Hi I got this from my seminary the summer before I left! I didn’t look through it, so don’t remember if it was too much or anything, and I don’t know what type of person you are, or what sem you are going to, so use some common sense, and dont get too overwhelmed! This was in different colors and stuff but since I just copied and pasted, there were comments from girls that were originally in a different color then the item and it may be a bit confusing, so sorry in advance! I hope this helps, and if you want the colorful clear original, maybe there is a way I can email it to you, and I wish you the best of luck and a great year!
‘Packing List’
‘Linen’
2-3 sheets
2 pillow cases
2 blanket covers
2-3 towels
2 washcloths
Blankets, pillows
Mattress cover (Some girls said: “The beds are fine, if harder than at home; one matress cover won’t make the difference.”)
‘School Clothing’
Minimum that should be necessary
6-10 sweaters
3-4 pleated skirts for daily wear to class, plus non-pleated for out of class wear.
8-10 long sleeved collared oxford shirts
A lot of shells
I always seemed to run out and have to do laundry..Also I brought wayyyyyy too much clothing-you really only need 5-6 weekday tops, a few sweaters, 2 sweatshirts, 2-3 weekday skirts (at most 4- people tend to wear the same 2 long black skirts every day.)
‘Shabbos’
4-5 Shabbos outfits (Though by the end of the year, I was pretty much wearing the same Shabbos outfit, it was nice to have pleanty to choose from.
Shabbos robe (A shabbos robe isn’t a necessity. I only wore it in the dorm, and rarely on Friday night. It was good for Shabbos afternoon, but if you have one long shabbos dress that was really comfortable, that can be worn as a robe. I never brought my robe with me for out Shabbosim.)
Overnight bag for Shabbos away, garment bag for Shabbos – (Many people used wheelie suitcases. I just used used the backpack I brought. I thought it worked better since then you didn’t need to worry about rolling it on the bumpy and crowded sidewalk. Due to the israeli streets the wheels might not survive, but its definitely worth it to bring. Also bring either travel-size toiletries or a toiletries bag with bottles.)
*Shabbos shoes (When it comes to Shabbos shoes, you might want to avoid heels!! They’re totally unnecessary, and especially uncomfortable if you plan on walking just about anywhere, being that Eretz Ysroel is an exceptionally hilly country! (Why hurt your feet more than necessary?? Have some mercy on your toes!!!) Not to mention the fact that most young girls there don’t wear heels, and you’ll probably stick out if you do… Also, don’t bring your favorite pair that you’ll want for after seminary…. due to all the walking and the streets in israel, they’ll be ruined by the end of the year.)
(Shabbos coat)
General Notes:
Good outfits might very easily get ruined because the water and detergents are different.
When you are sent to families for Shabbos, chances are that they will not be well-off so don’t dress extravagantly.
For Shabbos take into account the summer weather, then regular weather and then winter weather. That means two mamash summer outfits, two outfits that can go either way, and two outfits for winter.
‘Shoes’
Do not bring a thousand pairs of shoes!
Shoes get ruined and worn out very quickly in Israel – nothing too dainty – the dust will stain them.
Comfortable flats- a few good pairs, 2-4.
Boots for the rain
Shabbos shoes* (see above)
Slippers for around the dorm and flip flops*- like cheap kind for the shower- VERY USEFUL!
Water shoes with backs- so helpful for all of the water hikes, even a junk pair of sneakers so you can hike as well.
Walking shoes*
‘Hosiery’
Stockings/tights/pantyhose/ Socks
There is good hosiery in Israel, but it costs between five and six dollars a pair. So don’t worry about getting stuck, but bring from home, enough that will last you. That means you know yourself, if you’re the kind of person who rips or gets runs a lot- bring enough stockings to last you till November and then again- starting a little after Purim time.
Between November and Purim, you need tights.
Tights: I’m assuming generally rip less often- it’s just annoying to try to find in Israel, and it’s more expensive.
‘Tiyulim’
long, full skirts that you can hike in comfortably *hiking shoes (see above regarding water shoes) 6-8 pairs of knee socks
cap with sun visor
backpack
canteen
Just to emphasize the canteen for tiyulim… I brought a camel back with me to sem, it’s basically a knapsack that holds around 3 li. of water in it!! I’m not saying to get one of those (though i would recommend it,) but it saved my life when we were hiking up the snake path on Masada as well as the stairs in Tzfat, plus a hundred more times on other tiyulim… water is a MUST on tiyulim and a canteen is DEFINITELY A GOOD IDEA!!!)
bathing suit and bathing cap and a tzniyus cover up
Canteen isn’t needed. We all carried our water bottles around in out backpacks, and left ones not needed on the bus.
‘Dorm Life’
2 sweat shirts
3 pajama pants (bring thin and thick)
4 shirts Or Long nightshirts
Note: students may not leave their dorm rooms in pajamas. A robe or skirt must be put on top.
