The question below is one that I think almost every single person who heard we’re moving to Israel has asked:
“Are you going with Nefesh B’Nefesh?”
For those who don’t know, Nefesh B’Nefesh is an organization that supports people who are moving to Israel as olim. My husband and I were both studying in Israel when we met; we got married there and then decided it made sense to legally become citizens. I believe we got a small monthly rental subsidy for the first year as a benefit of having made aliyah (becoming Israeli citizens); we didn’t make a lift because we didn’t have anything to bring from the US or the money to do it even if we had, I was able to attend ulpan for one week in between jobs, and that’s the extent of the benefits we received as olim!
We lived in Israel for eight years before moving back to the US to pursue a rabbinical position offered to my husband, and have been in the US for eleven years. We no longer have the status of olim and the time we were entitled to claim them has run out, but are now considered ‘returning citizens’. To be more accurate, we’re officially gorrerei zechuyot – those whose rights as olim were frozen when they left the country (we left after eight years and the final benefits run out at 10 years) – but have been working for several months to legally change our status to that of returning citizens. We meet the technical requirements, but it’s been hard to find someone who knows how to handle a case like ours without sending us to Israel to first sign waivers before returning here to make the move – we’re in a gray zone that they rarely deal with. People are usually olim or naturally born Israelis who are returning to live in Israel, but not olim who are returning citizens! Hopefully this week it will finally be resolved and we can finally buy our tickets! :))
Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN) doesn’t assist returning citizens – not even if you were born and raised in America, have lots of kids born in the US, or didn’t use the immigration benefits the first time around. When I called NBN, they were pleasant but emphatically told me that I was welcome to browse their website but they wouldn’t be able to answer any questions or offer us assistance of any kind, including information. And no, my kids born in the US don’t qualify for any benefits, either. (All of our children, those born in Israel and in the US, have the status of dual citizens as well.) The exception is ds17, who will be considered a returning minor.
This surprises most people, who assume that we are benefiting from the generous absorbtion benefits available to those making aliyah. When I tell them we aren’t, almost everyone says, “But your tickets are paid for, right?” No. As returning citizens, we have to purchase our tickets but will be able to get a discounted price for one way tickets of $806 per person; we’ll also be allowed an extra piece of luggage per person. This is a lot of money but it’s less than if we weren’t able to get this discount – if we had to pay $1300 per person (current prices), we simply wouldn’t be able to afford to move back.
Another benefit to the returning citizen is that the reinstatement fee to participate in the national medical system is….well, here’s what it it is. Every person above the age of 18 has to be pay something like 9600 shekels (approx $2500) to make up for the years that they haven’t been living there and paying into the system. They recently passed a law that returning citizens will have 50% of this sum immediately refunded (I don’t know if that means immediate as in five minutes or five weeks), and the other 50% refunded after a year. This means we need to come up with about $7500 in order to get medical insurance (for dh, me, and ds17 – he’ll be 18 by then) – kids in Israel are all automatically covered once the parents are paid in full. The option to paying this money is to go without insurance for six months and then our insurance can be reinstated, which I don’t think is a great option even though I rarely avail myself of the traditional medical services. (After this point we will pay a monthly fee for health insurance – it’s free to olim for the first year, but that’s it.)
There are some other benefits – like being able to bring a lift within 9 months and having to pay minimal taxes on it – but the one of most immediate importance to me is the discounted tickets. I believe there’s some kind of assistance in finding employment but I can’t tell you what that is like until we get there (we called but they told us we have to be there first). The absorption package that olim receive assists them significantly in getting started: buying furniture, stocking the kitchen, and paying expenses until they find work. None of this is available to the returning citizen.
One big expense in moving overseas is passports – though everyone is supposed to have up to date passports at all times, but because it was so expensive and we had no plans to travel anywhere, we didn’t have current passports for anyone. Of course anyone who is moving overseas has to have passports from their country of origin, and in our case, we also need Israeli passports for every family member. (I might be wrong but I believe if you’re making aliyah that you don’t immediately need Israeli passports. Please correct me if this is inaccurate.) We’ve spent over $2000 on passports for the eleven of us, and I’m really glad to have all of the passports issued and ready to go!
A number of people who I’ve spoken to who are in our situation would love to move back to Israel but feel it’s unrealistic. It’s in large part because there’s so little assistance and the costs are so intimidating that very, very few olim who leave Israel later move back. Not to mention the concerns and warnings not to come with children over age 10 or 12 because of the social risks in poor adjustments and all that comes along with that. Obviously, we’re not the only people in this situation, but since I haven’t met anyone else, I haven’t been able to enjoy sharing the experience of this particular aspect of our aliyah experience with anyone.
