The Real Super-Commuters

Living in Israel, Working in the U.S.

Commuting to work is no fun. But the next time you are stuck in Midtown traffic, or endure a 45-minute ride in a crammed train, consider this: thousands of people a year travel not hundreds but thousands of miles each month to reach their places of employment. Granted, that’s not a trip you can make twice a day, but when it’s conducted on a regular basis, guess who wins the long-and-difficult-commute contest?

You won’t hear much complaining, though, at least not from the people we’ve interviewed who make the transatlantic commute from Israel to the United States at least a dozen times a year – sometimes twice that. That’s because they’re living what they consider to be the dream: raising their families in the holiest place on Earth while maintaining successful and satisfying careers halfway around the world.

Ten to fifteen percent of all olim (new immigrants to Israel) commute regularly to their places of employment in the U.S., according to Rachel Berger, director of employment at Nefesh B’Nefesh. That number, she says, is higher among Orthodox olim. “It’s an issue of planning. Some (prospective olim) have thought through for years how to create an income stream.”

Rachel sees thing from a broad perspective, currently dealing with 3500 companies and 750 job openings – not to mention a widely varied demographic of olim. “The world today is a global economy,” she says, “so it’s not a big deal to work abroad. Living in one country and working in another is fairly common.”

Moving to Israel can be very overwhelming – and so can the accompanying expenses. Maintaining a successful job in the U.S. rather than attempting to start anew in a new country can alleviate some of the pressure inherent in the aliyah process.

Does the number of transatlantic commuters affect the Israeli economy? Rachel says it does not. “Israel is pretty much at full employment. Even if olim don’t work here, they will spend their money here.”

It’s a win-win for all – for those who can handle the hours of traveling.

Rabbi Yale Butler lives in Teaneck, New Jersey. Often, he joins the 8:50 a.m. Shacharis at Congregation Bnei Yeshurun, a minyan which he helped establish to accommodate commuters from Israel who land at Newark in the early morning hours. “This start time makes it possible for them to clear customs and make it in time for Shacharis before they begin their work days,” he explains.

Rabbi Butler knows a number of these commuters, including the owners of two popular kosher eatery chains. He says that Teaneck has a relatively large population of Israel-U.S. commuters, an option that became more convenient for the back when ElAl began offering service to Newark. “There are so many people in Teaneck who make the commute or have their prime interests – their children – in Israel,” he says, noting that a large percentage that he knows lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh, which is about an hour from Ben Gurion International Airport. ”It’s a practical matter,” he says of the decision to commute rather than building a career in Israel. “If you have restaurants here in the States, for example, do you take a chance and start anew? Or do you say, here I have an existing, successful business that will allow me to raise my family there without worrying about how to support them? For many people, the answer to that question is obvious.”

Rabbi Butler’s daughter and her family moved to Israel last week with a one-year plan that includes a regular commute to the U.S. by his son-in-law who runs a hedge fund. “There are so many benefits to this arrangement,” says Rabbi Butler. “For one thing, tuition is much lower; my daughter will be paying for six kids in Israel roughly the same amount she paid for one high-school student here in the States. In the bigger picture, the quality of life in Israel is so unique. Materialism is less of a factor. No one is worrying about what kind of car they are driving. It’s a beautiful way to live.”

Yossi Eagle is the owner of five establishments based in Boro Park, including four bakeries and a wine store, the most renowned of which is Yossi’s Sweet House. The aptly named Eagles made aliyah almost nine years ago, currently residing in Beit Shemesh.  Originally, Yossi’s plan was simple: he’d hire a manager in the U.S. to run the businesses and keep an eye on things from afar, coming in once or twice a year to see things up close. After three years of this arrangement, Yossi realized it just wasn’t working –  there were too many lingering questions about the way things were being run – and he began checking in on the business every month or so. Things came to a head approximately eighteen months ago when his head manager quit. That’s when Yossi began making the transatlantic commute once a month.   At first, his wife made the commute with him, but when that became too difficult (having children living at home), he began making the trip alone.

“It’s difficult,” Eagle admits, “but you make it work.”

Did he ever consider opening a bakery in Israel instead of continuing to run the ones here? His brother did just that, moving to Israel and selling his bakery in Boro Park  – which Yossi subsequently purchased. “It wasn’t a smooth ride for him,” he says, “and I didn’t want to take that chance. Just because something is successful here doesn’t mean it will be successful there. I feel that if I’m fortunate enough to have a good business here, it’s better to just continue with it.”

