#Meet_the_Oleh- Daniel Friedman

Aliyah Date: April 2019

Made Aliyah from Springfield, MA

Currently living in Ramat Gan

Sometimes love inspires us to do something we never expect to do. That was the case for Daniel--he made Aliyah to be with his Israeli partner and hasn't looked back! Read his story below...

Originally from Springfield, MA, Daniel was living in New York City when he decided to make Aliyah just over a year and a half ago. He now lives with his partner in Ramat Gan. He had spent time in Israel in the past, a few trips here and there, a year abroad. But he never expected to be living here.

When he met his current girlfriend on JSwipe in 2017, she was a flight attendant for El Al and was just in New York on a layover. They went on a couple of dates and hit it off, and then she would fly back and forth from Israel to NY to see him.

At some point, after dating like this for a few years, Daniel decided that it would be a lot easier if he was in Israel, and so he upped and moved! Though it wasn't something he had expected for his life, he is so glad he did.

There wasn't a major transition for Daniel coming here, as he had already spent some time in Israel. It wasn't a major culture shock, and his girlfriend did a great job at helping to maintain a lifestyle that was more familiar to him. This meant finding an apartment with all the amenities to really smooth the transition. Daniel was able to convince his employer in America to keep him on as an employee, and he was also freelancing for a start-up in Israel. Towards the end of his contract with the American job, he decided to focus just on jobs in Israel.

Everything was a bit crazy because of Corona, but he has maintained his freelancing company, Dx2 Global through it all. He provides Israeli companies with different services, including business development, lead generation, content creation, copywriting, and more -- specifically Israelis looking to market to America.

Daniel says, "Moving to Israel has dramatically changed my sense of who I am as a consumer 180 degrees. In America, our mindset as consumers is to buy, consume, use, throw away. But since moving to Israel, I feel this whole sense of living on what you need, without the excess. It's really changed my lifestyle."

Admittedly, Corona is a good time for saving and not spending, so that could be a factor too! But Daniel speaks the truth about the appeal of mom-and-pop shopping in Israel. It's not so much about the big brand names, there is more shopping local, and Daniel really appreciates the simplicity of that. He also loves that Israel is centrally located (between Europe and Asia) and that the vegetables are fresh and delicious in Israel!

We definitely agree with that one...

A challenge for Daniel of course has been communication and the language. It's tough not being fluent in the language here, but he manages!

Daniel's advice for Olim? Make sure that you have some sort of support system -- whether it's friends or family, it's difficult moving to a new place. You will want the support!