We’re a young family of three, and we came to Be’er Sheva from Calgary, Canada about 4 months ago. Even now that the honeymoon period is nearly over (hello, the realization that the bureaucracy is, in fact, endless!), we still feel that moving to Israel, and to Be’er Sheva in particular, was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We’re in love with the tight-knit and compassionate community we’ve found here in the Negev, and we also love the ease with which we can escape into the quiet desert for a Friday hike. The affordable rent, wonderful cultural happenings, and accessibility to the centre make Be’er Sheva the perfect hub for us.

Gahl has a background in the arts, and Zvi’s is in the humanities. But we both found promising career opportunities in high tech.  We both started our search for jobs a little before we arrived in Israel, and with the right reach into various networks, polishing our resumes for the Israeli market, and a generous dollop of luck, we were both working within a month of arrival. We’ve found a wonderful daycare for our 19-month old as well.

Here’s a glimpse of three days’ worth of fun for us as olim: yesterday our friends and next door neighbours invited us over for some Thanksgiving leftovers after work, and we sat and socialized about adjusting to a new culture while holding on to nice memories from North America. Tonight Gahl will go see a play in Tel Aviv, a short train ride away. Tomorrow the whole family will enjoy a Negev hike, and make it back in time for Shabbat services with our special (and highly-recommended) minyan, Kehillat Be’erot.

Living in the South comes with its own challenges. Gahl’s commute is long, and Zvi has had to jump into speaking Hebrew all day every day, because there are fewer English-speakers around than in communities in the centre. And while Be’er Sheva is quickly becoming more and more cosmopolitan, its small-town character can sometimes mean that certain services are less timely or professional. But the good outweighs the “needs improvement”, and the diversity and kindness we see here every day are constant reminders of how happy this place makes us.