Wait until he works in Israel then he will hate his salary and then he will hate the prices such as food, gas, clothes, small houses and the small cheap but way too expensive tiny cars racing through the narrow streets to find no parking.

If America's Jews want to 'drop everything' for Israel, fine. They should go stay there. You can't have split loyalties.

Please tell in Israel living in peace with neighbors is a lot of fun.

All the best to all of u! Welcome home!

Welcome, things will be much different here than what you are use to in the USA. it will take time to get use to it. Let's be realistic though many olim that came a few years ago have returned to the USA because life is difficult here, very stressful due to its location, and the constant threat of war.terror attacks. If you rent an apt or buy one please have a lawyer look over everything before you sign as landlords will take advantage of you! I recommend renting for your first year to be sure you are truly happy here because it is hard to resell an apt here with so many new ones being built all over!

but no matter. the naivety will be gone after 2-3 years depending on age and most of you will be back in the land of opportunity within 5!

These people prefer to live on land which was in most parts conquered by war, violence, and expulsion of people who lived four hundreds of years there, but aren't allowed to come home untill today .

move. It'll be the general mentality of us, Israelis that will be hard to swallow. You will soon learn to view every verbal exchange in light of "where's the catch, how will I be screwed by this transaction"..& so on. That will lead either to cynical outlook on Life&People or bankruptcy in a jiffy.

I'm born here. I had no choice in the matter. That these wealthy people ("my friends holiday in the Caribbean") want to come here to fulfill some fantasy about Israel is crazy. Most will leave here with a very bitter taste in their mouths. The remainder will stay in their rich, American, Jewish bubble in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or some settlement (where they'll be guarded and subsidized by my taxes, wonderful). They'll hate Israelis and hate Israeli culture or they'll go totally insane and go live in Kiryat Arba, and say their kids are being "young" when they set fire to cars, throw stones at soldiers and start riots with the IDF. . As for the young ones who come here for the army... I never liked this. These people are traitors to where they are from. They have no business in Israel. We have no need traitors in our army. If they want to be soldiers they can go join the American military. It's the Israeli army, not the American Jewish militia.

people of the Americas. We Jews were here before the palis and we will be here when they are gone!

The majority of the people interviewed will be on a flight back to the US in a matter of years, if not months. The Azriels in particular are especially deluded. "I don't like to plan ahead too much, do we're just diving into the deep water" - all very well and good except for your 4 kids you have conveniently forgotten about. Extremely selfish parents who are clearly too lazy to do the groundwork before making what is a major life change. You need more than ideology and religiosity to get by in Israel, folks. Nefesh b'Nefesh might make it seem like a breeze now, but it's FAR from easy.

As opposed to all the negative comments from those of you in the US and some of you here in Israel, I welcome all the new immigrants and tell them it is worth it, no matter how hard it can be. Yes, life is challenging here but not as bad as some of the comments make it out to be. Having moved at the age of 28 with my husband and infant son, having stayed for 38 years, having experienced hard times and harder times; we would never move back. We are home and excited every day by this amazing country and all we Israelis have accomplished against all odds. Remember this is the most meaningful place to live, we are secular and still hate being away from home on the holidays. Thank you for coming and welcome home.

In the interim, we Jews ought to stop pissing on each others shoes. Trust me when I say, life among the goyim is no walk in the park.

ENOUGH .Stop the nasty and negative comments and wish these new immigrants ti Israel well and allow these people the freedom to make their own decisions and lifestyle choices .Cut the bullshit about them being " Traitors ."

and these naive fools should be told the truth!

It's a shame there are so many negative comments above. Perhaps your bad experience stems from your negative outlook, in which case any type of experience would be bad. These people moving to Israel need encouragement, not the opposite. Life is better in any situation with a positive outlook. Mazel Tov to these new immigrants.

they are leaving the USA because they aren't happy there and NOT because they are so sure that life in Israel will be all that good. They have a dreamer's view of Israel. Just as they are disappointed with the USA they will be disappointed with Israel... because success isn't about how you view where you live it is about how you view yourself.

I find it really hard to believe that a young person living in NYC, claims that he has experienced anti-Semitism all his life. Some of their viewpoints are extremely naive and uninformed. Israel is not at all an easy society to become acclimated to. Hopefully their future children will feel at home here, and it will all be worthwhile. You need a ton of money, and an excellent sense of humor and much flexibility.

they should all come here on a pilot program first and see what life here is really like. Life in Israel is difficult and it is not for the faint hearted. These people are faint hearted they are leaving the USA looking for paradise and for shure for shure Israel isn't paradise Israel is Aretz Ohelet Toshaveha (a land which devours its residents). The sooner they learn that the sooner they will begin to understand what it takes to succeed here.

