“Compared to Russia, I think I feel more freedom.” The story of a flight attendant who moved to Israel to work at a startup

What did you do in Krasnoyarsk before moving?

I was born in Divnogorsk, but throughout my childhood and youth I lived in Krasnoyarsk, in the Severny microdistrict. In Divnogorsk he graduated from a technical school, where he met his future wife Rita. After the wedding, we returned to Krasnoyarsk again and lived there until we were 28 years old. I tried myself at different jobs - I was a sales representative and a taxi driver. Later he began to engage in videography - filming weddings. And things started to get complicated. In 2009 we moved to Krasnodar. There were many reasons for this - climate, ecology, the desire to live closer to the center. We just have such a missionary spirit - if we feel that we have exhausted ourselves in some place, we move on. There I also filmed and edited - things were going great.

Why moving to Israel might not be the best idea

As with everything, moving to Israel has its pros and cons. We tried to consider the most diverse: from martial law to weather conditions.

According to the laws of war

If in one of the paragraphs of the article you were not confused by the fact of a whole list of states hostile to Israel, let’s dwell on this topic in more detail. Since Israel is an artificially created state, its borders, from the point of view of international law, have not yet been finally determined, which is one of the reasons for the occasional military actions that occur on the territory of the country.

Probably, only a very young reader has not heard about the Arab-Israeli conflict, which is currently considered resolved, but the last unrest occurred in 2012. The unstable situation in neighboring countries (Iran, Syria, Lebanon, etc.) almost constantly guarantees the presence of martial law in Israel itself. Terrorist attacks by radical opponents are claiming the lives of civilians.

Climatic features

Tourists coming on vacation, under the influence of various circumstances, may not notice the vicissitudes of the weather, but the local population considers the climate in Israel unbearable. Constant rain, slush, where wet, snowless winters flow into dry, hot summers. Therefore, for part of the year, in order to somehow improve the situation, residents rely on a heater, and the other part of the year - on air conditioning.

In addition to weather conditions, a big disadvantage is the lack of fresh water. Back in 2009, the Israeli state concluded an agreement with Turkey on the import of fresh water. There is a special Water Resources Authority that creates rules and laws to save water, including setting monthly water use standards for families, limits on watering lawns and gardens, and introducing a drought tax.

Where should I work then, what should I do?

To live in any country, and even better to live well in it, you need a job with a decent salary. For migrants in most countries, there are difficulties in finding work, and even work in their specialty. And Israel, unfortunately, is no exception.

Before you can get a job, you will need to prove your suitability, and this may take several years. Until then, the ultimate dream is to work as a security guard in a store or as a factory worker for men, and to be a dishwasher or a nurse for elderly Israeli women for women. To add insult to injury, and after a few years have passed, due to various factors, this job may be the only option.

The language barrier

Despite the fact that a large percentage of the population speaks Russian in Israel, and speaking English will further simplify life in this state, Hebrew still remains one of the popular languages ​​of business and everyday communication among Israelis. It is much easier for native speakers to assimilate in a foreign country, but learning this language is not very easy.

Why did you come up with the idea to leave Russia?

This is the same reason - because everything was very good with us. And we felt that we had hit a certain ceiling. In addition, we knew that Rita has Jewish roots. Although, this is a completely different story. Before our wedding, Rita did not know her father - her mother broke up with him while she was still pregnant. As an adult, Rita decided to find him. We only had his full name and address of his first place of work in Vladivostok.

We filed a search warrant for the program “Wait for Me” (yes, I’m serious). And they found him. In Israel. They immediately established a connection with Rita, they often called each other, and our whole family flew to Israel to visit him several times.

Old Jerusalem

What documents need to be prepared?

In fact, emigrating to Israel is a long and difficult process. Anyone wishing to obtain a residence permit, regardless of which category of emigrants they belong to, must undergo a thorough check by the legislative authorities.

The first thing you need to do in order to obtain the right to reside in Israel is to prepare and submit a package of documents. This must be done at the Israeli Embassy in the country of actual residence. To do this, you need to collect the following documentation package:

1. Identity card (national passport).
2. International passport. The main criterion for this document is its expiration date. It should not be less than 180 days from the date of issue of visa documents.
3. Birth certificate. This applies to all family members without exception.
4. A document to confirm various social events, for example, the death of one of the immediate family, marriage or breakage of marital ties.
5. Photo format 35x45 mm.
6. A completed application form containing all the information necessary to obtain a visa.
7. A certificate indicating that the person has no criminal record.
8. Information about the exact residence of relatives of Jewish nationality and their detailed biography. This only applies to people already living there.

