Alex Porcelain: Would We Even Be Friends in America?

Future Olim - this one’s for you. In this episode, I sit down with one of my oldest friends in Israel, Alex Porcelain, to talk about what it’s really like to move here and start over. We cover everything from navigating grocery stores, Hebrew mistakes, navigating bureaucracy, and that moment when Israel starts to feel like home. We both reflect on how you don’t need to change who you are to live here, you just need to try. We talk about belonging, missing home, friends who are thinking about making Aliyah, and why we wish more people would take the leap. It’s not impossible. Eventually, you just… live here. We end with some hot takes and a little Porcedawg TikTok magic, of course.

(0:00–3:38) – Intro

(3:38–12:40) – The early stages of Aliyah: excitement, confusion, and first impressions

(12:40–16:11) – Feeling Israeli and the journey of learning Hebrew

(16:11–26:00) – Honest advice for acclimating to Israeli life

(26:00–32:00) – Bureaucracy, more Hebrew, and learning to navigate the system

(32:00–40:00) – Being far from home and watching friends make the leap

(40:00–end) – Alex's TikTok journey