Comfortable clothes, sweatshirts
*Shower/beach slippers
*Slippers to wear around the dorm
Bath robe
Undergarments
‘Laundry’
Don’t bring too much dry cleaning or hand wash stuff (especially hand wash stuff) people lose patience with it, never do it and that means never wear it and that means waste of space.
Laundry bag (fold out laundry bag definitely advised over a laundry bag- it gets annoying.)
Maybe some detergent tablets (though you can buy detergent in Israel. Don’t bring detergent! Bring some in a small bottle for when you want to spot clean/hand wash something. You can buy detergent right by school)
mesh bags
Iron (you can buy there, or borrow from a friend. There will always be someone who buys one, or gets from a sibling. It’s best to all chip in and buy one I would suggest, however, not to bring so many outfits that need to be ironed. You can iron it right from the drier, and it gets wrinkled in your closet, and you can’t wear it when you want to.)
Bounce Sheets (the water is hard and makes stuff crunchy!)
Febreeze
‘Toiletries’
They sell these in Israel! Don’t pack for an entire year unless you are very particular about your brand.They even have the American brands like Head and Shoulders and Pantene, but a little more expensive than the Israeli brands.
Sunglasses
Contact lens, solution, case, and bring your glasses (maybe even a spare pair!!! Bring lens solution- 1-2 Costco size bottles should DEFINITELY DO. It cost so much more in Israel.)
Bring a small bottle of mouthwash and a small bottle of purell – as well as a bigger bottle of both, so that you can refill the smaller ones and keep the small ones with you for tiyulim and Shabbos.
FACE WASH! You can barely find in Israel and it’s a fortune.
Sunscreen- the same. It’s expensive.
Aloe- in case you get burned, and you are likely to.
Hair brush, ponytail holders, bobby pins, cute clips, headbands, chappers
Deodorant
Soap: antibacterial, hand, face, body
Loofa
Toothbrush-and toothbrush cover or case
Toothpaste
Shampoo- (I would NOT suggest bringing shampoo and conditioner from home- you can buy in Israel. It’s a little more expensive, but it doesn’t pay to bring from home because of weight and room and the chance it can explode in your suitcase (it did in one of my friends’ suitcases, and yes she did wrap it in plastic bags.)
Conditioner
(It’s a good idea to have travel size for going away or containers you can fill.)
Mousse, gel, spray
Shavers, cream
Personal items
Tweezers, nail clipper, nail filer, compact, makeup bag
Cosmetics
Chapstick/lipgloss
Prescription medicine AND PRESCRIPTIONS WITH THE GENERIC NAME!
Other: Off, after bite, Orajel, Neosporin, lip balm, acne wash, Vitamins, Tylenol, Advil, Benadryl caplets, Benadryl spray, Band aids, Debrox, Peroxide, Air freshener
Thermometer
‘Coats’
Warm waterproof jacket
Raincoat
Hat, gloves, scarf
Umbrella
Jacket wise- I suggest a light spring jacket, a big thick sweatshirt and then a winter coat, and some form of rain jacket
‘Appliances’
Remember: 220 Voltage
hair iron or blow dryer
Digital camera and rechargeable batteries
(You will need an adapter or you can buy rechargeable batteries in Israel. If you are buying a digital camera before seminary, BUY A WARRANTY! Most girls (even the most cautious and careful) had something happen to their camera. Don’t think it won’t happen to you because you don’t want to be stuck without a camera or paying a lot of money in the middle of seminary.)
Adapters – (I bought in Israel, was easier for me that way…)
Alarm clock
Batteries
Flash light
(you might be best off buying the right adapters in Israel)
Food
Two Views:
They sell food in Israel!!!! Don’t waste your suitcase space with cans of Tuna!!
Bring your favorite snacks, really hard to find food, or just some stuff to tide you over till you have time to shop (tuna cans, American cereal, peanut butter, instant oatmeal)
‘Dorm room’
Pictures of friends to hang up
(a picture calendar is the cutest idea!!)
A throw, pillows (might be better to shop around in Israel for these things)
shoe organizer (It definitely helps. The rooms are small, and the hook onto the sides of the beds just fine. It keeps the floor look clean and not stuffy.)
Collapsible drawers and shelves-check out target, crate and barrel, linens and things…. Buying collapsible drawers and shelves are great, but there isn’t really so much room. Organizer baskets are great for your closet, but you don’t get much of your own floor space.
Organizer boxes (One for under the bed is great because that is space not normally used.)
Small rug to put by your bed so your feet don’t freeze in the morning
(You won’t need a rug, because most people don’t like to walk barefoot on the floor, so you won’t feel the cold!)
A basket or hanging thing to keep your shower stuff in is useful because of the lack of space.
Foldable Boxes for stuff like socks, etc. (or you can buy baskets in Israel)
Siddur (A Siddur that fits into your purse I found to be a lot more travel friendly when going to the Kosel.)
‘Books for school’
Hangers-get the kind that you can hang multiple things on: skirt hangers-you won’t find them there!!!