It is worth considering that documents concerning relatives must cover three generations on the maternal or paternal side.

More to read:

How to enter a university in Israel?

What is the minimum salary in Israel?

All documentation submitted to the embassy must be completed in English and Hebrew. The authenticity of all submitted documentation must be notarized. In addition, copies of all these documents signed by a notary will be required.

Simultaneously with the submission of documentation, the consul will conduct an interview with those wishing to obtain a visa. During it, the motives that prompted you to apply for permanent residence will be clarified. When communicating with the consul, it is recommended to answer as honestly as possible all questions that will be asked during the conversation. If a visa applicant is found to have lied about one of the questions, the chances of a successful outcome will be significantly reduced.

When filling out the questionnaire, it is recommended to pay more attention to the section on religious affiliation. Israel is very willing to issue entry and residence permits only to Jews. Identifying yourself as a member of another religion may be one of the reasons for refusal of permanent residence. The decision to issue a visa can be positively influenced by family photographs from an album provided to the consul, which can confirm kinship with Jews.

"Law of Return"

But in order to move to Israel for permanent residence and obtain citizenship, we had to prove that they were really relatives. The fact is that in Israel, since 1950, the “Law of Return” has been in force - when every Jew and members of his family have the right to return (repatriate) to their homeland. You need to prove your Jewishness with originals of old documents from parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on. We didn't have a single piece of paper at all. So we had to do a DNA test to confirm their relationship.

In 2019, we passed consular checks at the Israeli Embassy in Moscow, received visas and moved to Israel. Immediately upon arrival at the airport, we were given passports and other documents - that’s how we became citizens of this country.

In addition, all new repatriates are paid a so-called absorption basket for six months (we were paid 6,500 shekels per month for a family of four (148 thousand rubles at the exchange rate as of March 26, 2021 - Newslab). This was enough for renting an apartment and food. The first six months in the country you learn the language, adapt, and look for work.

On the streets of Jerusalem

Permanent residence permit for employment

Legal employment in Israel is possible only with a B1 visa. Only a young or middle-aged person (from 23 to 55 years old) can apply for it. A visa is issued to only one family member.

This is what a work visa to Israel looks like

You can obtain a visa on the basis of an agreement with an Israeli employer. If necessary, the contract and visa are extended. But in any case, this option does not provide prospects for obtaining permanent residence and citizenship in Israel.

Sample employment contract in Hebrew

How are Israelis different from Russians?

Here people are less concerned about appearance. They can walk around in whatever they like and drive simple cars. These show-offs that we are used to (fashionable clothes, expensive watches, cool cars) do not work here at all. They are simply not noticed. Show-offs are expressed in something else and, to be honest, I haven’t figured out what yet. Maybe in the manifestation of emotions - when they swear, they are very emotional, scream a lot, wave their arms. Yes, they are very hot-tempered, but at the same time, they quickly move away. In general, these are very cheerful, sympathetic, simple people.

Also, Israelis are very noisy. At first this really annoyed us. Even sitting in a closed car at a traffic light, you can clearly hear a conversation on a Bluetooth headset from another car. They are talking on the phone near the entrance, and you hear it on the fifth floor. I’m already silent about the man sitting next to me on the bench, whose phone rang.

“They don’t care about the opinions of others”

They just don't think about others. Israelis litter a lot, it is not their custom to clean up after themselves, and they don’t care that other people will come to this bench now, but it’s dirty here. They just don’t think that it will bother someone. They think more about themselves, about their comfort. Perhaps this is part of their upbringing - the children here are loud and very free. Here they don’t punish, they don’t hiss: “Don’t yell, keep your voice down.” The education system is geared towards rewards. My youngest son Efrem went to first grade here - with his Russian mentality, he sits at his desk, hands folded, listening to everything. And his friends walk, run, talk, do whatever they want. And they are not prohibited. But at the same time, they encourage Ephraim for good behavior.

