What To Bring To Israel
What to Bring to Israel — and What to Leave Behind
Every oleh faces the same agonising question, usually in the weeks before the move, surrounded by half-packed boxes: ship everything, or start fresh? Get it wrong in one direction and you pay a fortune to transport things that won't fit a smaller Israeli flat. Get it wrong in the other and you'll spend your first year in Israel mournfully — and expensively — rebuying what you gave away.
There's no universal answer, because what to bring turns on your budget, your apartment, your family, and your attachments. But there is a framework. Almost every decision comes down to one comparison and a handful of Israeli realities behind it.
The core trade-off
For any given item, the question is simple: does it cost more to ship than to replace in Israel?
As a rough guide, sea freight runs around $150–300 per cubic metre when consolidated, with heavy items (books, furniture) and fragile pieces costing more. Set that against what the same thing costs here. Quality furniture is often pricier in Israel than in the US or Europe. English books are dramatically more expensive. Electronics, appliances, and IKEA tend to be similar — sometimes a little higher.
But the lift changes everything. If you qualify for the olim lift — the tax-free import entitlement for new immigrants — you skip the 18% VAT, purchase tax, and duties that can otherwise add 20–40% to the cost of replacing something locally. That single factor tips a lot of "leave it" decisions back toward "bring it." Quality items suddenly become far more worth shipping. Space and genuine use still apply, but the tax stops being the deciding question.
The space reality
Israeli homes are markedly smaller than the houses many olim are leaving behind. A typical American single-family home runs 1,500–3,000+ sq ft; here's what you're actually moving into:
1-bedroom: 50–65 sqm (538–700 sq ft)
2-bedroom: 70–90 sqm (753–969 sq ft)
3-bedroom: 90–120 sqm (969–1,292 sq ft)
4-bedroom: 120–150 sqm (1,292–1,615 sq ft)
You simply cannot bring everything — so measure before you ship. And measure for access, not just floor area. Older Israeli buildings have narrow stairs (sometimes just 80cm), small or absent elevators, tight doorways, and almost never a freight lift. Measure your largest pieces against the apartment's doorways, stairwell, and elevator before you commit a single oversized item to the container. Israeli movers are genuinely skilled, but physics has limits.
Power: read the label
Israel runs on 220V / 50Hz with the unique Type H plug (European Type C also fits), versus 110V in the US. Before you pack anything electrical, look at the label. It tells you almost everything:
"100–240V" — bring it. Laptops, phones, tablets, cameras, and most modern appliances are dual-voltage and need nothing more than a plug adapter (₪20–50).
"110V only" — usually leave it. A voltage converter ($50–200) is bulky, inefficient, and poor for high-wattage appliances. Rarely worth it long-term.
Cheap or high-wattage 110V items — buy new in Israel, where a 220V version is inexpensive anyway.
Make label-reading a habit before every electrical item goes in a box.
Dressing for the climate
Israel's Mediterranean climate means hot, dry summers from June to September and mild, rainy winters from November to March. On the coast it rarely drops below 10°C; Jerusalem and the north run colder, with occasional snow. You'll live in summer clothes roughly nine months a year.
So bring more of the light stuff — shorts, tees, light dresses, sun protection, a light rain jacket — and far less of the heavy: parkas, snow suits, ski gear, thick wool, and stacks of heavy sweaters. The exception is Jerusalem and the north, where winters are genuinely cold and a warmer wardrobe earns its space (still short of a North American winter, but real).
The easy yeses
Some categories are almost always worth bringing — light, irreplaceable, or far cheaper to ship than to repurchase:
Books. English books are dear in Israel. Shipping 100 might run $200–400; replacing them, $1,000–2,000+. Bring the library, packed tightly in small boxes.
All clothing and shoes. Light to ship, costly to rebuy, and hard to size-match locally.
Artwork, photos, and sentimental items. Heirlooms, religious items (tallit, candlesticks, mezuzot), albums, children's keepsakes — no cost calculation applies. Pack them with real care.
Children's belongings. Familiar toys, books, and comfort items ease a hard transition, and they weigh almost nothing.
Furniture: bring quality, leave the cheap
The rule writes itself. A solid-wood six-seat table worth $1,200 that ships for ~$300 is an easy bring. An IKEA particle-board bookcase worth $80 that costs ~$150 to ship is an easy leave — especially since IKEA is in Israel. An heirloom antique dresser is priceless and comes regardless of the freight.
