To Your Health!

March 31, 2008 by Stephanie · 4 Comments
Filed under: History and Culture, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life

To all the North American dwellers paying those uber-costly out-of-pocket monthly health insurance premiums, allow those of us living here in socialized medicine-ville to take up just a moment of your time with a wee gloat.

I was reading this article in the NYTimes about the cost of Health Insurance in the US. , writes The Muqata’s Jameel.

I was shocked. An average family of 4 (who are self-employed) can easily be paying out $1000 a month for health insurance (if they don’t find some company to pay it for them)!

How it actually works in Israel is that by law, part of your Social Security payments goes to your health insurance (Bituach Leumi is 10% of your salary so basically 5% of your salary is goes to Health Insurance).

If you are independent or not working, then you have a minimal Bituach Leumi payment to make of around NIS 100-200 a month depending on your status ($30-$60 a month).

If as an independent you are taking a salary, again it comes out of the Bituach Leumi from the part you take as salary.

I don’t have exact numbers, but I think that my wife and I are paying an extra NIS 100 a month ($28 a month) combined, for the “complete packages” to supplement the government required basic insurance package.

Okay. Gloat over.

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Stuttering: The White Elephant

March 31, 2008 by Stephanie · 1 Comment
Filed under: Immigrant Moments, Life, Pop Culture

If you want a straight shot perspective from someone who stutters, then click over to Jewneric’s latest entry: “The White Elephant in My Room: My Stutter“.

I stutter. But I am not a stutterer.

It does not define me; rather it compliments me.

….When I made Aliyah, and first went to a doctor, I saw that they wrote that down on my chart. When I went to recruitment centre, I noticed that they wrote that on my profile.

And that shocked me. It has nothing to do with my ability at all: I give business presentations, I act under pressure, and I am extremely talkative and fluent in multiple languages. I get my point across. And I hope that the content of that point is worth it.

I noticed an article on the front page of the newspaper Haaretz (in Hebrew) today, regarding Organization of Stutterers in Israel (AMB”I). Apparently, their 10th Annual Conference will take place tomorrow.

The three major messages of the conference are:

1) For HR people, there is no reason not to hire someone because he stutters, as you may lose a genius.
2) For those looking for a life partner, don’t give up.
3) And for those who speak with those who stutter – don’t help them. They know the word, and your help is no help at all. Give a few more seconds of your time instead.

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Nu? How Much?

March 31, 2008 by Stephanie · 3 Comments
Filed under: Blogging, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life

One of the eye openers Western-reared transplants to Israel generally experience whilst in the throes of culture shocking is the forthcomingness i.e. chutzpah of locals.

“So how much do you earn?” or “How much did this house cost you?” are considered fair-game questions even when posed by complete strangers. Matters of commerce simply aren’t secreted away.

So when The Big Felafel’s Rebecca came upon the site “Kama Kesef?” (How Much Money?), she undoubtedly clucked her tongue, nodded her head and murmured: “Oh gosh. Here we go again”

The site is Israel’s answer to the quandary: “How much do I make out the check for?” when attending a bar mitzvah, birthday party or wedding for a friend, acquaintance or relative. The site literally serves as…

….an online calculator that gives you an objective view of how much money to give at weddings or other occasions. It factors in how close of friends you are, time of year, where it’s being held, and other criteria. I don’t really see how the time of year plays a role. I guess halls are more expensive in different seasons, but I can’t imagine that it would affect how much someone gives as a present. But who am I to judge the almighty wedding present calculator?

I tried it out, making up the following info: a not so close friend, September wedding, held in a hall, and found out the appropriate amount to give would be 234 shekels ($67). When I asked around, people told me the real going rate is 150-200 for young people. Who to trust?

Isn’t there a fondue set around somewhere that could be “re-purposed” for the occasion?

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