Cars of this size are very popular in Israel. There are so few parking spots here. Guys, men, men ride these pipettes. And they’re not scared

"The democratic system works"

Another difference is freedom. Here you can express your opinion and nothing will happen to you for it. I think this is partly due to the fact that, compared to Russia, there were not so many repressions within the country, and people, in principle, are not afraid of the authorities and the security forces. On the contrary, there is very strong respect for soldiers and security forces. The country is small, everyone understands that these are defenders, so they have honor and glory. A person in uniform can be fed for free in a restaurant, transported on a bus, and the like.

And the government itself is open to people, in my opinion. After moving, I subscribed to the deputy’s Telegram channel - I calmly wrote to him, he responded, and the problem began to be resolved. I just see with my own eyes how quickly current issues can be resolved thanks to the work of deputies. I guess it was only here, in Israel, that I understood why they were needed.

Striking differences between Israel and Russia?

The service here is poor. I think this is due, again, to the lack of show-off. Yes, they are less concerned about the service, and this is, first of all, honest. No one will fawn over you - not in the store, not in the hairdresser, not at the airport. In Russia, the client is always right, the buyer is the center of the universe. Here you are an equal. Of course, on the one hand this is fair, but on the other hand it is a little unpleasant on the part of the consumer.

We have an acquaintance here, a very wealthy man. So, he said that he specially travels to Ukraine or the CIS countries just to feel rich. Because here, even if the Israelis see that he has money, no one will prostrate himself in front of him, provide special honors and services. In most cases this is true. Of course, there are advanced repatriates from Europe and the CIS countries - they try to provide high service, but their businesses are still in the minority.

Synagogues in Israel are like Orthodox churches in Russia; stand every few blocks. Both big and small

Coinmama

I found an announcement that the cryptocurrency startup Coinmama is looking for a Customer Analyst on Facebook. First, they sent me a test by email, then there was a telephone conversation with HR, then I was invited to interviews, first with the head of my department, and then with the founders of the startup.

The habit of looking decent made itself felt - I was immediately noticeable among other candidates. Israelis can wear flip-flops or very light clothing to an interview, but I came in a suit and hairdo.

Later, the wife of one of the founders (a French woman and the head of the customer support department) said that my appearance played a role in the decision - it showed the seriousness of my intentions.

Israelis love to talk about unrelated topics during interviews. For example, I talked about my experience working in a venture fund, about travel and the countries I visited, how and why I moved.

My immediate boss once said that he would rather hire a less qualified person with the right vibe than a super smart and experienced employee who doesn’t know how to communicate with people.

Israelis love to communicate and love their work, so it is important for them to come to a friendly team every day.

Work environment

The company's office is located 15 km from Tel Aviv. This is a standard startup - the kind they show in movies. For example, you can come to work with a dog. The office always has breakfast cereals, fruits, sweets, tea and coffee. In addition, the management pays for meals and travel on public transport.

On Thursdays (in Israel the work week lasts from Sunday to Thursday) we organize Happy Hour - after the end of the working day we play table football in the office, eat all sorts of snacks, drink beer, and chat. We also celebrate national holidays together, play bowling, go to the beach, and have costume parties on Halloween and Purim.

Beginning of work

In Israel, the interview process at one company can take months – this is normal practice.

I was lucky - the company urgently needed people, as the demand for cryptocurrency was growing exponentially (it was the end of 2021). My task was to check user accounts, confirm their reliability and allow them to purchase.

When I moved to Israel (I managed to work for the company for six months), the crypto-hype happened—Bitcoin was worth $20 thousand.

In just a few months, our traffic has grown from hundreds of customers to tens of thousands! We came in the morning, opened the system and groaned, had lunch at the computers, and only at the end of the working day somehow cleared the queue of clients.

We began to expand our staff. I enjoyed teaching new students, doing trainings and presentations.

When the hype died down, we discovered that we had gone from a small startup of 12 people to a company with 50 employees. Management started structuring the staff, and I was offered to become that leader in the risk management department. I've been working in this position for almost a year now.

It is incredibly interesting to stand at the origins of the introduction of cryptocurrency into the global financial system. Although this area is unstable, the realization that “you are part of the revolution” is one of the reasons to be in a good mood every day.

