Part II. Please vote.

I apologize that I'm not one of those holy Jews who picked up at the first opportunity to live in the Holy Land. It took many visits to convince me that it was worth trying to live here. Therefore, I'm having a hard time deciding how to vote in the poll.

I messed up the poll, so I had Nechama reset the votes. Hmm, except that it's still counting everyone's votes. Aargh. What a mess.

People who are 'living in Israel' may be there for purposes of school, yeshiva/seminary, work, etc.

Goldfish, do you mean people who are permanently living in Israel with citizenship or what?

i was 23 and that was my only time thus far (i didn't vote)

No need to apologize. You're certainly holier than those who still haven't taken the plunge.


Any choice is a good one. It's not like this is for my thesis.

I don't really consider that living there.


Work? What do you mean? Like if your company sent you on a business trip to Israel?


Yes, that you've moved to Israel with the intention of it being permanent. Whether you actually got citizenship or not is your own personal issue.

Transfer or work project that could be from a few months to a few years.

Nah. Or those people who move to Israel with the intention of only staying a year or two. That's not living there, that's being there on an extended vacation.

Kollel couples and others who aren't sure- going with the intent of being there with no pre-stated date of leaving?

i disagree. that's not a vacation but a normal day to day living - working, learning, raising the family. sometimes a year or two extends to more years or to permanently. these families aren't staying in a hotel or at the relatives.

Do you want to make a Visiting Israel Part IIv2 thread and delete this one? is that not worth the work?

Eh, that's like living with someone instead of marrying them. Sure, I suppose every year they could say, another year, another year, and then they never end up leaving, but it's much more likely that they will leave.


Nah, don't bother. But thanks.

Okay, "vacation" was the wrong word. "Extended visit" is better. When you have an intention to stay you have to make a lot more extensive plans and you put down deeper roots.

My first time (in Israel)--age 19. My parents and siblings still have never visited Israel, so I always went alone.

My first time in Israel was at age 14 (by mistake I wrote 13 in the other poll).
I've been to Israel 11 times.
I lived there for 4 1/2 years from ages 29-33.

Goldfish - I feel that you will end up making Aliyah just like Classic never thought she could but did. It's inside you. Just might take a while till you realize that's the place your neshama is the happiest.

It's interesting to note - from this highly unscientific poll it seems people that visit Eretz Yisrael more than 3 times or more are more likely to end up making Aliyah one day... but that makes perfect sense of course.

I don't think Classic is the best example. Living here and making aliyah are two very different things for most people, but for Classic it wasn't much of a decision, for personal reasons.

Details. Details. If it's in you Hashem makes it work out.

I really hope to, but realistically speaking it's not likely until I retire, unless I meet someone who's really gung ho about moving, but that's not too realistic either.

Yeah, never happened before...

rilly?

Just because something has happened to other people, doesn't mean it's realistically likely to happen to me.

Other people have won $100 million in the lottery. Do you think it's realistic for me to believe that I will too?