CHANGING STATUS IN ISRAEL A Guide for Making Aliyah in Israel by someone who has actually done it Gershom (Jan) Martin, July 1996 comartin@wicc.weizmann.ac.il Caveat lector #1: Ministry of the Interior regulations and procedures may have changed between the writing of this document and the time you make aliya. The notes below are based on my own dealings with said ministries at their Jerusalem main offices. Caveat lector #2: survival kit for *any* visit to *any* government agency in Israel: * a supply of passport pictures (European size) of every family member, and particularly of husband and wife * significant cash to cover any fees. On the order of NIS 200 will cover you for most, if not all, contingencies * a good book or something else to while away time (e.g. a pocket chess game) while you are waiting to be served * some blank paper and/or a notebook (1) Go to Misrad HaP'nim IN THE TOWN WHERE YOU RESIDE to apply for Change of Status to Oleh Chadash/Olah Chadasha. They open at 8:00 AM but will start handing out numbers at 7:30 AM. For the shortest possible waiting time, arrive at 7:30 AM. (If you arrive after 9:00AM, you can often forget being served at all that day.) At the information (modi'in) desk, ask for an application form for oleh chadash (new immigrant) status, which you can fill out in the waiting room. Make sure to bring: (a) PROOF THAT YOU ARE JEWISH!!! Such proof may consist of: * your ketuba if married * your parents' ketuba if not * a letter of recommendation from your rabbi in your Diaspora congregation, preferably in Hebrew * if you are a ger (convert), your conversion certificate. If male, a letter or certificate from the mohel saying you have been circumcised l'shem giyur (for the sake of conversion) definitely won't hurt to bring as well. NEVER GIVE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. *Show* the originals, and hand them Xerox copies or (when you can't Xerox it, e.g. a large framed ketuba) legible photographs. (b) two passport photographs for each member of the family. If you are in Jerusalem and forgot, don't despair: there are at least two shops within spitting distance of the misrad haP'nim that will make instant passport pictures for NIS 10-13 per set of four. (c) a hand-written statement explaining why you want to make aliya. We were caught off-guard by this and concocted something on the spot, which seemed fine with them. (That's the sort of contingency you need blank paper for.) (d) your current passport and the "entry/departure" slip they stamp with your tourist visa at Ben-Gurion Airport. In Jerusalem, when your number appears, go to room 205 on the right but expect that at least 20 jerks have jumped queue before you. Politely ask the persons queueing before you what their number is. If, as usual, their numbers are later than yours, emphatically wave your lower number and barge in. The official will take your passports, completed forms, pictures, and letter of explanation, start a new file, and return you to your seat until your last name is called. When this happens, proceed to the booth you are being called to. The official will verify your particulars and ask you to furnish proof of Jewishness (see above). After the usual endless paper shuffling, you will be given a slip with your file number (mispar tik) and the date when to come back (usually 1 month later). The clerk will make an annotation in your passport that you have applied for oleh chadash status and stamp it. (2) 1 month later, come back and bring with you: * your passports * the slip with the case number * two more pictures per person At the information desk, ask for one application form for "te'udat zehut" (ID card, as in "ze hu"/"that's him/it") per person. If you want to change your first and/or last names at this time, (generally, to Hebraize them) ask for a form "shinui shem" (change of name) at the information desk. Go to room 205 when your number appears, and give your passports and file number. If you haven't been given your application forms for te'udot zehut, ask for them there. Come forward when you are called by last name. The official will check your file one more time, and fill out a form listing what will appear on your te'udat zehut. MAKE SURE EACH AND EVERY NAME IS SPELLED CORRECTLY IN HEBREW, as well as that the fields HaLe'om: (of the ethnicity:) and HaDat: (of the religion:) both read yehudi (Jewish) --- unless, of course, that particular person is indeed not Jewish. If the official insists on using some miserable transliteration of your passport names that you don't want to be called be, submit name change forms there and then, which he/she should staple to the corresponding te'udat zehut forms. Your passports will get a big stamp saying you have been granted the status of "oleh l'fi chok ha-sh'vut" (oleh under the Law of Return), and written in with your name and te'udat zehut number. You will in addition be given a little paper "te'udat zehut z'mani" (temporary ID card). Keep the latter with you at all times until you get the definitive ones, which should arrive in the mail a month later. MAZAL TOV. You are now olim. (3) Go to the nearest office of the Misrad HaKlita (Ministry of Absorption) with all your passports and temporary te'udot zehut. Again, this is a story of being there early enough to get a number. In Jerusalem, they don't give out any more numbers after 10:00 AM, so if you left the Misrad HaP'nim before 10:00 AM, go straight to Klita, otherwise go the next day before 8 AM. The place to go in Jerusalem is Room 120. Apparently, no more ishur k'nisot v'yetziyot (document of arrivals and departures) is given by Misrad haP'nim or required by Misrad HaKlita (at least in J'lem): they check on