Olim on Nefesh B' Nefesh flights arrive job-search ready

More than 2,300 people are making aliyah on 92 group flights through Nefesh B’Nefesh this summer, including 1,100 singles, 480 families and 250 retirees, ranging from 5 months to 98 years old, with an average age of 29.

While Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut, Ra’anana and Beit Shemesh are the leading destinations, according to Nefesh, choosing among them — with an eye on job opportunities — can be a challenge.

“People say to me when I’m traveling the US, ‘If you find me a job, I’m going to come,’ but very few people get recruited to jobs before they make aliyah,” said Marc Rosenberg, vice president of diaspora partnerships at Nefesh.

“Fear of the unknown” is often the biggest obstacle to making the move, he said.

Families often start deciding where to live by looking for schools that are good fits for their children, he said. “If you find a school, the school will give you a neighborhood to live in.”

Olim often choose communities for their children and accept the possibility of a long commute to work, he added.

Rivka Goldglancz, who is moving from West Hempstead with her four daughters — ages 6, 9 and 15-year-old twins — chose Modi’in in part due to its location between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, which she thinks can expand her employment options. “I’m looking for a new job,” she said.

Goldglancz had not seen their new apartment in person. Her sister, who lives in Jerusalem, toured it and sent a video. Her 6-year-old daughter Nava was already sold.

“I’m really excited because we have two balconies, and I just love balconies,” Nava said. “It’s so good because you can see a big view.”

The family had to decide what to bring and what to leave behind.

“Things are just things,” Goldglancz said. “I gave away a lot of my precious things to family and friends, so I’m happy they’ll continue to be used.”

Rella, one of the twins, took a similar view. “Stuff is stuff,” she said. “We’re so lucky to have this opportunity. I’m open to trying new stuff. I’m not stuck in my routine.”

She and her sisters sipped on Starbucks — their last for a while — at the airport. Rella said that she would miss the coffee chain.

“It’s one small thing,” she added. “I’m going to be in the Holy Land, so I can leave my Starbucks behind.”

For Ilana and Steven Snyder, who moved from Cedarhurst, where they lived for 33 years, living near family was the priority.

Two of their daughters live in Jerusalem, one in Katamon and the other in Talbiya, so the couple rented an apartment in nearby Arnona. They have only seen it remotely.

“I’ve watched that video about 100 times,” Ilana Snyder said.

Steven Snyder, an accountant, was able to keep his American job remotely and initially plans to work East Coast hours. The arrangement made the move easier, though it was not a deal-breaker.

“We would have come anyway,” he said. Without the job, “our standard of living would have been different,” he said.

The Snyders see Jerusalem as a starting point but not necessarily a final destination.

Their children are nearby, public transportation is easy, and they know their way around the city, they said. But they seek a quieter community in northern or southern Israel, they said.

Rosenberg said that of 4,500 expected olim this year, some 20% might arrive with remote jobs or commute abroad for work. While the other 80% arrive without jobs in hand that doesn’t mean they haven’t prepared, he said.

“They’ve networked. They’ve spoken to people. They’ve sent resumes, and they’ve got feelers to understand where they can find jobs and what their projected income could be.”

He said that he encourages people to speak to the Nefesh employment department and consult the job board but not to apply for jobs yet.

“They’re going to interview you and say, ‘When can you arrive’?” he said. “It’s going to be tough to get there in a few weeks. But if you see a job and how much it pays, it gives people the confidence in their ability to find the job.”

Israel’s skills-focused employment culture can give newcomers room to pivot, he said.

“They don’t really care where you went to school,” Rosenberg said. “People often have a second career when they come here.”

Nefesh B’Nefesh works in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and JNF-USA to facilitate immigration to Israel.