Today was Bring Your Wife to Work Day.

I couldn’t trust myself to finish my paper – due tomorrow – at home. Not with all that music videos, the internet and my kitchen have to offer. Not when I’d find anything else to busy my time – even washing dishes – rather than sit down and work.

So, armed with the laptop and my notes, I joined my man at his big, spacey office on the edge of the German Colony. I figured I’d have no choice but to complete schoolwork, what with him answering phone calls and doing whatever it is he does.

Actually, he’s an aliyah counselor for UJIA, which is the British/Australian/South African/Scandinavian version of AACI. He answers questions, guides olim through the bureaucracy and doles out advice when asked for it.

“About the car taxes…”
“About bringing your dog…”
“Students can expect…”

As such, my paper-writing was peppered with people’s phone calls concerning subsidy requests, Hebrew skills, army service and customs issues.

How lucky are Western olim to have so many organizations catering to their needs, at their disposal! UJIA for Brits and Aussies, AACI and Nefesh b’Nefesh for Americockies, AMI for the Frenchies.

And how lucky am I to be married to an aliyah counselor. Cuts out a lot of bureaucracy for me.

If only he were also my professors…

Some other aliyah organizations, country-of-origin-specific.


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