This leaves us in an interesting place – without the financial or social supports offered to olim, but facing similar challenges. However, one advantage we have over many olim is that my husband and I are conversational in Hebrew and familiar with life in Israel (though undoubtedly life in Karmiel will be very different than life in Beitar).
From a logical position, perhaps it doesn’t make sense for us to move to Israel, to give up our familiar life here to undertake a very major transition. But I don’t know if moving to Israel is ever really logical for anyone. I think the Jewish soul feels complete only when in Israel – certainly for me it was a very palpable feeling when I visited in February, of all parts of me being in one place at one time. What is propelling this move is my strong soul-level feeling that our family belongs in Israel at this time, and it’s really from the soul level that I’m having to deal with confronting some of the concerns that pop up. The concept that I hold onto is that Hashem has provided for us until now, and will continue to provide for us – my job is to do the leg work and make my best effort, and to trust that He will take care of us, perhaps particularly when it seems hardest to believe that. And with His help, the pieces are falling into place!
Avivah
We also didn’t go through Nefesh B’Nefesh for a variety of reasons if it makes you feel any better. The upside of not being allegible for different government benefits is that it cuts down on the amount of time one has to deal with possible bureaucratic hurdles. Just like I had many opportunities to thank G-d for the facts that we didn’t have to deal with all the lift related headaches, watching what others had to go through:) I think that a good support network and a reliable source of information and advice is in many ways much more important to a successful aliyah than any goverment assistance. Hatzlacha!
Regina, I really appreciate you sharing that perspective!
The irony is that we have to deal with NBN for my son for him to receive benefits as a returning minor, and this paperwork was the same as what we would have had to do for our entire family to make aliyah! The amount of paperwork we’ve had to take care of between this, the things we need to do for the Jewish Agency regarding ds17 and dd16, taking care of things at the embassy (Israeli birth certificates, identification numbers, passports, power of attorney, army deferrment), and then finally having to change our status to returning citizens – it’s seemed never ending. We’re still not finished with it all!
I’m 67 presently. In my youth in the 70’s I was a citizen in the army and indeed spent 3 years in the sinai.I too have the spiritual calling yet I was told expect no help for one year! He’ll I’m 67 and I hope i’ll have no need for medical care. I hope, if I do it will bankrupt me
it amazing that you can complain!!! show me another country in the world that gives any benefits at all to it citizens on their return to the county, why should my tax money pay you ticket back home? there are many israeli born citizen who have served in the IDF who get less then you… and they paid their taxes as well…. so you who reap of your benefits then left the country before giving it anything now want to go back and get more free money? SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOU WOMAN!! stay in america and live off their tax payer money…. see how far you get!
Wow, that’s a pretty hostile and unreasonable response to what I wrote. I have a large readership but rarely encounter this kind of judgmentalness and presumptuousness.
I don’t determine what the Israeli government does with their tax dollars, though they’ve determined it’s economically beneficial for them to encourage the return of expats since it brings in lots more money to the economy than what the government gives. I don’t know why you assume that I didn’t pay into the system – you bet I did. No one who serves in the IDF gets less than me, because I got nothing. I also don’t know why you assume if I were in the US I would be living off of taxpayer dollars or would even want to? I can’t even be offended by your post because you are so off base in every way.
I’m sorry you feel that something was wrong with my desire to move to Israel with our family, with us paying every single penny of the over $20,000 necessary to make the move out of our own savings. Fortunately most people in this country don’t share your attitude or I doubt anyone would want to live here.
Please find a blog where you can share your negativity and hatefulness with a more receptive audience, and best wishes for a happy life for you, Lilach.
Some of us were unable to stay in Israel and my two young children were only there for 5 months and lived on a moshav where the Russian Jews were catered to…just because we are from the U.S. does not make us rich. Anyway, I never got to Ulpan, was almost killed (3 times) by these whackjob Philistines living in our land and once while waiting at the wrong stop in Jerusalem. That was by those unwanted cowardly squatters wearing masks over their faces.
You want to know why, at 69 I want to return? I am glad you asked…because I am a YEHUDI (Jew) and proud of it. I am sick and tired of our own people and their lust for greed, who go in and buy up property and then rent it out at outrageous prices to their poor relatives. To add insult to injury, those thieving murderers, yes, Philistines, aka Palestinians are allowed to live in our land, murder our people and you tell us we should stay in America and not expect help?
You need to stop acting like a snot-nosed, arrogant little child and grow up. Israel is my land and I have a direct order from the G-d of Israel to go and possess what belongs to me. You need to read what our Prophets have told us…it is time to return and return we will!
