FALL 2014 What’s Up Israel International Community Newsletter Newcomer’s Issue Wanted: Since we produce this newsletter and run the Facebook page all on a volunteer basis, we are always looking for volunteers to help. Your ideas: Tell us what you would like to read about in our newsletter and Facebook page. From the Editor’s Desk Contact us with your ideas at [email protected] Moving to a new country can be quite challenging. As such, we are here to make it easier for you. In this newsletter we have attempted to address as many issues as possible that one may encounter in adjusting to life in Israel including shopping for food and other personal needs, healthcare, traveling about the country and much more. You are arriving just in time for the Jewish High Holidays starting with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Shana Tova! (Happy New Year!) And Welcome to Israel!!!! Check us out on Mieksje de Bont Facebook! Save the Date! Like our page to stay tuned to current events, trips and Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Sukkot activities! Sept 24th – 26th Oct. 3rd-4th Oct 8th – 15th 21 WHAT’S UP ISRAEL FALL 2014 Settling In Once here in Israel, you face the daunting task of collection of rustic furniture. Home Center in Seven Star moving into your new house or apartment, setting up Mall and in Gaash has a good collection of services and making it a nice cozy environment that electronics and household items. feels like Home Sweet Home. We hope that the information in this section helps you get a good start to Mechanic – You can find an English-speaking Mechanic settling in. in the Herzliya Pituach Industrial area at the Goodyear sign across from Meat Bar Restaurant. They even make Internet - There are 2 providers HOT and BEZEK. The house calls and have a full detailing service. 052-5253601 English HOT technical support help line is 077-707-8406 (Eran) 09-9556361 or *6939 on your phone. Bezek is 1-800-014-014 or *3014. Make sure you’re getting 12 meg or higher. Worship Services – Catholic church services can be found nearby at: St. Peter’s Catholic Church at Mifrats Cell Phone: Celcom, Orange, etc. are located at the area Shlomo 1 with services in English on Sunday morning at malls. Celcom in Netanya near Ikea has a huge office 9am and in Spanish at 6:30 pm on Saturday; St. where you get better customer service in English. Anthony’s Catholic Church at 51 Yaphet St. in Tel Aviv Golantelecom.co.il provides the easiest and cheapest – Jaffa has a services in English on Saturday at 11:00 am cellular service. The only hitch is, you have to have an and 7:30 pm and on Sunday’s at 10:30 am. St. Anthony Israeli credit card to sign up. (Do talk to a representative also holds masses in Eritrean, Indian (Konkani), Filipino to ask if you can sign up without an Israeli credit card). (Tagalog?) and Arabic (see www.jaffatsparish.com) and a small chapel in Herzliya Pituach called St. Francis, Drinking water - If you don’t want to install your own located at 25 Shaar Hayam, provides mass in English at water filter on the kitchen faucet, you can either buy it by 6:30 pm (Filipino Community) and at 6:30 pm on the bottle/case (the cheapest alternative) at the Saturdays in Hindi? for the Indian Community. supermarket or call Mey Eden water service. They will Nondenominational worship services can be found at bring you a water machine with hot and cold-water Christian Community Fellowship – an international spouts. Call *2929 or * 5335 http://www.meyeden.co.il English speaking Christian Fellowship that meets at 10:00 a.m. every Saturday morning. During the school year Furniture - Tollmans outlet, next to the Even Yehuda they meet at the American International School (AIS) in train station, ( Beit Yehoshoa) has nice European Even Yehuda. CCF also has a Bible study group that designers at great prices. Tollmans main store is located meets on Thursday mornings. See the CCF website for in Herzliya Pituach in the Industrial area. Habitat has further information. www.ccfisrael.net. nice designer collections located and is located in Herzliya at Hamada 10. Phone: 09- 9717000. Ikea, located in Poleg, is pretty obvious but check out the sale Check out the following website for more information section near the check out counter where you can find regarding Christian services: http://www.cicts.org great deals at over a 60% discount. These items were either returns or store models that have defects. Household Items – Check out Golf for great bed sheets, towels, kitchen stuff etc. It is good to have their member Publishing of