Working day

My work starts at nine in the morning and ends at six in the evening. I am a team leader, so I manage a team of five people. Here are my responsibilities.

• I make the team’s schedule - we work in shifts: some during the day, some in the evening, since many clients live in the USA;
• I make presentations, update meetings, where I talk about new procedures in our work process, changes in legislation, news about the company and other departments;
• distribute work and responsibilities;
• I conduct trainings for the entire company on the topic “how to recognize money laundering.”

And my department is engaged in checking people who want to open an account with us and buy or sell cryptocurrency. Just like in a bank, clients provide information about themselves and identification documents. Our task is to make sure that there is no fraud.

Differences in work

Compared to Russia, it seems to me that I feel more freedom - no one is standing over me, checking what and how I do, asking why, where and with whom I eat. I can go outside with my computer or stay in the office.

Once I spent almost the entire day in the meeting room, sitting with a laptop in a bean bag chair - I had to give a presentation about blockchain (once a month one of the employees prepares a speech on various cryptocurrency topics). No one disturbed me once during the day or asked why I wasn’t working at my usual place or what I was doing in general. Colleagues and bosses trust you.

“You can’t feel like a customer”

Let me give you an example. We recently called an electrician to fix the wiring; he came and with all his appearance showed that he was doing us a favor - he walked slowly, grumbled, and broke our oven. And he didn’t even bat an eye - he broke and broke. It turns out that people who do you a favor do not feel obligated to you. "I'm doing you a favor, you should be grateful to me." And in such a situation, you don’t feel like a customer - you just invited a person who is doing a favor.

This is the East, everything here is connected. A person who is used to getting his hair cut in one barbershop will get his hair cut there all his life. Because this is his neighbor Yossi and they have known each other for a long time. Everything here is protected, thanks to the sundress. Therefore, people feel good, they don’t care how they provide services - one way or another they will come to him for a haircut next time. Simply because he is their acquaintance or an acquaintance of an acquaintance.

“You get used to bombs in the sky”

It is safe here, despite the fact that Israel is surrounded by enemies. But, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, I feel safer here than in Russia. Although we had already come under bombs - literally a couple of months after moving, we were fired upon from the Gaza Strip. At the same time, we live in the center of the country, bombs fly here very rarely. Mostly it goes to the south of Israel, on the border with Gaza - there, consistently every two months, Israelis have to run to bomb shelters. By the way, in modern Israeli houses there are security rooms in every apartment - with reinforced concrete walls, emergency lighting, armored windows and doors. Even if the entire building collapses, the skeleton of these rooms will remain. There are also bomb shelters in the basements of old houses and on the streets in the form of separate buildings.

So, despite the fact that we ourselves experienced a terrible feeling (the howling of a siren, rockets shot down in the sky), after a couple of days the fear disappeared. This is probably due to the fact that you do not doubt the work of the army, that you, an ordinary person, will be protected. Are you confident in the police? It will never happen here that they will plant drugs on you or fabricate some kind of case. Perhaps this can be encountered if you move in high circles. But for most ordinary people, a policeman is a friend, they are loved and respected here.

Army for everyone. Everyone serves here - both girls and boys. It is necessary. The service life is three years on average, depending on the type of military service. The army in Israel is very prestigious. Soldiers are treated with respect; the state itself gives many preferences to those who have served. And the most important reason why people want to go there is that they get advanced modern professions there. There is no hazing there; military personnel are treated with respect.

Policemen

Emigration to Israel from Russia for a non-Jew

Judging by the reviews and comments from a huge number of immigrants, not only those with Jewish blood can leave. A number of reasons allow persons of any nationality to obtain citizenship.

As mentioned above, you can become an Israeli and improve your standard of living from Russia and any country in the world by marrying a resident, by obtaining refugee status, or by finding employment in a local company. You can also become a Jew - convert to Judaism. The procedure is long and quite complicated, requiring a change in lifestyle.

When planning to make Israel your second home, you need to remember that an ideal country does not exist. Each state has advantages and disadvantages, which immigrants write about on various websites. In order not to be disappointed in their decision, those wishing to go to the Holy Land should carefully study different opinions and life experiences. The main advantages of living in Israel are as follows:

• dynamics of economic growth;
• low unemployment;
• social protection to which every citizen has the right;
• European salaries;
• high pensions;
• leading medicine;
• low crime rate;
• warm climate;
• world-class resorts;
• visa-free travel with 150 countries.