Carol, I am so sorry to hear about your horrible experience with your life being threatened – how terrifying. I find it traumatic just hearing about this happening to others; I can’t imagine what it’s like to experience this personally.
Welcome back to Israel, and may you have a very blessed life here! My mother moved to Israel nine months after I did at age 60 and said it’s one of the best decisions she ever made.
We’ve gone through our share of challenges in the last four + years since moving, but I love being here and constantly feel grateful that this is our home. Sometimes it’s been hard but it’s always been good!
(I’m editing out the first part of your comment because even though the person you’re responding wrote in an unpleasant way, I don’t want to encourage responses that stoop to that level on my blog.)
I also looked into this a few years ago, when my mil was still able enough for the move ( they are Israeli citizens, as are we) and since we are all returning citizens, the payback for health ins. was so much, I think it was also before they passed the law of returning the 50%. dh who was still a bit on the fence, just kind of felt that, here we are wanting to return, he served the army in his time too and now we are being penalized for wanting to return…..we literally had to come up with thousands of $ to cover us, dd (over 18) and mil/fil….. which we did not have 🙁 It is not easy to be a returnee, when essentially you are picking up and starting from nothing and the kids are pretty much olim in everyway. I wish you all the best, you are an inspiration and G_d willing we will follow you there, sooner than later 🙂
When I helped my parents return to Israel a few years ago, I asked the absorption office if they had the forms in English for a returning citizen to which they could not understand why my parents would not know Hebrew.
I was counted as a ketin Chozer which pretty much translated into very little help and whatever rights I might have had finished before I was aware of them. We are so excited that your family will be coming back to Israel, we have 4 little children that we home school. Look foward to meeting you.
Michal
we also did not recieve help from NBN – but with siyata d shamaya we were assisted by goof b guf 🙂
There were so many let downs and turn arounds with our coming to aliyah that it was impossible to weather with out emunah and bitachon!! SO many people pitched in to help – a free loan to buy our plane tickets – a home to live in after wandering for months…etc
Can you buy private insurance in Israel for your family while waiting to be reinstated by Bituach Leumi? It costs about $1/day for adults and $2/day for children.
Several places now offer them, including Meuchedet and some affiliated with Leumit.
Moriah
It’s an interesting idea; I didn’t know it was a possibility! Thanks for mentioning it. 🙂
I intend to return to Israel after 24 years of living in Canada. Am I considered a returning citizen or ole? I did aliya with my family when I was 10 years old and after 11 years of living in Israel I got married to a Canadian citizen. So, now that my children are older I want to return just not sure under what category I am. Thank you.
I believe any Israeli who doesn’t live in Israel for 6 months within a year is no longer considered a resident, and even if he pays for his Bituach Leumi when he’s outside Israel, it will be forfeited from him because he’s no longer a resident of Israel. He has to prove to the SOI that he still maintains an Israeli residential address and that his center of life is in ISrael and that his stay abroad is only temporary (like for work, study, etc).
The English Bituach Leumi website is http://www.btl.gov.il/English%20homepage/Pages/default.aspx
Many olim that came with us have left Israel for one reason or another.
I’ve been out of Israel for many years. Are there any rules that prohibit a returning citizen from waiting 6 months for coverage? If so I’ll pay the freight for $2,500, so long as there is no legal impediment to buying back into the the system.
I don’t know of anything that would prevent someone from returning to Israel being able to pay the fee to reenter the system. (Though I was told that it can take a while to get your status restarted even after the money is paid, but maybe that was the local Bituach Leumi clerk being negative. I tend to think it was realistic, knowing how beaurocratic things can be.)
I find it astonishing just how difficult various agencies make it for people either olim or returning citizens. This is totally contrary to the ethos of the State of Israel and something that needs checking by someone with the courage to make him/her unpopular.
What people have forgotten is that most returning citizens have provided national service. I fully understand where Avivah is coming from.
Similar situation. What did you have to do to change your status to toshav chozer?
Hi, Esti, welcome!
You don’t have to do anything, your status is automatically changed for you.
Hi! We are moving back to the US (after 4 years from Aliyah). Any tips what to do with bituach leumi etc? Thanks
Hi, Steven – the best thing to do is cancel it before you leave Israel. It’s hard to do from a distance (but not impossible) and you’ll have to repay any funds that go into your account for kitzbat yeladim if you leave your account open, which can make things more complicated. If/when you decide to move back, your underage children will have health insurance right away but you and your wife will have to either pay something like 10,000 shekels each to reinstate your insurance, or wait for six months without any insurance. Good luck with your move – it’s a big adjustment for the family.