For many newcomers to Israel, settling in means learning how to navigate systems that are unfamiliar and often difficult to interpret. Housing is usually the first major test, and the mortgage process can quickly become one of the most complex steps in building a stable life.
Navigating mortgages
(Footage: Yaron Sharon)
That was the experience of Terry Irene Ross and Yossi Granot, who immigrated to Israel in 2005 after years of professional work in the United States. Today, Ross, 75, and Granot, 80, live in Moshav Ramat Raziel near Jerusalem, but the path to stability unfolded gradually and was shaped by repeated challenges. Both arrived with extensive professional backgrounds. Ross worked as an investment adviser, while Granot spent decades in aerospace and technology before founding a software company that continues to operate internationally.
Like many newcomers whose financial lives span more than one country, they assumed their experience would translate smoothly. Instead, they encountered a system that was not always equipped to interpret complex financial profiles, particularly in cases involving people with different tax residency and documentation originating outside Israel. A prolonged dispute with the local cooperative over land rights further complicated matters, drawing the couple into more than a decade of legal proceedings. As a result, routine financial steps became intertwined with approvals, interpretations and procedural constraints. When they attempted to move forward with mortgage-related steps in 2016 and again in 2020, the process stalled. “It was not that we could not meet the requirements,” Ross said. “It was that our situation was not being fully understood.”
According to the couple, financial documentation tied to another tax residency was often reviewed in isolation, without sufficient context. Rigid procedures left little room to explain how different elements fit together, leading to delays that are familiar to many newcomers navigating Israel’s financial system. Their experience began to change after they turned to Bank of Jerusalem. Rather than treating the case as an exception, the bank reviewed the full picture, paying closer attention to documentation, timelines and the interaction between legal and financial constraints. “Once someone understood how everything connected, the process became clearer,” Ross said. “That changed the experience.”
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'Working with Bank of Jerusalem helped bring order to a process that had previously felt fragmented'
(Photo: Yaron Sharon)
The couple say working with Bank of Jerusalem brought structure to a process that had previously felt fragmented. Communication improved, and decisions were made based on a broader understanding of their circumstances, reducing the risk of procedural errors. Ross notes that her familiarity with Bank of Jerusalem extended back several years. During her law studies in Israel, she discussed the family’s situation with branch management and was referred to professionals within the bank who had experience handling cases involving complex documentation and other tax residency. “That guidance helped prevent mistakes,” she said. “When you are new to the system, that matters.”
As the legal dispute continued, Ross completed her legal training and became a licensed attorney in Israel. Last week, she finalized a capitalization payment that transferred responsibility for the property from the cooperative to the Land Registry. “At that stage, everything had to be done correctly,” she said. “There was no margin for error.”
A similar emphasis on understanding and continuity appears in the experience of Joshua Portman, a Jerusalem-based attorney who immigrated to Israel in 1990. Portman, 60, arrived after completing legal studies in the United States and initially planned to stay briefly. He remained, married an Israeli and later established a boutique law firm that often works with individuals whose financial affairs involve other tax residency. “In my work, I see how often problems start because the system does not fully understand the background,” Portman said. “That is especially true when documentation comes from outside Israel.” Portman says his long-standing relationship with Bank of Jerusalem developed over time, shaped by consistency rather than any single transaction. He notes that familiarity with both the customer and the regulatory environment can help prevent issues before they arise. “Once misunderstandings are addressed early, everything becomes more manageable,” he said.
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Josh Portman being welcomed by Bank of Jerusalem Branch Manager Lior Cohen
(Photo: Yaron Sharon)
Taken together, these experiences show how mortgage procedures can shift once documentation, tax residency and legal constraints are fully understood. In the cases described, Bank of Jerusalem became part of the process at a point when earlier efforts had stalled, bringing added clarity to a system that can be difficult for newcomers to navigate. As Israel continues to absorb new immigrants, similar encounters with the financial system are likely to remain part of the settling-in experience.