Israel
Regards from Israel: Surveys…and more surveys
By BRUCE BROWN Israel ranked among the top five worst countries to work in, according to the William Russell International Insurance Agency. Really?! The survey says we work an average of 36.6 hours per week. Is that all? With a minimum of twelve days annual leave. Is that so bad?
But we scored quite high for maternity leave with twenty-seven weeks. Now I work much more than the average. Much! And I get a whopping twenty-two vacation days a year. Same for my wife who also enjoyed the benefits of a long maternity leave. Twice! The other four worst countries rounding out this survey are” Mexico (the worst), followed by the United States (yes the U.S.), Greece, and then South Korea. Quite frankly I wasn’t overly impressed with this survey. Its criteria and reasoning are somewhat weak.
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In another survey, Tel Aviv made the UBS Global Real Estate 2022 Bubble list… being one of the top ten cities with a severe housing bubble. Given Tel Aviv’s 2021 rank as the most expensive city in the world, according to the Economist magazine and my wallet, this is really no surprise. To wit, housing prices increased threefold between 2001 and 2017. And, during 2022 – climbed another 18%. Also included in the top ten severe housing bubble cities are Toronto and Vancouver. Winnipeg is not on the list.
And, in another survey, this one by Erudera, the education search platform – Israel is the fifth most educated country in the world with more than 50% of Israelis holding a higher education degree. This despite Rabbi Yitzchak Godknofp, the United Torah Judaism’s (UTJ) party chairman, claiming that math and English studies have no effect on Israel’s economy. Really?! In his attempt to defend these core subjects not being taught in Orthodox schools. By the way, Canada was in top spot with almost 60% of Canucks holding a tertiary degree. And in Canada all schools teach the 3R’s..
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Back to Ben & Jerry’s. One of my favorite subjects when the big brouhaha (love that word) erupted back in late 2021. Something about Unilever, owner of the ice cream maker, placing limitations on where their Israeli franchisee can sell ice cream due to borders, demarcation lines and other nouveau-political considerations. Quite frankly that whole story was overblown and overcomplicated. Yada. Yada. Yada. One year later and the over-priced ice cream is still available throughout Israel. Yes, I even saw the tiny pint (is a pint tiny or large?) on sale in Jerusalem kiosks, one of the contested areas. Geopolitical ice cream battles be damned. I will continue to enjoy my Chunky Monkey, Cherry Garcia, Half Baked and New York Super Chunk. Actually. To be honest. I am very ‘vanilla’ with my ice cream. Preferring Cookies & Cream, Chocolate. And. Well. Vanilla. I digress.
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Talking about demarcation. Israel just signed a historic maritime border agreement with Lebanon. Enabling both countries to enjoy the abundance of gas located deep bellow their respective territorial waters. This means we can continue to explore our Northern Karish gas field without the risk of Hezbollah missiles. And we will obtain royalties from Lebanon’s Kana field. Albeit still indirect as there is no peace treaty. According to Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Energy Minister Karin Elharrar, money will flow into the state’s treasury, our energy independence is secured and our security and economy strengthened. Not bad. And just before elections (the cynic in me). Israel, the land of milk and honey and natural gas.
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Here’s yet another survey. Also by William Russell. Israel has the sixth highest number of practicing dentists per 1,000 people. So why do I pay so much for dental care? Whereas Canada has one of the lowest numbers of practicing dentists. Actually, when comparing the costs of braces, fillings and tooth extractions -ouch, ouch and triple ouch- with my fellow Canadians they can’t believe how cheap it is here. Maybe I should start a dental tourism business. You know. Israel the land of milk and honey and low-cost dentistry.
Regards From Israel,
Bruce
Israel
Join the Masa Canadian Professionals Volunteers Program!
You are invited on a 4-week volunteer program in Israel from October 14th to November 10th. Help rebuild Israeli society post-October 7th over Canadian Thanksgiving, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. Spend three weeks based in Tel Aviv and one week based in Eilat!
This program is exclusively for Jewish professionals aged 22-50, working at Jewish organizations or remotely in any field.
The cost of the program is $150 USD to the organizer and $50 USD to Masa. Participants will receive a Masa grant of $2650 USD that is applied to participation and to cover additional costs. The cost of the program includes housing, meals while volunteering, transportation on travel days, health insurance, leadership training, and more. Volunteers are required to commit to the volunteer schedule, with the understanding that there will be the flexibility to work remotely for 8 specific days during the program. Flights are not included but you get a 15% discount from El Al.
Sign up here: https://www.masaisrael.org/go/canada-jp/ space is limited!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make a difference and connect with fellow professionals. For more information, contact Mahla Finkleman, National Manager of Partnerships and Outreach, Masa Canada, atmfinkleman@ujafed.org and/or Sam Goodman, Senior Manager of Israel Engagement, sgoodman@ujafed.org.