Having enjoyed the advantages, it’s worth moving on to the disadvantages of living in Israel:

• obligation to serve in the army for girls and boys;
• terrorist threat due to a long military conflict with neighboring countries;
• limited freedom of movement due to aggressive neighboring states;
• differentiated taxes;
• communication - only aviation;
• expensive real estate, food and utilities;
• the need to know Hebrew;
• strong religious influence on the internal life of the country.

"Shabbat Shalom!"

In Israel, non-working days are Friday and Saturday (Shabbat). The working week starts on Sunday. From a religious point of view, you cannot work, drive, or even turn on the light on Shabbat. In principle, most people try to adhere to this - some from a spiritual point of view, so as not to offend God, some from the point of view of tradition. In general, on this day almost everything is closed (large shops, restaurants), public transport does not operate, and so on. On this day, people relax, communicate with loved ones, go to the sea, to nature. And someone is grilling kebabs on the balcony. Yes, it is not prohibited here. You can safely barbecue. But at the same time, I did not see an open fire in the grill - basically everyone uses an air grill.

"A world without borders"

Every Israeli citizen has a Darkon - this is a foreigner that gives you the opportunity to visit about 160 countries without a visa. Buy a ticket and fly. One of the disadvantages of Darkon is that entry into Arab and some other countries is prohibited. That is, you will not be able, as a Russian, to freely travel to Iran and drink coffee there. But, to be honest, we don’t really want to.

Having moved to Krasnodar, we suddenly realized that we could live differently - in a world where everything is nearby. (Moscow - an hour flight, mountains, sea, Europe). And when we moved to Israel, the closeness to the rest of the world increased even more.

Not only have foreign countries become closer, there are a lot of cool places in Israel itself, and everything is nearby. Three seas (Dead, Red and Mediterranean), forests, deserts, mountains. There are no ticks or mosquitoes here, so you can relax in nature. In winter you can even go skiing. But, of course, there is nostalgia for the Siberian forests and Krasnoyarsk Pillars.

Advantages of living in Israel

Emigration from Russia to Israel allows you to get the following advantages:

• high level of social protection;
• relatively little crime;
• one of the best medicine in the world;
• warm climate;
• the opportunity to live in an area rich in various historical monuments;
• obtaining Israeli citizenship without having to renounce your previous citizenship;
• state support for repatriates during the first year of residence.

If the conditions of emigration do not allow you to become a citizen immediately after arrival, you can first obtain a residence permit. Having lived in this way for three years, you can apply for it.

What are you doing now? Was it difficult to find a job?

At first (about two months) we worked part-time - we looked after elderly people (go to the store, help around the house, etc.).
For three hours of work a day I received 100 shekels (2 thousand rubles). About 2,500 shekels (56 thousand rubles) came out per month. But it was a part-time job. Of course, the first time can be difficult. If you had some kind of status in the country of origin, then here you can start your career by cleaning the streets and caring for pensioners. It’s hard for people to land from high places, so not everyone can handle it. But those who endure, they then rise. We also started with this, but literally after a couple of months we managed to find a job in our profession - now I work with video, do content marketing, Rita works in the office. We get about 16,000 shekels (366 thousand rubles) for two. Also here we started our YouTube channel “Russians in Israel”, where we tell future repatriates about all the intricacies of the move.

Finding an apartment and a job

Looking for an apartment and a job, even when you have the same documents as an ordinary Israeli, is very difficult.

In principle, it is not difficult to find a job, the only question is what kind. If you are satisfied with the service sector (restaurants, cleaning services, nannies or cashiers in stores), then you don’t even need to know the language. And if you are interested in the high tech field, then you need a decent knowledge of English and work experience. And it is advisable to be in the right place at the right time.

By the way, in Israel they love Russians very much and believe that they work very well and work hard - if you are qualified and educated, they will gladly accept you.

I found my first job and apartment very quickly – in about two weeks. But the truth of life is that I had to work as a waitress, and the apartment was 15 km from Tel Aviv.

