לומדים אנגלית / קוראים ספרי ילדים

This is my third and last post on Aliyah – A unique kind of Immigration.

The first post dealt with the definition and special meaning of the term Aliyah.

The second post dealt with Culture Shock.

Our post today deals with the first steps of newcomers – olim – in their new country.

Let's talk about it.

• In what way are tourists different from newcomers?
• Should we take newcomers on a tour of the new country?

What would the purpose of such a tour be?

Where would you take them? Justify your choices.

Getting Ready to Read

• The passage you are about to read is about the newcomers'  first steps in Israel.

What, do you think, these steps are?

• Can you predict the main ideas of the passage?

Before you start reading the passage, make sure you know the meaning of the following words. (Look them up in the dictionary.)

anxious

get acquainted with

landscape

site

religion

attractions

Reading Passage 

Read the following passage and then answer the questions that follow.

1. Moving to another country is never easy. Moving to Israel – making aliyah – no matter how long you have dreamt about it, is often the beginning of a long and difficult process. Most newcomers are so anxious about their future in the new country that they often have no time or energy to get acquainted with their new home.That should be the first step though: to travel around, discover interesting places, meet the "natives", get used to the language, the music, the landscapes, the food, etc. The idea is to start as a tourist and then, slowly, step by step, become a resident.

2. Travelling around, visiting places and meeting people may facilitate the absorption process and help newcomers feel at home in their new country – Israel. It is sometimes hard to decide where to start. There are so many attractions that Israel can offer. The historic and religious sites are undoubtedly part of Israel's great appeal. This is after all the center of three religions. When we travel and visit Biblical sites, history suddenly becomes real, full of life. 

3. Israel offers many other attractions as well. Tel Aviv, with its golden beaches and lively cosmopolitan outlook is Israel's most modern metropolis. Most visitors land here to soak up the sun, shop and enjoy great culinary experiences at the city's renowned café and restaurant scene. The beach may be the major attraction, but Tel Aviv has more points of interest than its famous strip of sand. Nicknamed "The White City," the town was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status in 2003 in recognition of its fine examples of Bauhaus architecture (an early 20th-century Modernist style of building). The city itself is full of things to do, with plenty of museums and  art galleries , shopping centers, outdoor markets, etc. Jaffa, just to the south, is a gorgeously well-preserved old city with a port that has been in use for thousands of years and is now revitalized with restaurants and cafés.

4. Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are not the only attractions Israel can offer. The newcomers might enjoy a visit to the The Dead Sea which is in itself a very special attraction.The mud treatment is strongly recommended for all kind of skin diseases. If they are already driving in the South direction, they will most probably have a great time in Eilat. Eilat is excellent for sun-tanning, diving and many other sea-sports.

5. However, Israel's main attraction is first and foremost Jerusalem. After all, this is where it all happened. This is what so many people have dreamt about for so many years. A visit to Jerusalem is a pilgrimage to one of the most sacred sites in the world. There are numerous religious and cultural attractions, but luckily most of the top sightseeing landmarks and things to do are secreted within the lanes of the compact Old City district. Jerusalem is a good place to start and end the newcomers' tour. It might be a good idea to take them to  the Wailing Wall and Jewish quarter, place a note in the cracks of the Wall and end the trip with a visit to the Machane Yehuda Outdoor Market. After tasting humus and falafel, they may be better prepared to start looking for a flat and a job on their way to completing the process and becoming an integral part of the Israeli society.

Questions

1. Most newcomers do not travel around (paragraph 1) because:

a. they are not tourists.

b. they are  a little anxious.

c. they have neither time nor energy.

d. they don't think about their future.

2. What should the newcomers' first step be (paragraph 1)?
………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. By natives (paragraph 1) the author refers to:

a. the tourists

b. the newcomers

c. the older newcomers

d. the sabras

4. What happens when people visit historical sites (paragraph 2)?
…………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Why are so many people attracted to the historic and religious sites (paragraph 2)?
…………………………………………………………………………………………

6. What can Tel Aviv offer (paragraph 3)?
…………………………………………………………………………………………

7. Why is Eilat so attractive (paragraph 4)?
…………………………………………………………………………………………

8. What have so many people dreamt about (paragraph 5)?
…………………………………………………………………………………………

9. Where should the tour end (paragraph 5)?
…………………………………………………………………………………………

10. Rearrange the following sentences according to the sequence of ideas in the passage.

a. Jerusalem – the main attraction

b. Getting used to the language, food, etc

c. Tel Aviv – the cosmopolitan city

d. Visiting historical and religious sites

e. The need to find employment and housing accommodations

f. Meeting the sabras

g. The old Jewish dream

h. The Dead Sea and the mud treatments

i. Museums, galleries and shopping centers

j. Newcomers' anxiety about the future

Writing Activities

1. You are considering making Aliyah. Write a letter to the Jewish Agency requesting information.

You may start as follows:

315, Newark Ave.

Jersey City

January 5, 2019

Mr. Robert Zehavy,

The Jewish Agency

Dear Sir,

I am writing to request further information …………

I am thirty two years old, …………………………

I am a dentist and ………………………………………………..

Complete the letter. Add between ten and fifteen lines.

Imagine you are the potential newcomer. Add details about yourself, your profession as well as your wife's, your children, your expectations and fears.

The following words and expressions may help you:

graduate   –   לסיים בית ספר – להיות בוגר של

medical school   –   בית ספר לרפואה

psychologist  –  פסיכולוג – פסיכולוגית

full-time job   –   משרה מלאה

part-time job   –   משרה חלקית

day-care center   –   מעון יום

flat, apartment   –   דירה

relatives   –   קרובים

private clinic   –   מרפאה פרטית

Language Review

Read the following passages carefully and choose the most suitable words in brackets.

1. When Peggy Levine arrived (in, to, on, near) Israel, she was surprised by the (modern, renewed, fashion, popular) cities and the relatively (large, high, rich, big) standard of living. Everything was very different (among, between, from, on) what she had  expected. There were (no, none, not, any) camels on the streets, but modern cars (instead, too, also, as well). In the shop windows she saw the same kind of (fashion, model, pattern, popular) she had seen in Paris or New York. (Walk, Walking, Walked, Way) along Dizengoff, she saw (so, as, too, also) many restaurants, coffee shops and elegant stores that she began to wonder whether she (had, has, have, was) ever left Miami.
2. Susan began to (think, consider, wonder, believe) the possibility of moving (on, to, for, towards) Israel soon after she met a (extremely, much, very, quite) handsome sabra and fell (in love with, loved, like, was fond) him. Oren had (been, be, had, done) in Boston for two weeks visiting with (a, their, some, any) relatives, when he (was, is, has, had) invited to a party at the neighbors' (room, house, city, country). It was (this, that, there, these) that he met Susan and they danced together (till, for, while, by) midnight. She had to catch the last (chance, bus, stop, station), so she left (on, at, in, for) a hurry like Cinderella. She (doesn't, didn't, wasn't, isn't) leave a shoe behind, but her telephone (list, line, number, purse) instead. Oren called her the (next, previous, other, tomorrow) day and they spent the following weeks (learn, to learn, learning, study) about each (other, another, couple, others). When Oren left, Susan (uses, use, started, start) to write to him every day and and she (rang, talked, called, spoke) him up twice a day. Finally she decided that it (is, does, would, have to) be more practical and more romantic to make aliyah.

That's all for today. More texts and suggestions in my next post.