Save the Dates for Info Sessions:
- Thursday, September 5th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
- Wednesday, September 11th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
Join us in Israel for a meaningful and impactful experience with Masa!
weeks based in Tel Aviv and one week based in Eilat!
This program is exclusively for Jewish professionals aged 22-50, working at Jewish organizations or remotely in any field.
The cost of the program is $150 USD to the organizer and $50 USD to Masa. Participants will receive a Masa grant of $2650 USD that is applied to participation and to cover additional costs. The cost of the program includes housing, meals while volunteering, transportation on travel days, health insurance, leadership training, and more. Volunteers are required to commit to the volunteer schedule, with the understanding that there will be the flexibility to work remotely for 8 specific days during the program. Flights are not included but you get a 15% discount from El Al.
Sign up here: https://www.masaisrael.org/go/canada-jp/ space is limited!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make a difference and connect with fellow professionals. For more information, contact Mahla Finkleman, National Manager of Partnerships and Outreach, Masa Canada, atmfinkleman@ujafed.org and/or Sam Goodman, Senior Manager of Israel Engagement, sgoodman@ujafed.org.
Save the Dates for Info Sessions:
- Thursday, September 5th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
- Wednesday, September 11th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
Join us in Israel for a meaningful and impactful experience with Masa!
Features
New website for Israelis interested in moving to Canada
By BERNIE BELLAN (May 21, 2024) A new website, titled “Orvrim to Canada” (https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/ovrim-en) has been receiving hundreds of thousands of visits, according to Michal Harel, operator of the website.
In an email sent to jewishpostandnews.ca Michal explained the reasons for her having started the website:
“In response to the October 7th events, a group of friends and I, all Israeli-Canadian immigrants, came together to launch a new website supporting Israelis relocating to Canada. “Our website, https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/, offers a comprehensive platform featuring:
- Step-by-step guides for starting the immigration process
- Settlement support and guidance
- Community connections and networking opportunities
- Business relocation assistance and expert advice
- Personal blog sharing immigrants’ experiences and insights
“With over 200,000 visitors and media coverage from prominent Israeli TV channels and newspapers, our website has already made a significant impact in many lives.”
A quick look at the website shows that it contains a wealth of information, almost all in Hebrew, but with an English version that gives an overview of what the website is all about.
The English version also contains a link to a Jerusalem Post story, published this past February, titled “Tired of war? Canada grants multi-year visas to Israelis” (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-787914#google_vignette) That story not only explains the requirements involved for anyone interested in moving to Canada from Israel, it gives a detailed breakdown of the costs one should expect to encounter.
(Updated May 28)
We contacted Ms. Harel to ask whether she’s aware whether there has been an increase in the number of Israelis deciding to emigrate from Israel since October 7. (We want to make clear that we’re not advocating for Israelis to emigrate; we’re simply wanting to learn more about emigration figures – and whether there has been a change in the number of Israelis wanting to leave the country.)
Ms. Harel referred us to a website titled “Globes”: https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001471862
The website is in Hebrew, but we were able to translate it into English. There is a graph on the website showing both numbers of immigrants to Israel and emigrants.
The graph shows a fairly steady rate of emigration from 2015-2022, hovering in the 40,000 range, then in 2023 there’s a sudden increase in the number of emigrants to 60,000.
According to the website, the increase in emigrants is due more to a change in the methodology that Israel has been using to count immigrants and emigrants than it is to any sudden upsurge in emigration. (Apparently individuals who had formerly been living in Israel but who may have returned to Israel just once a year were being counted as having immigrated back to Israel. Now that they are no longer being counted as immigrants and instead are being treated as emigrants, the numbers have shifted radically.)
Yet, the website adds this warning: “The figures do not take into account the effects of the war, since it is still not possible to identify those who chose to emigrate following it. It is also difficult to estimate what Yalad Yom will produce – on the one hand, anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews and Israelis around the world reminds everyone where the Jewish home is. On the other hand, the bitter truth we discovered in October is that it was precisely in Israel, the safe fortress of the Jewish people, that a massacre took place reminding us of the horrors of the Holocaust. And if that’s not enough, the explosive social atmosphere and the difference in the state budget deficit, which will inevitably lead to a heavy burden of taxes and a reduction in public services, may convince Zionist Israelis that they don’t belong here.”
Thus, as much as many of us would be disappointed to learn that there is now an upsurge in Israelis wanting to move out of the country, once reliable figures begin to be produced for 2024, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that is the case – which helps to explain the tremendous popularity of Ms. Harel’s website.
Features
Message from a Palestinian in Gaza to protesters: “You’re hurting the Palestinian cause”
A very brave Palestinian who was willing to put his name to paper and write an article for Newsweek Magazine has exposed the utter hypocrisy of all those students – and others, who have been setting up encampments across the U.S. – and now Canada, too.
You can read the article at https://www.newsweek.com/message-gazan-campus-protesters-youre-hurting-palestinian-cause-opinion-1894313
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