Interviews with Olim
Each month, we interview an oleh or olah for our newsletter.
We invite you to read the stories of LGBTQ+ people who have made Israel their home.
"We are married and had our domestic partnership legalized at The New Family in Tel Aviv"
Interview date: May 2016.
Updated: August 2022. Scroll down for update.
Q. Where were you born and where did you grow up?
A. We were both born in Toronto and grew up in Israel.
Q. At what age did you come out? And how did it go?
A. Both of us came out at 40 and it was not as hard as we thought it would be with family and friends. However neither of us are out at work as we are both teachers and fear that it would not go over well and may be used by disgruntled parents as leverage.
Q. What is your involvement (if any) in the LGBT community in Israel?
A. We rarely come to the English-Speakers Group’s events but we go to Tel Aviv Pride every year.
Q. How long since you made Aliyah?
A. Sandy: 43 years. Mona: 44 years.
Q. Why did you make Aliyah?
A. Our parents decided that it was time to come home. Sandy: My mom is Israeli.
Q. Did you move here together or separately? With any other family members or friends?
A. We moved here separately. Each of us came with our families.
Q. How and where did you meet each other?
A. We met here in Israel. we were introduced by a mutual friend.
Q. How long have you been together?
A. We have been together close to six years. We are married and had our domestic partnership legalized at The New Family in Tel Aviv almost four years ago.
Q. How were the first few months of your Aliyah?
A. Sandy: HOT! No seriously, the Yom Kippur War started a week after we landed. Mona: Horrible. I felt very isolated.
Q. How is your Ivrit?
A. Excellent.
Q. What was your biggest challenge?
A. Dealing with the mentality. Frankly, that hasn’t changed.
Q. How do you perceive the Israeli LGBT community?
A. Glad to have someone like Roy Freeman to create, enrich and perpetuate it.
Q. If you were making aliyah now, would you do anything differently?
A. Not really, there isn’t a lot to prepare one for the immense culture shock you encounter here. Knowing the language ahead of time would be helpful though. Mona: Try to develop friendships with Hebrew speakers too once you are here.
Sandy and Mona
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"Israel is beautiful. Travel as much as you can and see it all"
Interview date: August 2022
Q. Has your life changed since we last interviewed you? If so, how?
A. Life has changed for us since 2016 – we have both advanced in our professions; we both got our doctorates and we both have new positions. We have also welcomed new grandchildren into our family.
Q. Are you still living in the same town/city to which you made aliyah? Or have you moved around?
A. We made Aliya as children so yes we have moved a lot.
Q. Are you working in your desired industry/area? Do you have any advice on job hunting, job applications and interviews?
A. Yes, we both work in our area and expertise. Olim would benefit by looking for work where their native tongue is an asset.
Q. How is your Ivrit now? What sites or apps would you recommend that helped you?
A. Our Ivrit is quite good, but will never be perfect (even 50 years later), so we use Google to check spelling.
Q. Have you discovered any off-the-beaten-track locations that you’d recommend to others?
A. We’ve been all over. Israel is beautiful. Travel as much as you can and see it all.
Q. Are there any other groups or activities that you found that helped you integrate more into Israeli society?
A. Being in a youth group helped me when I was a teen. For Mona, it was going to live on a kibbutz.
Q. Do you feel that living in Israel has changed you? If so, how?
A. How could it not? It’s diametrically opposed to everything we grew up with. We’ve both learned to act like Romans, but deep down we’re still Canuks.
Q. Do you have any practical advice for new olim/olot or anyone who’s considering making aliyah?
A. Be in touch with as many Olim groups/friends as possible to benefit from their experience. Ask questions in all new situations. Find out what is expected/acceptable. Don’t be afraid to speak Hebrew right away and encourage others to correct you often.
Sandy and Mona
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