1. Percentage of Olim that return to their native country within 5/10 years? 2. Number of families with a parent working abroad more than 4 months a year in order to provide for his family? 3. Estimated cost of living for your family? 4. What happens when you can't pay back a loan/mortgage in Israel? 5. For US citizens, your earnings in Israel will be taxed in the US (after already paying more than 50% tax in Israel). Assuming you find a job, can you survive on 20% of your gross salary? Another thing to keep in mind: You would likely be selling your home in the US at a time that market prices are at record lows while looking to purchase a home in Israel when prices are at record highs. A family of 5 will need a minimum of $7,000 month after taxes to survive in Israel. This amount does not include mortgage/rental costs or car expenses. Rental of a 900 sq foot apartment in Modiin is now going for about $1500/month. The tenant pays for all utilities plus city taxes (Arnona). Gas is $8/gallon and you will get a Mazda 3 in Israel for what a Lexus would cost you in the US.

How do you make a small fortune in Israel? Start with a big fortune. Here's more: Cashing a cheque in Israel takes forever, and the service charges will eat up much of the cheque's value. Don't make long distance calls on your cell phone. Crooks can clone your cell phone i.d. and commit identity theft, leaving you with a big bill. Don't get me started on the driving in Israel. Suffice to say it's too fast and they take too many chances. Another old joke: The Israeli government could save money if they stopped painting in the cross hatching on the roads to signify a cross walk. Why? No one ever stops at them anyway, so why bother? If you are female, Arab and poor, you have more protection under the law than if you're male, Jewish and financially stable. (Don't yell at me for that one; instead watch what happens around you and see if I'm wrong). Be prepared to put up with a lot of abuse from your fellow Jews. Nothing you will do will impress the Sabras. Mastering Hebrew? Big deal. Served in the IDF, with honour? Big deal. Lost a loved one to terrorism? Sad, but every Israeli you'll meet will have a sadder tale than yours so why should they cry for you? Last but not least, don't try to ask anyone any question about anything, you'll get no response. No one, and I mean no one, will give you a straight answer to a straight question, no matter how innocuous it may be. Of course, if you're a journalist for some goy outfit like the BBC, CNN or Al Jazeera, and ask questions, Israelis won't shut up. But if you're a Jew asking (and not a journo) you can forget it. Long story short, you need a thick skin (like a rhino) to live in E"Y. Good luck. You'll need it. P.S.: Dirty little secret: Israel treats Xtian tourists better than Jewish tourists. Why? They're more valued. If they're rude to a Jewish tourist, the worst the latter will do is not come back. If they're rude to a goy tourist, the latter could go home and disseminate anti-Semitism. Can't have that. Why not just be civil to everybody? As one Israeli said, we only have so much patience to be nice in us per day and we're going to use it where it can do us the most good. Charming. N. Am. Jews are not seen as brethren coming home, they're seen as rich, spoiled brats who just want to mess up the housing market. My advice, visit, but stay in chu"l. You'll be better off. To those who will yell at me, prove me wrong first before you yell.

Jews have been in the Holy Land since the beginning of time - unlike all those Europeans who mass murdered millions of Palestinians - oops, I mean indigenous Native Tribes that used to rule North America until the 1700s-1800s.

have any of your experiments. Maybe the kind of reception you describe is reserved for grumblers like you. Israelis are,with some exceptions, nice ,if you approach them nicely.

These people are so naive! Israel is not what is sold to you by the Jewish agency, nbn, etc. It is a tough place where the people live like slobs, and will not think twice about treating each other disrespectfully. It is filled with trash, both literally and figuratively, and the vast majority of Israelis wouldn't understand the meaning of respect even if it hit them in the face. My advice is to stay in America, as most of you will eventually wind up back there after you experience firsthand the lovliness of Israel and it's people. Or you could stay and turn into someone like me who was once imbued with Zionism and a love for the Jewish state, but who now can't wait to escape this place! For those of you who will tell me to leave - it's already in the cards...and I don't care to return. So sad that Israel has become a bastion of crude and cunning people who view kindness as a weakness.

To give decency, makes sure, you get decency. Most Israelis are decent, helpful, intelligent people.

"..life among the goyim is no walk in the park." And life among the Jews is Heaven? The only thing that keeps Jews(in Israel) together is a daily fear of war.

Sarah, I'm in exactly the same state of mind as you, but how would you help a person like me who is in a long-term relationship with a cute Israeli girl and wouldn't want to leave her just for more financial security, despite my strong feelings toward going back? Convince her to come back with me (yet we agreed such a move wouldn't be a permanent)? Break up and go find some white-bread JAP girl in the USA whom I don't feel attraction to whatsoever (obviously not)? I'm in a pickle!