But it took three months to find a job at a cryptocurrency startup. I had no goal of settling in this particular area, I just wanted to work in high tech, and this company was the first to offer me a suitable position for good money.

First apartment

Before renting an apartment, I lived in a hostel, it was free. But after finishing the program, it was necessary to find an apartment (the search takes from one to three months).

The difficulty was that repatriates receive citizenship after completing the program: few people want to rent out housing to people without Israeli documents and permanent work. But there were good people who believed in the honesty of the two girls undergoing the repatriation program and entered into an agreement.

On average, a three-room apartment in Tel Aviv will cost two thousand dollars a month. Why exactly a three-room apartment? Because living with neighbors is cheaper - a one-room studio will cost one and a half thousand.

Job search

I searched through Facebook, LinkedIn and the Secret Tel Aviv website. There are many communities on Facebook with job offers in Israel, for example, Job for multilinguals in Israel. On LinkedIn, I looked for HR managers of companies I would like to work for and sent them a CV.

In one of the large IT companies in Israel, I went through six stages of interviews, spent more than a month on them, and then they simply did not open this position.

They wanted to hire me at another startup, but it was a part-time job. I had to refuse because the money offered was not even enough to pay for the apartment.

And in the third company they simply called me the day before the interview and said that they had filled the position with another person.

What are your main expenses?

Rent of a 3-room apartment in the center of the country near Tel Aviv - 4000-4500 shekels (~91-103 thousand rubles), utilities (electricity, water) - about 1000 shekels (23 thousand rubles). Communications - Internet 100 shekels (2 thousand rubles), for mobile communications - about 50 shekels (1 thousand rubles) per person. Arnona (municipal land tax) - about 400 shekels (9 thousand rubles) per month. This money goes to the infrastructure of the local area - fountains, trimmed lawns, lighting, playgrounds, roads. The cost of the apartment depends on the area of ​​the apartment - the larger the square footage. meters, the higher the tax.

Our employer pays for health insurance for us—about 180 shekels (4 thousand rubles) per person. We spend about 4,000 shekels (91 thousand rubles) on food per month. But we love to eat very much, we don’t skimp. Going to a cafe with your family costs about 300 shekels (6 thousand rubles).

Another nuance of Israel is that municipal kindergartens here are open only until 14:00. If you need to leave your child until the evening, you pay about 1,500 shekels (33 thousand rubles) every month for an extension. By the way, maternity leave is very short - only three paid months. And a maximum of six months after giving birth, a woman must go to work, otherwise she will lose her job. Therefore, there are many private nurseries where very young children are sent (about 2,000 shekels (46 thousand rubles) per month). Extended school is also paid - 800 shekels (18 thousand rubles) per month.

Israel is a deeply religious country. How does it feel?

Here society is divided into two camps - secular (for Jewish culture) and religious (for the laws of the Torah). Ultra-Orthodox Jews stand out very much - they wear different clothes (sidelocks, black hats and robes) and live a completely separate life - their own communities and neighborhoods. Most of them do not work - they live on scholarships and study all their lives in a kollel (a higher Talmudic educational institution), where they study Torah.

In the religious understanding, a Jew is both a nationality and a religion. Because of this, national tension is felt - either you are a Jew or you are Russian. Therefore, I can say that slight discrimination exists. Again, depending on how you feel about it. We are quite easy, we don’t strain.

Orthodox Jews

Details about repatriation

Jewish immigration to Israel is approved by a law developed specifically for these purposes. According to it, anyone who is a Jew or has Jewish roots can return to their historical homeland. This law stipulates that a person who meets the following requirements can be considered a Jew:

• professing a religion such as Judaism;
• born of a woman of Jewish ethnicity.

In addition, according to this law, spouses, children and grandchildren of Jews can also move to Israel permanently.

A person classified as a repatriate has the right to seek help from one of the specialized agencies. Their main task is the immigration of Jews to Israel and assistance in its implementation. It is as follows:

• assistance in transporting personal belongings;
• provision of air tickets;
• registration of all necessary documents after arrival in Israel;
• preparation of documentation necessary for immigration;
• assistance in finding employment for the most suitable place of work and position, based on education, specialty and availability of vacancies.

Regardless of what service is provided, the repatriate does not pay for it. All expenses are borne by the organization itself.