"So I called my parents, told them I was moving to Tel Aviv, stayed up until 3AM networking and connecting with companies in Israel until I received a job offer"
I’m from San Diego, California, graduated from Boston University then immediately moved to NYC to work in PR for Fortune 500 companies including Mastercard and Nestlé.
In short, a gut feeling.
I came to Israel for the first time when I was 24 on birthright and it made me question what my next step was. New York City had always been my dream, but after achieving that, I didn’t know what was next. I knew exactly what my future held if I stayed - and that’s just no fun. So I called my parents, told them I was moving to Tel Aviv, stayed up until 3AM networking and connecting with companies in Israel until I received a job offer, quit my PR role and 8 months post-birthright I landed in Tel Aviv. I had one friend here and that job - no family, no apartment, no cell phone and no bank.
Needless to say my parents thought I was having a quarter life crisis. :)
The culture shock when I moved here was strong. I thought I had thick skin after living in Manhattan but it turns out that “thick skin” was more like tissue paper. Coming from such a politically correct culture and landing in one that is less PC and more in your face (I say that lovingly!) means naturally there’s an adjustment period.
Today I feel 50/50 - I’ve become much more honest and unapologetic about my opinions and I say sorry less (we Americans say sorry for unnecessary things, don't we?).
I’m the Director of Communications & Brand at Faye, a new travel insurance disruptor that just launched. In short: we’re waking up a sleepy space that’s in much need of innovation, with a 100% digital coverage & care product for American travelers that’s made a jargon-filled, bureaucratic ecosystem much more user-friendly.
I’ve worked for a decade in communications and brand-building, with Faye being the third startup I’ve managed comms for in Israel. Typically I’ve been sought after to take brands’ narratives global to English speaking markets (US, UK, Australia, etc) in order to create their brand footprint and build executives up as spokespeople and thought leaders in their respective industries.
For the last handful of years I’ve been in the travel tech space which is perfect for me. I’m travel obsessed - my daydreams are dripping in destinations I can’t wait to go to and I can’t turn the travel planner in my brain off. That, married with the high-speed nature of hi-tech, has become my sweet spot.
Perhaps the most unique fact is that throughout the entirety of COVID-19, I traveled and worked abroad for months at a time as a digital nomad. This was a super unique experience as travel patterns were constantly. It also enabled me to identify trends to comment on in the press - such as cityscapers (those fleeing metropolitan cities to live in rural locales) and revenge travel - the trend of consumers booking longer trips to far away destinations to make up for moments lost due to the pandemic.
I personally focused on traveling and working near national parks so I could be connected while in the great outdoors. At one point I was working from a treehouse in East Tennessee. Give me great wifi and I can do anything.
Perhaps the most interesting observation working in Israel: lunch is taken seriously. Veryyyy seriously. Whereas in the states many times you eat at your desk (which in hindsight is a horrible habit!).
What keeps me going: I love what I do. I get to talk travel all day.
I was told by many that I’d never find a job until I landed in Israel. That made me work tirelessly to prove them wrong and before I moved here, I landed two job offers.
For those already working and out of college, making aliyah doesn’t mean you need to pause your career. My suggestion is to network before coming here and connect with individuals in your field - it goes a long way.
Lastly, what is a fun fact about your life right now?
I’m planning my next adventure abroad! :)
I’m Israeli-born, Silicon Valley raised. I hold a BSc. in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona. From my peers, I’m the “jack of all trades” marketer, helping companies scale and go to market.
In my free time, I kick-box, DJ, go to the beach, and do fun passion projects like this. If you’re an Oleh/Olah in tech and would love to be featured, let's connect on LinkedIn!