Anonymouse,
Please allow me to answer. We made aliyah just over a year ago – end of July, 2007. The packing of the lift is out of your hands. The movers need to ensure that everything fits tightly (so it won’t shift on the boat); they also need to ensure that everything fits into the lift! The boxes go in however they make the best fit.
Are you packing your own boxes? Just sefarim, or everything? We did our own books and sefarim, but the movers did everything else.
Hatzlacha – ask away if you need anything else.
Here’s a helpful job info site: http://www.jobs-israel.com/
Also, there’s an organization called Kehillot Tehilla (www.kehillottehilla.com), which deals with finding realestate, housing, communities, etc. The put out a wonderful booklet called Bayit Ne’eman B’Yisrael, which lists dozens and dozens of communities, and all sorts of information about each one – % of dati, % of English speakers, and other stuff you will need to know.