Aliya and Stress - Telfed

may be offended if you don’t talk to them while waiting in line because in SouthAfrica one does not speak to strangers.Olim may not be aware of the ethnic tensions in Israeli society which existbetween Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, between the religious and non-religiousand between Jews and non-Jews.There are personal factors which affect the immigration and absorption process.These are one’s own expectations of oneself and one’s expectations of theabsorbing society.The above issues can easily lead the individual oleh/olah to a state of stress asthe euphoria of arriving in Israel decreases and the stress of aliya increases.This stressful period will continue until the individual readjusts and life returns toa balanced state.How does one best cope with this stress? Actually it is the individuals ownstrengths that have proven to be the best tools in coping with aliya stress. Thesetraits and talents include one's self-esteem, education, skills, knowledge,experience, cultural characteristics and financial resources. If one believes inoneself and in one’s capacity to succeed, the chances of success increase, ormore simply “the power of positive thinking” really does work. This includespositive thinking about oneself and positive thinking about Israel.South African Zionist Federation (Israel)19/1 Schwartz Street, Raanana, Israel 2141442רחוב שברץפקס:‏ +972-9-7446112 Fax: • טל:‏ +972-9-7907800 Phone:info@telfed.org.il • www.telfed.org.ilהפדרציה הציונית דרום אפריקה ‏)ישראל(‏1/91, רעננה,‏ ישראל