Interviews with Olim

Q. Where were you born and where did you grow up?

A. I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In my early 30’s I moved to Toronto, Canada, from where I made Aliyah.

Q. At what age did you come out? And how did it go? 

A. I came out when I was 25 years old. It was in Norway, where I was doing a traineeship. Sort of using the “no witnesses” rule. 🙂 When I returned home, I slowly but steadily came out to my family and friends. It wasn’t bad. 

Q. Were you involved at all in the LGBT community back home? 

A. I was part of the board of Kulanu Toronto for a short while; that was it.

Q. What is your involvement (if any) in the LGBT community in Israel? 

A. I am only part of LGBT Olim. I feel that the lack of the language prevents me from joining other organizations here.

Q. How long since you made Aliyah? 

A. I made Aliyah 3½ years ago.

Q. Did you move here on your own or with family/friends/significant other? 

A. I moved here with my little son. I’m a single dad.

Q. Why did you make Aliyah? 

A. I was feeling socially isolated during my last few years in Canada, especially since my son was born. So, I decided to move somewhere else. As a Jew, it seemed the natural thing to move here, and that’s what I did.

Q. How is it going so far? 

A. It has its ups and downs. Having a positive attitude and doing some planning help; going through Corona times and facing ageism don’t. I just carry on.

Q. What do you do in terms of work?

A. I have two backgrounds: Systems Analyses (high tech) and Education (Computer Science, Math and ESL). I decided to pursue the first one here, upgraded my skills to Data Science and am currently looking for a job. If you have any leads, by all means let me know.

Q. How is your Ivrit?

A. I came here with practically no Hebrew. I did Ulpan until Level ג here. “Unfortunately”, I live in Tel Aviv and speak English, so I don’t work as much as I could to improve the language. Eventually, I’ll do. 

Q. What has been your biggest challenge so far? 

A. To find a job. If you have any leads, by all means let me know.

Q. How do you perceive the Israeli LGBT community? 

A. I live in Tel Aviv, a straight-friendly city, LOL. But even though it is a bubble compared to the rest of the country, I see lots of closeted guys. 

Q. How is being LGBT in Israel different to back home?

A. I think that Israel has a long way to reach standards you can find in Canada, but it is on the right path. With the upcoming government, the path may take longer, but you can’t stop it. Having said that, I find Tel Aviv to be very progressive and I’m grateful to live here. I commend those people here who fight so hard for our rights. Regarding Argentina, Buenos Aires has always been a liberal city, although at times you may come across someone with too much of a macho (is it called patriarchal now?) mentality.

Q. If you were making Aliyah now, would you do anything differently?

A. Yes, I would.