packing for seminary in israel

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  • #592165
    bumbleB
    Participant

    help! i’m leaving to israel soon for seminary and i can only take 2 suitcases of 50 lbs each and i want to know from people who have been there what i really need because it seems like i’m only going to be able to take the bare minimum… i will not pay the exhorbitant fees demanded by airlines for overweight.

    #693222

    please bumbleB do yourself a favor and DO NOT OVERPACK! Most sems dont even have room for all the stuff!

    Most girls take tooonz of stuff that they don’t even use in the end. It depends what sem your going to but you really really don’t need even 1/2 as much clothes as everyone takes. You’ll end up wearing the same 2 things every shabbos because in the end you just want to be comfortable and your going to different places every shabbos so no one knows. Also buy all your school supplies there. Its so so silly to shlep along the American paper… etc when you can get it all there. I would say just try to keep all the “extras” down. You really could get a lot of American products there. They sell dove soap, tide detergent, maybe your specific lens solution not. but find out before. These things are very heavy and unnecessary to shlep along. Also seforim, in E”Y are cheaper than in America, it may be worth it to buy there/if you have someone you can borrow them from…

    i think a lot of girls over pack because they’re so nervous. Just calm down, you’ll have what you need and prioritize. What’s the most important things that i need to come with me. Remember E”Y is a developed country today, not like it was 20 years ago. You can get stuff there too! Hatzlocho rabba, enjoy your year and take it all in!

    #693223
    plaid
    Member

    Hi bumbleB, I started this thread a while ago, figured I’d repost it up here, maybe it’ll give oyu some more ideas… http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/seminary-packing-list

    hatzlacha! 🙂

    #693224

    Take deoderant, lens solution and mouthwash. Those are pretty much the only pharmacy things that you cant get here at a normal price.

    Also, you probably dont need a heavy winter coat. Last winter was very mild. I used a wool short jacket thru the whole winter.

    And there are places to order blankets and pillows here beforehand – they even deliver to your seminary. I think one is Blanketexpress.com

    Dont bring seforim- You can buy e/t here probably for much cheaper.

    Some people are finnicky that their paper should have three holes and not the Israeli two but then you also have to bring looseleafs and every time you run out of paper you’ll need s/o to send from America, cuz they dont sell it here

    #693225
    bumbleB
    Participant

    thanks so much everyone! yea, i don’t have lenses so i guess i’m saved THAT hassle 🙂 the clothes are a problem though… i’m nervous to leave so much behind…

    #693226
    rc
    Participant

    dont bring shampoo.. its a waste. you need the israeli/european ones to work with the hard water. and according to my girls they only wear the same black pleated skirt, and black sweater every single shabbos. THey have also never worn their fancy shabbos robes. or their high heeled fancy shabbos shoes. you do alot of walking there so those steve maddens with the thin sole are not gonna last you!!! and they also make you go sliding down slippery streets like in shaarei chesed. You may want to bring spiral notebooks in your hand luggage. YOu cant really get them there. Any type of “dorm appliances” you can get in Israel. and sforim you can order online at shenkys and he will deliver it to you… GOod luck take half as much as you think you need.

    #693227
    funny613
    Member

    Definately don’t bring shampoo and conditioner and soap for the year. I brought one of each at the begining and used it until i got some isrealy stuff. then i used my american stuff before yomim tovim and whenever i was in the mood. i even had leftover by the end!

    I would bring pens and pencils becuase they seem to cost a fortune there-like four shekel a pen – that like a dollar! i would just bring from home but everything else for school you can really buy there.

    make sure to find out about if you school has a tiyul dress code so you can try to bring the right clothing. of course you can always wear your uniform but its nice to be able to wear something else if the school lets.

    other people said this already but bring deoterant. also sunscreen and batteries i was told were really expensive there. i don’t know why. i brought enough for the whole year so i really never got to find out if it really was more expensive or not.

    i wore the same outfits or two every week….also, leave some stuff at home just in case your suitcase get lost on the way back-i know someone it happened to but she had no clothing for two weeks cuz she brought it all to Isreal with her. leave stuff at home….

    also, find out if you know people coming over the year for sukkos, chanuka….then you can ask your parents to send stuff with them-like a little bit at a time so its not too muhc for one person then you can get the stuff you have to leave behind….

    have a safe flight and a great year!!!

    #693228
    plaid
    Member

    thanks to everyone who posted! would you be able to add which sem (or general idea) you went to, since space, dress codes, etc, are diff in all the sems…thanks! 🙂

    #693229

    plaid, i’m sorry i’d rather not say. all i can say is comparing to other sems we had quite a bit of room. I’d say pack as light as possible in any case because even if your sem does have more room for each girl, your still not at home and why shlep so much that is really not necessary. Again, like so many others said you only need 1/2 or less of what the “cut down” version is. But again it does make a difference if your sem has a uniform/not… stuff like that.

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