#Meet_The_Oleh Juliet Solomon

Aliyah Date: 2000

Made Aliyah from Pretoria, South Africa

Currently living in Jerusalem

Juliet Solomon has been in Israel for now 20 years. She mastered balance in her occupation field. Find out how ↴

Juliet Solomon was very active in a Zionist youth movement in South Africa from an early age, and she knew from 10 years old that she would go on a program for a year in Israel when she turned 18. Once she came to Israel, she knew it was home. At the time, she had committed to two years of service to her youth movement, so she had to go back to South Africa to fulfill it and to study. Two years later, she officially "came home" to Israel.

"I have never regretted my decision, and I've been here for 20 years!"

Juliet has two fields of work. One she is very passionate about, and the other takes care of logistics -- pensions, social benefits, etc.

She works as a metapelet (a nanny) for families as one of her fields. This recharges her battery and spirit. Her other field is office administration. She alternates between these two fields -- one year working with kids, one year in tech or private offices. In this way, Juliet has achieved the best of both worlds! She can work for more than just working, but for enjoyment, too. She has now worked with more than 15 families, and is fortunate to be able to choose which families she works with! Juliet has a degree in tourism, but she explains, "You might end up doing something totally different in Israel. Go with the flow. If suddenly you get offered the opportunity to plan logistics for a summer camp, jump on it. Get the experience! You might not do what you expected to do. Until then, work in some field and enjoy it in the meantime."

For her, her current situation is an opportunity that she encountered and went with!

So why Jerusalem?

When Juliet came to Israel, she specifically chose Jerusalem. She says, "It’s the melting point of everything. Old, new, religious, not religious, Muslim, Christian, Jewish. It's a combination of everything. I have always been here. It’s never been a question. It felt right."

Juliet says the most important thing about making Aliyah is your attitude. She says, "It's 50% about the attitude that you come with. It’s difficult in any country to be a new immigrant. Don’t expect the red carpet- it’s difficult to do bureaucracy in any country."

She advises Olim to "make friends with Israelis as soon as possible, with an emphasis on speaking Hebrew! You have to leave your comfort zone to do that, and it will be challenging. It's natural to want to vent with people in a similar position." She goes on, "We tend to veer towards Anglos and the familiar, but we shouldn't do that. We shouldn't try to escape the challenges".

Juliet is an example of doing just that -- when she made Aliyah, she learned the language very quickly! After doing half a year of Ulpan, she was able to excel. She made a point to spend weekends with Israeli friends, date Hebrew speakers, and tried to speak Hebrew at every opportunity.