ANOTHER ACCOMPLISHMENT...

 Expat Banking: Choosing the right bank account – expathelpcentre

Last night I prepared all the materials we would need with us when starting a new bank account in Israel.  Fortunately, Nefesh B'Nefesh and Rifka Lebowitz's book prepared us well for what we would need.  So I packed up our teudat oleh (new immigrant id's), teudat zehut (id cards), American passports, a notice from the sal klitah (the absorption basket) saying we now have a bank account, and papers with information on them like our phone numbers (no we have not memorized them yet), and our address (yes we do know it!).

We walked to the bank branch nearest our new apartment and asked if we could have an appointment for setting up a new account.  Fortunately, we only had to wait 20 minutes outdoors and then we were allowed to go into the bank with a paper stating we had an appointment.  Our banker spoke Hebrew and English and was very patient and helpful.  The process of giving information and signing papers took a full two hours.  Then we went to another branch of the bank to deposit money in our new account.  As it turns out, it really does help to know some Hebrew.  It helps to get into the bank, to make a deposit, to be able to know when it is your turn to go to a cashier's window!

The bank is in the neighborhood of our new apartment so we then walked over to the apartment and looked at it once again.  We also met the rental agent who manages the property there.  He is a very soft -spoken, kind, young man.  He noticed a window that needs fixing and phone for the entry camera that needs replacing and I'm sure he will take care of those two things.  We started to imagine where we would put our furniture when our lift arrives and we are very pleased that the space will be very adequate for our needs.

Our bank, apartment, and health center are all in walking distance of one another.  We are so centrally located that walking from Yehoshua's and Nava's apartment to our neighborhood only took 20 minutes of leisurely walking.  I imagine that as the days progress, our speed will too!



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