In honor of our first anniversary, Chaim V’Chessed has published an all-new brochure that’s coming out in the Sukkos edition of Mishpacha magazine! Take a look inside for mind-blowing statistics, exclusive staff interviews, highlights of our year and more.
Wishing all of Klal Yisrael a happy, healthy and successful year.
Problem Solved – Banking for Foreign Citizens
This month, Chaim V’Chessed was flooded with calls from foreign citizens living in Israel who were facing a new problem: their Israeli bank accounts were being closed down! Due to new IRS regulations on paperwork for their U.S. citizen customers, Israeli banks were threatening to close the accounts of foreign customers unless they deposited sizable sums of money.
Chaim V’Chessed contacted MK Uri Maklev and Rabbi Yitzchak Brenner of Degel HaTorah, who interfaced with Bank of Israel on our behalf. On September 27, Dr. Chedvah Bar, Supervisor of Banks, notified Chaim V’Chessed that she had issued a directive to banks countrywide to cease this discriminatory act.
Bank of Israel representatives informed Chaim V’Chessed that foreign citizens may ignore such notices from their banks. If you continue to encounter difficulty in this area, contact Chaim V’Chessed and we will take action to resolve it.
Behind the Scenes
Our sophisticated new customer service interface is up and running. We aim to do whatever it takes to help us help you better!
Last year, dozens of Chaim V’Chessed’s navigation guides were published in Newcomers Guide, the premier directory for the English-speaking community in Israel. Preparations for the 2017 edition are well underway – stay tuned for dozens of both new and updated guides! Some exciting new additions include purchasing a secondhand car, details on more Bituach Leumi benefits, Israeli citizenship for beginners, and all about the toshav arai (temporary resident) visa.