No, I'm not saying that. If you grew up there, if Hebrew is your first language, if your family is there, if your childhood friends are there, if you have childhood associations with this neighborhood or that, if you are used to people who cut in line (not everyone and 20 years ago it was much worse) or people who shout every displeasure (not everyone but many), if you are used to the militarism (worse than ever), if you like soccer or are used to the amount of fine arts that is there (not much), if you like smashing your buddies on the back, that's another story.
Recently, I saw two Israelis shouting at each other. The yelling was so bad that I was sure a physical fight would break out. I contemplated what to do. Then, one slapped the other on the back, they broke into smiles and walked away laughing. I realized that they were friends. This is how people talk over here. If you can deal with it, fine. If you are from Minnesota, you never will get used to it. In Minnesota, if somebody yells at you, the chances are excellent that you did something wrong. Here if somebody yells, you best no pay attention at all! It has nothing to do with you. But you likely will walk around feeling guilty all day long not making the switch from Minnesota to SSOI.
Not all Israelis shout. Some of them are quite pleasant. And many are good natured. The problem is that there are so many rough encounters that it overwhelms the other experiences. So for example, your kid goes to school and has 4 nice teachers and one screaming, raging maniac. It ruins the whole day. In America, this one person likely wouldn't be tolerated.
In general, it's a high anxiety culture. If you have anxiety issues, this is not the place for you. In America I had mild anxiety, depending on the situation. If I went to pick up a slice of pizza or stop at the ocean I looked forward to it. No anxiety. Here anything I do I feel anxiety. You just never know who is going to pounce on you. And that lack of smiling makes one nervous.
So I'm not telling you that Israel is a good place to live or a bad one. I'm talking completely to people who live outside of the land, telling them to see through the fantasy sales pitches and know what they are getting themselves into. As I have said, some olim are happy in Israel. Good for them. Will you be one of them? Look into it first, take several pilot trips. Live there for six months if you can. And don't be guilted into anything. And even if you are easily guilted, consider your family. You have no right to drag other people into a mess or to possibly shorten your own life with stress and pervasive disappointment.
Could be that Israelis won't be happy in England or Canada. The people are too polite. They don't speak their minds. That can be frustrating if it's what you are used to. You should always be careful before moving to a new country, especially one on the other side of the world. Just because Israel has lots of Jews doesn't make it the same experience as your Jewish neighborhood in New York or London.
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