Aliyah Planning: Finances

by Tehillah Hessler on May 1, 2013

financial-guide-aliyahI made my semi-annual trip to my accountant’s office yesterday and, as usual, it was not a pleasant experience. This is in no way my accountant’s fault!  Rivki at Don Shrensky & Company is one of the nicest and kindest people I’ve ever met (i.e., she always tries to soften the blow) and she has the patience of a saint!  The main reasons that these visits have been so painful (financially and emotionally) is my pathetic Hebrew reading skills and lack of understanding of the differences between the American and Israeli tax systems for self-employed people. This is not Rivki’s fault as I just recently moved my business to their office from a different accounting firm.

As we reviewed the many red notices I received in the mail while she was on maternity leave, Rivki pulled up my accounts online and explained the thousands of shekels in penalties lodged against me by the various tax offices for a combination of errors and my lack of response to their overwhelming (due to my lack of Hebrew mastery) paper in the mail notices.  Rivki patiently and thoroughly explained every field on all the monthly & bi-monthly forms I am required to submit to Mas Hachnasa (similar to the US IRS), Bituach Leumi (national insurance – similar to Social Security + more) and Ma’am (the evil VAT – value added tax – people who have been making my life hell), as well as how I am supposed to calculate each and make the payments. [read more…]

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The Maccabeats Aliyah

by Tehillah Hessler on April 18, 2013

I’m sharing this beautifully done Aliyah video by the Maccabeats because my friend Shoshana just shared it on Facebook and somehow I managed to miss it when it was launched a few months ago. Enjoy!

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Happy 65th Birthday Israel!

April 15, 2013

Tonight begins the celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut – the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the modern State of Israel. Similar to the 4th of July  Independence Day in the US, but different in that Israel observes Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron – Remembrance Day) the day before Independence Day to remind us of the fact [...]

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Israel Independence Day – How Independent Do YOU Feel?

April 15, 2013

Ignorance is DANGEROUS. Yesterday I noticed this image in my Facebook stream – a friend had “Liked” it. I agree with the concept so I clicked through to the group that had posted it; a group named We, the People, will be heard. Scrolling down their page I saw a lot of American Patriotic conversations [...]

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12 Year Old Entreprenuer’s Revolution in Jewish Entertainment

April 11, 2013

During the frenzy of preparing for Pesach, I received an email asking me to share this story on my blog.  I politely told the sender – the father of this amazing 12-year-old – that I was busy cleaning, shopping and cooking (and suspected that most of you were too)  and that I’d get to this [...]

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Irena Sendler the Hidden Holocaust Hero

April 7, 2013

New records, facts and stories are constantly coming to light which provide fresh perspectives for Holocaust studies. Some of the new information comes from survivors while other data is ascertained by researchers. One particularly moving account of heroism during the Holocaust was uncovered by a group of Kansas high school students whose dedication to publicizing [...]

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Remembering the Holocaust in Meaningful Ways

April 7, 2013

There is no doubt that Yom HaShoah holds significant meaning to individuals whose families were directly affected by the Holocaust and for anyone who has a close bond to the Jewish people.  I don’t know about other Jews by Choice, but for a long time I had difficulty making a connection to this “holiday”. Growing [...]

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Birkat Kohanim 5773

March 28, 2013

This is for those of you who haven’t yet made Aliyah and didn’t make aliyah l’regel this year either. Moadim l’Simcha from the Holy Land of Israel!

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Counting our Many Blessings

March 27, 2013

From the awesome view of Jerusalem and our ability to easily travel there whenever we want, to the variety of kosher l’Pesach foods, the feeling of connectedness with everyone we meet, perfect holiday weather, and the smiles on the faces of the kaleidoscope of nationalities blending into Am Israel, we feel so extremely blessed to [...]

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2 – 2 + 1 = Mashiach

March 15, 2013

Yesterday I woke up pondering this question and it’s still on my mind so I’m sharing some brain food for Shabbat this week… If we didn’t have 2 Chief Rabbis of Israel, but instead only 1, we’d have the Kohen Gadol and Mashiach – correct? In other words, if we focused on what unites us [...]

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