Jewscout is an American of the Jewish faith who is now living in Israel.

Jewscout, how did you come to the decision to live in Israel and how long have you been there? How long do you plan to stay?

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As i became more involved in Judaism i just found myself more and more being pulled to Israel. The more i learned I came to a realization that with the emergance of a jewish state in Eretz Yisrael (the land of israel) this was where the future of the jewish people was going to happen, not in the diaspora.

many of our ancient sages talk about the importance to live in Eretz Yisrael and they point out that the Torah is meant to be lived only in Eretz Yisrael, so as i grew in knowledge and observancy i found this to be more and more true in my own experience.

When i came here 2 summers ago for a visit i was immidiately hooked. There's nothing else like it in the world, a place where i felt truely at home. When i came back to the US it wasn't the same, i knew i had to get back.

so in December of 2006 i came to Israel and have been living here ever since. My plans, as of right now, are to live out the rest of my days here in Israel.

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Do you feel the Jewish religion on a deeper level in Israel?

Where are you living? What are your quarters like? What job do you do?

I remember the days when you completely hated your job in the U.S.

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absolutely i feel Judaism on a deeper level here in Israel. Judaism surrounds you every single day everywhere you go. The language the laws, everything. And it's so amazing to be able to walk around with your head held up high, wearing your kippah and tzitzit out, and knowing that you aren't being stared at like some freak of nature.

a perfect example of this is i was in Jerusalem one afternoon shopping on Ben Yehuda St. and some guy came up to me and was like "Mincha?" (the afternoon prayer service which requires 10 jewish men) and he just pulled me off the street and above the shops, unknown to me, was a friggin Bet Midrash (a place of religious studies)!! where else does this happen except for small jewish communities?

I am presently living on a Religious Kibbutz in the center of the country. Me and my fiance live here and are planning on making this place our home after the wedding. I work in a Refet, which is hebrew for "shed" but really refers to a Dairy Farm. I milk and work w/ cows and it's the BEST job i've ever had. I have great coworkers and it's so freeing, ya know? physical labor is amazing. Plus i'm living as the Torah says i should, off the Land of Israel!

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What can you do or what would you do if Israel were in an all out war?

Are you in an area that is free of the danger of terrorists?

Why do you think you were so drawn to Israel? Do you think it's unusual for an American to go to Israel and stay?

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If war were to break out in Israel, which is always a possibility here, I would do whatever would be required of my by the country. If i'm needed to fight (which i have to go in June to my first set of physical and psychological tests for the IDF) then i'll fight, if i'd be better serving the country by driving a truck w/ supplies i'll do that.

It's really a matter of what is most needed at the time, i suppose. A rabbi i know was here during the Yom Kippur war and he and his wife drove bread trucks to deliver food to the soldiers.

Am i free of the danger of terrorism? No place in Israel is free of it, it's simply a matter of how likely it is to happen. I live in the center of the country to it's less likely to happen but i do travel alot to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, so there is always a possibility. You live with this everyday and i know people in the Army, friends of mine, who are always under constant threat of attack. Now if Israel allows the PA to have a State that extends to the Green Line of 1967, then i'll be within a 5 minute walking distance from a Palestinian State...but i would hope by that point the issue of violence would have been resolved.

I can only say that a spiritual connection to Israel drew me here, because to live here, to want to live here and be from the West, you have to LOVE Israel. Beyond the obvious Israeli-Arab conflict, there are so many reasons for an American (or someone from the UK or "western" places like that) to Not to live here. That's why the majority of people from that part of the world who come here tend to be religious Jews.

It is unusual for an American to live in Israel but, IMPO, i think it's unusual for any religious Jew to live anywhere BUT Israel, and so much of our teachings back this point of view. The Torah is not meant to be lived in Crown Heights, NY...it's meant to be lived here in Eretz Yisrael.

As we say in our prayers for Israel...this is the beginning of our promised redemption and i believe that fully.

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Thank you so much for the detailed information. This is so interesting.

Do you have any pictures you can share with us?

Can you describe the Kibbutz? What is your daily life like? What do you do for entertainment?

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Did you experience "culture shock" when you first moved there?

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"Philosophy is a walk on a slippery rock
Religion is a smile on a dog."

yeah here are some from Jerusalem (love this city)
this is Zion Gate with all the bullet holes from the wars in '48 and '67

me along the wall of the Old City


i'll put some more up later.

Life on kibbutz can get boring from time to time. Nothing much changes around here, it's like living in a Bio-dome to a certain extent. I work from 7:30 until about 3, unless i have to milk in the morning, then i'm done by lunch because i start at 4am. We also have prayer services every day in the morning, afternoon and evening (as required by Halacha, jewish law). it's hard work on the farm but it's extremely liberating as well.

We tend to find things to entertain ourselves, usually watching movies or smoking nargila (hookah). I like to take time to learn Torah or Talmud. We are friends w/ many families here in the community and of course there's Shabbat which is always a good day.

right now, tho, we're preoccupied w/ the wedding planning so that's taking alot of time in our day.


yeah a bit. People here are much more blunt than they are in the States. there's no concept of tact at all (or standing in lines for that matter). They tell you exactly what they think and that's it. But, at the same time, it's also like living w/ millions of your family, because Israelis can also be very very hospitible people, and even if they don't have alot they are willing to share what they have w/ you if you need it. Even if they are complete strangers.

also getting used to a 6 day week was hard. There's only one day we get off a week, that's shabbat. there's no "sunday" as it were and that took some time to get used to. But when i went back to the States for a month last summer it was hard to get use to 2 day weekends, cause to me it's not "sunday", it's "Yom rishon", the first day.

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What other things are different between the States and Isreal, at least culture-wise?

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"Philosophy is a walk on a slippery rock
Religion is a smile on a dog."