Hooks-the kind that you can put in the bathroom, on the back of your door, etc.
Safety pins. Carry them with you everywhere. And if the girl who gave me a safety pin outside Tachana HaMerkazit reads this– know that I am still very grateful to you, and intend to adopt your safety-pin-carrying habit next year! I thought that very clever of you.
Paper clips, rubber bands
Can opener and peeler- and be sure to hide them well because people like to borrow them. (Can opener/ peeler aren’t really necessary. We hardly ever used cans except when baking for something, and then we were in the big kitchen. Maybe a sharp knife or bowl or measuring cups if you want to bring.)
Plastic Tupperware containers- or you can buy them there but you’ll definitely need them. (I never used Tupperware containers. I don’t even know why you would need any. They are not necessary, and if you really want some, there stores that sell them in Israel.)
If you don’t think you’ll like the taste of the water- and most of you probably won’t, bring some sort of ice tea mix to flavor your water because you NEED to drink in Israel, even when you’re not thirsty and it’s not a particularly hot day, you don’t realize how much stronger the sun is there, and I can’t even count the number of times friends of mine have fainted from not drinking because they weren’t thirsty. (In America suggested amount to drink is 8-10 cups a day, in Israel the suggested amount is 12-15)
Earplugs: if you plan on going to bed one day before 1 am, and you’re not one of those people who can fall asleep at a concert then bring ear plugs- an eye mask is also convenient, because sometimes you’ll just need an early night, and your roommates might still need the light on….
Journal Being back from my year in Seminary, it’s so much fun to sit and and read all the journal entries I wrote. It brings back so many fun memories!
Fun games taboo, bananagrams, set…
A calendar
Extra watch
A small hand held mirror is handy to have. For checking the back of your hair, or doing your make up when the big mirror is being used.
You may want a clip on lamp for when the lights go out. Girls bought them there, did without, or used their flashlights to navigate the room. A small book light though would have been nice, for reading or writing when already in bed.
A hot water bottle- with a nice fluffy cover!!!!!!!!! It was the best for those cold winter nights!!!!
‘School Supplies’
For school supplies: either decide to go Israel all the way, or bring over ALL your stuff from America, which can be a shlep.
They sell them in Israel but they are slightly more expensive so….Also, binders and paper-the loose-leaf paper in Israel has different holes so if you are going to bring your own binders then bring enough paper!
Because of the amount of classes and the fact that we only had them once or twice a week, most girls found it more useful to have a binder with looseleaf and dividers because their notebooks didn’t get filled up. you can buy those in Israel or Americ, but anything you buy in America, you won’t be able to buy the same size/type in Israel if you need more or you change your mind.
Notebooks are better to get from America because they’re cheaper- but not necessary to bring from home.
Highlighters, pencils for marking things off in sefarim or whatever is a good idea. And I would suggest lead pencils with a large supply of lead.
Whiteout in America works better (especially the pen kind) so if you are into whiteout bring a few bottles/pens.
Scissors, Mini-stapler, paper clips, pencil case
Blank paper of all varieties
Tac, tape, permanent marker
Folders They don’t sell folders in Israel. If they do, they are really hard to find and/or expensive.
Fun Stuff!!
Markers, crayons (If you like to draw bring a sketchbook, pencils and anything you like to use because Israel is great for sketching)
Envelopes
‘Miscellaneous’
Some extras to bear in mind
Tishrei:white clothes, Non-leather shoes, Machzorim, enough elegant clothing for five days of YomTov/Shabbos during a week when you can’t do laundry
Three day Yomim Tovim this year!!!
Nisan: enough elegant clothing for five days of YomTov/Shabbos during a week when you can’t do laundry
Rosh Chodesh clothing.
Some small hostess gifts for Shabbos hosts (You can buy your host gift in Israel…. people usually buy candy or a cake)
Sephardi girls may wish to bring a birkat hamazon with zemirot for in Shabbasos.
Important!
Purse, wallet, credit card, passport, checks, student visa….Money
‘Things I should not have brought!’
1. A desk-lamp. We had no desks in the dorm.
2. Lots of sefarim. There are English-sefarim libraries in Israel.
3. Even a very subtle Purim costume. Girls don’t dress up at all.
4. A small plug-converter: pretty much everything I wanted to plug in required a big voltage-converter.
Things to make sure you do before departure
Book ticket!!! (And when you get it don’t lose it, my sister did and the day before she left it was crazy!!!-we finally found it in the garbage!)
Make sure you have transportation from the airport. (If you are coming with the group flight, you will be met and transported to the dorm.)
Figure out with your parents what you are doing about a credit card, cell phone, etc. and make sure you have it figured out before you go
Get addresses and numbers of relatives and friends that you can stay at for Shabbos or that you need to visit at least once
Come with a positive attitude and try to hang onto it during the first adjustment days. Kol haschalos kashos! But it is going to be the most awesome experience of your life!