The Jewish People may be a single nation, but that doesn’t help us avoid dealing with bureaucratic issues that range from irritating to downright daunting when we move across borders. Here are some tips on how to make that process more user-friendly.
Great Britain
If you place a phone call to Josh Zaitschek the education and programs director at a large shul in West HampsteadEngland you might be surprised by his accent. Born and bred inWestchester County New York Josh speaks with standard American inflections despite having spent the past six years in theUnited Kingdom. By now Josh is no newcomer toGreat Britain; in fact he is a British citizen. But the road to British citizenship was a long one paved with abundant paperwork plenty of expensive fees and an occasional amusing mishap.
The couple initially lived inIsraelafter their marriage on Moshav Mattisyahu and then decided to move toEnglandfor work-related reasons. This involved wading through plenty of bureaucratic red tape.
“We had gotten married inGreat Britain so I already had a visa for the marriage” recalls Josh whose wife is English. “But I needed another visa in order to work and I had to be inIsraelin order to get it.”
After he spent a few years in theUK he was entitled to get another permit to remain there indefinitely. Eventually though Josh applied for citizenship which required passing a test on British history.
Create a free account to keep reading.
