowance.

Army

Almost all children from Russian families serve in the army. Girls are called up on an equal footing with boys at age 18 and serve 3 years. Moreover, the army is more like a school. There are military fees, and there are parts near the house. The concept of "hazing" is missing.

In the evening, children from the army go home. In combat units take only with the written permission of the parents. And the recent release and exchange of one soldier for 1000 terrorists has stirred up the whole country. Everyone understood: his child could be in the same position. However, military service in Israel is a matter of honor.

Next year we will go to the army, ”my 16-year-old son told me. “And they will give us weapons.” I want to fight ...

Another Israel

But there is another Russian Israel. More and more rumors are circulating: the most expensive apartments and villas in elite resort areas are being bought up by Russian oligarchs, owners of large businesses, figures of show business and culture ...

Recently, the Maariv newspaper reported that there have been a lot of appeals from wealthy Russian Jews recently to Israeli state institutions. They express concern over the growing political destabilization in Russia and wish to transfer their capital to Israel as a preparatory step for repatriation.

Who came?

In 2011, emigrants from the former Union accounted for 39.3% (7455 people) of the total number of new citizens. The most popular among immigrants are Haifa in the north, Ashdod in the south, Bat Yam in the center of the country.

There are a lot of immigrants from Russia in the power structures of Israel. For example, Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman (at first he worked as a loader at Ben Gurion Airport); Zeev Elkin - Member of the Knesset (Parliament), Chairman of the Likud Party Faction; Leonid Eidelman - Chairman of the All-Israel Trade Union of Medical Workers, etc.

What to live on?

Israel is an expensive country. To rent an ordinary 2-3-room apartment - at least $ 1000. About $ 200-300 during the year emigrants are allocated to rent an apartment. Plus you have to pay a municipal tax of $ 100. Bills for water and light come 2 times a month, this is about $ 100. Kindergarten or school - $ 450. Travel by public transport: bus, monthly pass - $ 80, train - $ 95. Medical insurance - $ 40. Since April 1, gasoline costs more than $ 2, which means that for a full tank you need about $ 90. According to the most conservative estimates, about $ 300 a week is spent on food. Mobile phones - $ 200. Television, telephone, Internet - $ 100. Clothing and other expenses - $ 500.

Simple arithmetic does not include trips to museums, tours, dinners in restaurants and so on. It turns out that in order to very modestly live in Israel a family of 3 people needs about $ 4000 per month.

TV tax

Among the taxes paid by all competent citizens, there are some very original ones. For example, on the TV. Moreover, the staff of the broadcasting committee, collecting debt, have the right to break open the doors of apartments, seize accounts (bank and salary), confiscate a car and an apartment.

Elena Saffron