Bring solid-wood pieces, antiques and heirlooms, upholstered pieces you love (if they'll fit), and good ergonomic office chairs or standing desks. Leave particle-board, oversized sectionals, outdoor furniture (balconies are small), and anything already due for replacement.
Kitchen, electronics, and the rest
In the kitchen, bring the quality pieces you've broken in — Le Creuset, All-Clad, cast iron, good knives, dual-voltage appliances like a stand mixer or Vitamix, fine china — and leave the cheap pot sets, 110V-only gadgets, and redundant duplicates. One note: Israeli ovens are often smaller, so check that large baking trays actually fit before shipping them. (And of course, no food — perishables, meat, dairy, and produce stay behind.)
For electronics, the voltage label decides almost everything. Bring laptops, monitors, cameras, audio gear, and dual-voltage small appliances. Leave 110V-only hair dryers and shavers, microwaves, space heaters, and window AC units. A large quality TV is worth bringing if you stream (Netflix works fine), but note US broadcast tuners (ATSC) don't match Israeli broadcast (DVB-T), and small sets are cheap to rebuy here.
For sports, hobbies, and tools, a good bike or instrument earns its shipping cost — both are expensive to replace in Israel. Bring instruments in hard cases, gear you actively use, hobby supplies, and quality 220V or dual-voltage power tools. Leave large exercise machines, gear for sports you no longer play, and cheap 110V tool sets.
The detail that trips everyone up: bed sizes
US and Israeli mattress sizes don't match, and it catches almost everyone:
Twin / Single and Full / Double are close enough to be workable — bring beds and bedding freely.
Queen (US 60″ × 80″) and King (US 76″ × 80″) have no Israeli equivalent.
So if your Queen or King mattress is excellent, bring it and buy American-size specialty bedding here. If it's standard or 10+ years old, leave it and buy an Israeli-sized bed (₪2,000–6,000). Bring quality bedding and towels regardless — they're light and costly to replace.
Almost never: large appliances and your car
This is the clearest "leave behind" of all. Apartments here usually come with the major appliances installed, and AC is typically wall-mounted mini-split rather than window units. Replacing white goods locally is straightforward — roughly ₪1,500–4,000 for a fridge, ₪1,500–3,000 for a washing machine or dishwasher.
And do not import the car. Vehicle taxes run 70–100% of value, before you even count modifications and shipping. A $20,000 car can cost $41,000–46,000 to land in Israel. Sell at home and buy locally.
A quick formula for the maybes
For anything you're genuinely unsure about, run this test:
Bring it if (replacement cost × condition) is more than (shipping cost × 2) — or the sentimental value is high — and you'll actually use it, and it fits.
Leave it if replacement costs less than shipping with no sentimental value, or you won't use it, or it won't fit.
A $1,500 dining table that ships for $300 comes. An $80 IKEA bookcase stays. Grandmother's chair comes no matter the maths. A 110V coffee maker you can replace for ₪150 stays.
Keep these with you
Some things should never go in the container — they're too important, needed too soon, or simply safer in your own hands. Sea freight can take two to three months, so anything you can't be without travels with you:
Carry-on: passports, Teudat Oleh, shipping and insurance papers, medical records and prescriptions, financial documents, jewellery and small heirlooms, cash and cards, your laptop, phone, chargers and adapters, and data backups.
Checked luggage: a week of clothes, basic toiletries, a 3-month supply of medications, glasses or contacts, bedding in case the shipment is delayed, and children's comfort items.
The bottom line
When you unpack two months from now, you want to be surrounded by what you love and use — not buried in clutter, and not missing what mattered. So favour quality over quantity, let the sentimental win over the practical, measure everything, check compatibility, and think five years ahead. If you're using the lift, the tax isn't the question — space and genuine use are.
You're not just moving boxes across an ocean. You're building a home. Bring what will make it feel like yours.
B'hatzlacha with your move.
This guide is general information for olim, not personal tax, customs, or shipping advice. Prices, duties, exchange rates, and lift eligibility change — confirm current details with your shipping company, customs, or the Ministry of Aliyah before making decisions.
Olim Advice — free advice for every oleh. For guides, checklists, and practical answers across every stage of your Aliyah, visit olimadvice.com.