The unvarnished reality of one family’s first six months
They didn’t leave because they were unhappy.
They left because they felt pulled.
Pulled by family. Pulled by values. Pulled by the feeling that if they didn’t do this now, they never would.
This is the story of one Anglo family’s move to Israel. Not the glossy version. Not the nightmare version. The real one.
What worked. What didn’t. What surprised them. What they would do differently if they had to do it again.
The Moment It Became Real
The decision didn’t come all at once.
It came in fragments. Late-night Google searches. Conversations that circled the same question for months. “Could we actually do this?” “What would it mean for the kids?” “What if we regret it?”
They weren’t running away from something. They were stepping toward something they couldn’t fully explain.
Once the decision was made, everything moved fast.
Paperwork. Schools. Apartments they had never seen in person. Conversations with friends who thought they were brave, reckless, or both.
And then suddenly, they were landing at Ben-Gurion with suitcases that felt heavier than they should.
Choosing a Neighborhood Without Being There
They thought choosing a neighborhood would be simple.
It wasn’t.
They were deciding between places they had only experienced through WhatsApp groups, Google Maps, and other people’s opinions. Ramat Beit Shemesh Aleph felt familiar. Neve Shamir felt new. Jerusalem felt meaningful but intimidating.
They learned quickly that neighborhoods in Israel aren’t just locations. They are ecosystems.
Where you daven. Where your kids play. How long it takes to get milk. Who you run into on Friday morning. Whether the community feels warm or closed.
What finally made the difference wasn’t a spreadsheet. It was imagining daily life.
Could they walk to shul? Would the kids feel comfortable? Could they picture themselves here on a random Tuesday, not just Shabbat?
That’s how they chose.
Schools, Language, and Letting Go of Control
School was the biggest stress point.
Forms in Hebrew. Deadlines they didn’t understand. Conversations about language support, class size, and whether their kids would fall behind or adapt faster than expected.
They learned that Israeli schools assume resilience. The system moves forward whether you’re ready or not.
What helped was letting go of the idea that everything had to be perfect on day one. The kids struggled at first. Then they surprised everyone.
Within months, Hebrew words started slipping into English sentences. Friends were made. Confidence grew.
Not everything worked smoothly. But it worked.
The Numbers Nobody Likes to Talk About
They thought they understood the financial side.
They didn’t.
Rent deposits were higher than expected. Furniture added up quickly. Appliances, phones, school supplies, transportation. Every small expense stacked.
They learned the difference between rent and ownership very quickly. Between “we’ll manage” and “we need a real budget.”
What surprised them most wasn’t that Israel was expensive. It was how differently the money flowed.
Some things cost more. Some things cost less. But nothing matched their assumptions exactly.
If they had ₪50,000 more, they would have felt calmer. If they had ₪50,000 less, the stress would have been real.
This was the part no one romanticized for them beforehand.
The First Ninety Days
The first three months were a blur.
Bank accounts. Health funds. Phones. IDs. Forms that didn’t translate cleanly. Offices that closed early. Processes that only made sense once you had already done them wrong.
They learned that bureaucracy in Israel isn’t evil. It’s just indifferent.
You don’t fight it. You learn how to move through it.
Once the basics were in place, something shifted.
Life stopped feeling like a project and started feeling like a rhythm.
What Was Harder Than Expected
Missing family moments back home.
Feeling illiterate in a country where everyone else moved confidently.
The emotional exhaustion of being “new” at everything again.
The small daily friction that doesn’t show up on Instagram.
What Was Better Than Expected
Community.
People showing up without being asked.
Kids becoming more independent, faster.
A sense of belonging that didn’t need explanation.
Feeling part of something larger than convenience.
If You’re Considering the Move
If you’re thinking about moving to Israel, here’s what they wish someone had told them:
You don’t need certainty. You need clarity.
You don’t need to know everything. You need to know what matters to you.
There will be moments when you wonder if you made a mistake. That doesn’t mean you did.
And there will be moments when you realize you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
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If you’re serious about making this move, this is what you’ll wish you had before you started.