the spot in the computer. As applicable, time will be deducted from your absorption rights for prolonged stays in Israel (at least 4 consecutive months, or 4 months within the same year). Again, verify all the spellings and particulars before they print out the te'udat oleh (immigrant certificate), which is a small blue booklet entitling you to the immigrant rights. MAKE SURE THEY GIVE YOU THE YELLOW FORM "bituach briut" (health insurance) WHICH ENTITLES YOU TO 6 MONTHS OF FREE COVERAGE, as well as that they keep the pink copy which goes with it. (The white one is yours to keep.) You will be sent on to another person (in Jerusalem, the English- and Spanish-speaking person is one Anna Gary, who hails from Mexico and speaks Yiddish as well) who will explain you your rights and, in particular, will do his/her best to persuade you to attend an ulpan. If you agree, (s)he will write a form for the ulpan of your choice entitling you to 5 months of free attendance. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS RIGHT AWAY: any five months within the first year are OK. If you attend ulpan and neither you and your spouse (if any) work, you are entitled to a living stipend (d'mei kiyum), which is a pittance compared to a "real" job but better than nothing. (It is about NIS 1200 for a family at the time of writing.) This requires attestations from the ulpan that you faithfully attended its classes! If you already have a bank account number in Israel, they will take the particulars to pay your rental subsidy (and, if any, living stipend) into it. If you don't have one yet, come back for that after having opened an account. (4) If you haven't got a bank account yet, now might be a good time to open one. ALL ISRAELI BANKS ARE CROOKS: just pick the crook that is the most convenient for you. (Honestly: they are probably the most expensive to use in the entire civilized world: EVERY SINGLE OPERATION costs money, typically NIS 4-6.) Prominently wave your te'udat oleh and (if you have it) your AACI membership card. Alternatively and/or in addition, you might be interested to know that Bank haDo'ar (the postal bank) does *not* charge transaction fees (up to a fairly reasonable number of transactions per month). It however has no credit facility, no ATMs, and is tied to the opening hours of the post office. (4) With the yellow form, your te'udat oleh, and all of your temporary te'udot zehut (preferably the passports as well), go to the kupat cholim (sick fund) of your choice. Clalit is *not* recommended for anybody: Le'umit has a virtual monopoly in settlements. For the rest of us, Maccabi and Me'uchedet are the main choices: ask around among Israeli friends and acquaintances which is best where you live or will be living. ALL ISRAELIS ARE REQUIRED TO JOIN A KUPAT CHOLIM. Maccabi and Me'uchedet both offer complimentary insurance plans, which cover various things above and beyond the national insurance basket (which is common to all kupot cholim). At the time of writing, they are Me'uchedet Adif and Me'uchedet Zahav on the one hand, and Keren Maccabi and Maccabi Magen on the other hand, the second one being the highest level of coverage in each case. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO JOIN ANY OF THEM, but may elect to do so because of the fairly low cost, compared to private complementary insurance. (6) Go to bitu'ach le'umi (National Insurance, i.e. Social Security) with te'udat oleh and all temporary te'udot zehut to open a new file. The most immediate benefit for families with children is to get paid a small child allowance. (7) Arrange for an exchange of driver's license. You can do this in the first 3 years, but in practice can only drive for 3 months on your old license. This requires: * an optometric test. Most optometrists will take the test for NIS 15 and give you the appropriate form. If it is determined that you need glasses or contact lenses to drive, this restriction will be on your license. * your old drivers license from chu"l ("chutz la'aretz", or abroad. A pun on "chol", i.e. profane). Again, show the original, but give them the photocopy (of both sides). * a practical driving test using a car to be rented from a driving school. You are also required to take one lesson from the same prior to the test. NOBODY REQUIRES YOU TO TAKE MORE LESSONS, although rackets between driving instructors and examinators to ensure you fail unless you take more lessons are reputed to exist. Personally, I would recommend getting acquainted with the reckless and agressive driving behavior of the average Israeli before taking the test. Renting a car with comprehensive insurance for a couple of days and driving all over the place is one way: actually taking a few lessons with a reputable driving instructor and asking him/her to help you with "defensive driving" is another, and not necessarily much more expensive (given outrageous car rental rates). USEFUL ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS (mostly for Jerusalem area) (1) The Ministry of Absorption, 15 Rechov Hillel. Tel: 241-121 (2) Ministry of the Interior, 1 Rechov Shlomtzion HaMalka. Tel: 228-211 (3) Ministry of Health, 86 Rechov Yafo. Tel: 381-211 (4) National Insurance, 4 Rechov Shimon Ben-Shatah. Tel: 216-211. (5) Vehicle and License Registration Office, Talpiot Industrial Zone. Tel: 718-215. (6) Kupat Holim Klalit, 24 Rehov HaTekufa. Tel: 667-151. (7) Kupat Holim Le'Umit, 3 Rehov HaGedem Tel: 224-173/ Me'Uhedet Tel: 221-181/ MacCcabee Tel: 224-471. (8) The Jewish Agency Aliyah Department Main Office: Tel-Aviv, 17 Kaplan St., 61070 Tel: 03-542-3138, 217-574 Jerusalem Branch: 81 Herzl, Jerusalem, 02-511-491 Haifa Branch: Zim bd., 7 Palyam St., 33095 Tel: 04-681111