Advertisement guidelines: card where you collect points. During holidays they have Advertisements are published in newsletter pending space available, on a first come first serve basis and on approval big sales. There are a few stores around in the Seven Star of editorial board. All must be in small font size (10) and Mall in Herzliya, Poleg and in Gaash shopping center. should use Calisto MT font. If you include a picture – it Fox home is another good place for furniture and must be reduced to 11k or smaller. Deadline for winter st household stuff. Beitily, also in Poleg, has a nice quarterly newsletter is December 1 , 2014. Any received after this date will not be accepted for publication. 2 WHAT’S UP ISRAEL FALL 2014 Transportation, Traveling and Parking! Transportation: Ben Gurion Airport - Learn Arabic with Arabic2use http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/Airports/BenGurion Bus companies – there are two, Dan and Egged. Arabic2use is an online Arabic course designed to http://www.dan.co.il/english/ and provide a learning experience that is innovative, enriching, and fun. http://www.egged.co.il/eng/ Rail services Information and Booking The Arabic2use team works hard to create a learning http://www.rail.co.il/EN/Pages/Homepage.aspx environment that simulates real-life situations. Not Taxis - Even Yehuda Taxi is the taxi company approved by only do you learn how to speak but you also learn we say what we say in each situation. American International School. Many students use this taxi why service to get around. Taxi by Michael - 054 434 9695. GetTaxi For students of Arabic, an understanding of the is a great app to download to your smartphone that allows taxis cultural context is essential. to access your location details to find you with one click of your phone. You can also track the approaching taxi in real time. Arabic2use - Where language meets culture. http://gettaxi.co.il/ For taxi companies, try Herzliya cabs. 1 Nordau Street, Check out our Herzliya, Tel: *8400 or look up www.clevertaxi.com which website: http://www.arabic2use.co.il gives a list of about 20 taxi companies in Tel Aviv. Travel - If you are heading out for the day from Herzliya Pituach to Tel Aviv or maybe Jerusalem, leave no later than 8 am or wait until after 9:30 am as you will encounter morning rush hour traffic. Heading out of Tel Aviv or returning from Jerusalem to the Herzliya Pituach Area? Plan on returning by 3 to 4 pm or wait till after 7pm to avoid the traffic. The same goes for entering and leaving Herzliya Pituach from the south. On weekends, expect heavier traffic on Thursday afternoons and Friday late mornings as people are leaving work for the weekend. Because of Shabbat, traffic is generally light from sunset on Fridays to sunset on Saturdays, but can be heavy close to beaches, as everybody seems to head there at the same time! Also the highways can get congested close to sunset as people are headed in from a weekend out of town. On holidays, you can expect heavy traffic on the eves of holidays or early on the day of the holiday. On Yom Kippur there is virtually no traffic as no one drives his or her cars on the Day of Atonement. Many can be seen out riding their bicycles on this day – even on the freeway – it is quite a spectacle! An idea for Herzliya Pituach residents, if you need to drive to/from Tel Aviv during high traffic times, you can get to your destination faster by taking the dirt road between the Marina and the Mandarin hotel. It's always free.... Parking is at a premium here in Israel. You will frequently experience occasions when you will be unable to find parking close to your destination. So, be prepared to walk a distance if necessary. Here are resources for parking: Easypark: an electronic device that goes on the car’s windshield and is set for the hour that the user parks. http://www.easy-park.com/ Cell-o-park – parking by mobile phone. Call *6452 for information, or check http://www.p6452.com/ Pango is a service where parking is paid by mobile phone. Call *4500 for more information, or check http://english.4500.co.il/ Parking Passes: Drivers can purchase parking passes from local kiosks. The passes should be scratched off to indicate exactly which hour/day the pass is intended for. The pass should then be placed on the inside of passenger window (facing outward) so that the parking attendants can clearly see the pass. Parking sticker for residents: Residents are able to apply and receive an area parking pass which allows them to park in that particular area for free in blue and white painted area.