Sunday, March 13, 2005

Personal notes and the road to aliyah

It has been a long while since I posted. International bias against Israel is as strong as ever. Anti-Semitism in Europe, particulary in the United Kingdom, seems to be spreading or at least is more openly out there. Anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic propoganda to rival that of the Nazis is seen daily in the Arab world. I have little hope for peace anytime soon. I fear the threat Iran now poses to Israel and fear even more that dealing with that threat is being postponed way too long. I should write about these things. I should rant and protest and publish and get my thoughts out into the universe.

I have been living in "interesting times" since my last post. I moved to Cincinnati the first weekend of last November for a new job. I have since watched the company that was supposed to be my last employer in America decide to downsize. Development Services was done away with and one person from that group moved into what I thought was to be my position. I expect to be laid off this week. That will likely mean more time for writing.

It also makes me wonder why I moved for a job. Promises made, promises broken. I am now counting my pennies. I am very close to the amount Nefesh b'Nefesh claims I need to make aliyah and survive the first six months, at least if I sell some things that I can easily sell (radio equipment, my car). I have the huge advantage of supportive family in Israel. While I will continue to go through the motions of looking for a job here or back in Raleigh I am more and more thinking that aliyah sooner rather than later may be the right answer for me.

As soon as I can get my ducks in a row, meaning a "pilot trip" (including finding housing), settling my affairs in the States, doing appropriate Israeli paperwork and wending my way through the bureaucracy, I could leave America forever. Don't get me wrong, I love America as much as any other American. It is a country that is continuing to export the jobs in my field at a breakneck pace and three nations: India, Ireland, and Israel, are the main recepients. Israel is getting a lot of the jobs requiring the highest level of skill and guess where I fit in? Heck, I can be unemployed in Israel just as well as I can be unemployed here. It seems I am more likely to be gainfully employed long term in Israel. Oh, and yes, I even have a prospect there. Employed or not at least I would be accomplishing one of my life goals.

I had always assumed that I would only go after paying off all my debts. After all American wages are higher than Israeli wages. It would be more difficult in Israel, right? Maybe not. I have averaged 6-7 months of actual work the past three years. Even if I had to take a 50% pay cut with 12 months a year of work maybe I could still make progress. The last five months have helped but they have not helped enough.

So... aliyah may be happening soon and my ability to write about Israel may increase temporarily during a new job search coupled with perhaps planning the big move. We'll see...

Oh, and yes, the Palestinians stilll hate us as does the Arab world at large. There is no real or meaningful movement to peace. Oh, and yes, I am considering moving into a war zone. Such is the life of a Jewish American of Israeli parentage who has watched her family, little by little, do precisely the same. Even my mother speaks of at least splitting time and she is in Israel right now. Why not me already?