Avi Kamionski is a trial lawyer who commutes from Israel to Chicago approximately once a month, a schedule he has been maintaining since he made aliyah with his family six years ago. Kamionski usually spends three Shabbasos in Israel and one in the United States each month, but that can change based on work needs.  During our discussion, which takes place while he’s in Chicago, he shares that he’s unsure about whether he’ll be able to make it home according to plan for Rosh Hashanah. “This is the first time this has happened so close to Yom Tov,” he says, “but there have been many times I’ve had to cancel plans to return home for Shabbos.” There was one time when the gate to his connecting flight from Newark to Israel was closed just as he got there. Kamionski was not allowed to board the aircraft, but the rest of his friends who shared his itinerary made the flight; they grinned and waved to him mischievously from aboard as he watched helplessly from the terminal window. He ended up spending that Shabbos in New Jersey.

Kamionski has a network of friends who share his commute. “I know a lot of people who do this, in every industry. We all support and help each other out. If I have a stopover in Newark, someone might bring me dinner, for example.”

Avi staves off jet lag by taking night flights and doing whatever he can to get a full night’s sleep on the plane because, “I need to be fully functioning wherever I land.”

There’s no question that his split-country lifestyle is a trade-off, but it works well for the Kamionskis.  It’s not always easy; in fact, Avi recently left for the U.S. just three days after his son’s bris.  While he is away, Avi takes advantage of downtime to call home. Once he returns home, he tries to be fully present, without having to deal with the pull of the office.

Avi’s wife was the moving force behind the family’s aliyah. “That is the only way an arrangement like this will work,” he says, “is if both spouses are ‘all in.’ You have to want it over anything else. But there’s no question that I’d recommend this lifestyle. As long as you are aware of the ups and downs, and willing to make it work, it’s totally doable.”

Yossi Zablocki, a criminal defense attorney from Elizabeth, New Jersey, made aliyah with his family several years ago. It was an ideal time for them to make the move; Kutcher’s, the iconic Catskills hotel managed by Zablocki, was closing its doors. Yossi’s successful run at Kutcher’s, however, gave him a different idea: why not start his own Pesach program, one that he could continue to operate in the United States following his big move?

His new program was so successful that Zablocki organized subsequent programs for Shavous and during the summer months, commuting from his new home in Jerusalem to the States each time. Today, his venture, Destinations 613, includes programs throughout the year, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, Pesach, and the summer months, as well as kosher cruises during the winter. Zablocki makes the flight from Israel to the United States and back about twenty times each year, with his family joining him in the U.S. for Pesach and two months each summer.

“It’s the modern Zionist dream,” says Zablocki, “to be able to live in Israel and work in the United States.” For him, aliyah was made that much easier by avoiding the daunting search for a new job or line of work in an unfamiliar environment.

Unlike some regular commuters, who have set schedules for their comings and goings, Yossi’s travel schedule is a bit more erratic. While he has a stretch of several months between winter and spring, the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is nothing short of dizzying. This year, his High Holiday itinerary includes flying to the U.S. for Rosh Hashanah, returning home for four days, and then returning to the States for Sukkos.

While Yossi says he is very high-energy and doesn’t find jet lag to be much of an issue, he does find it difficult to keep up with his family while he is working nearly around the clock, halfway around the globe. He makes up for that time when he is home. “The advantage of my lifestyle is that during the time that I am in Israel, I am fully present for my family,” he says. And, of course, there is the summer, when his family joins him for a two-month stretch, allowing them to spend time with relatives here and maintain their connection to their former place of residence.

super-commuter noun

​someone who regularly travels a very long distance between work and home, especially between different cities or countries 

(Source: the Cambridge Dictionary)

A direct flight from Tel Aviv to Newark takes 12 hours, five minutes; the return flight is 10 hours, 35 minutes. That’s approximately 270 hours spent on an airplane each year for someone who travels back and forth once a month. Add to that the travel time back and forth from the airport, extra time to pass through security and make it to the gate with ample time…and you’ve redefined the term “super-commuter.”

Bright-Eyed and Ready to Work…..After a Flight

The “red-eye” flight from Tel Aviv to Newark is a popular one among transatlantic commuters. One frequent flier on that route says that he tries to get as many hours of sleep as he can on each flight, both to minimize jet lag and allow him to transition to work as smoothly as possible. To help him attain that goal, he makes sure the flight is as comfortable as can be – flying business class whenever possible – making it feel like night-time by changing out of his business clothes, wearing a mask and noise-canceling headphones, and by taking an Ambien. During a stopover, he will use the time to shower and change once again, so he enters the office bright-eyed and ready to work.