Cell Phones in Israel

[myi]

Recommend buying one here. If you are truly commited to kosher go all in and buy a Meushar phone with the Hechsher. The Nokia ones are generally the best (ie Nokia c2, there are others). 3g here is alive and well, volte isnt such a thing. If you want quasi kosher (ie dumb phone with android can get apps) buy the Xiaomi Qin1s+. Known to the Israeli phone stores as GYOMI HaCHadash, Google is NOT your friend here, very little accurate info online.

 More than anything, don't need the apps and all. Care to have texting and calling.

[myi]

What's the common plan ppl get these days for unlmt calling and texting , with an american number?

[jose34]

  What's my best option to keep a number alive for call forwarding purposes, meaning port the number to another carrier to be able to store the number and have Call forwarding in use?

With an Israeli number?

[myi]

With an Israeli number?

No doesn't need to have.
Just a basic carrier that I don't have to pay crazy to keep my number alive while one's learning in Israel.

[yeshivabucher]

No doesn't need to have.
Just a basic carrier that I don't have to pay crazy to keep my number alive while one's learning in Israel.

google voice?

[coffeebean]

google voice?

You can't port an Israeli number into GV

[myi]

google voice?

Probably my best bet.

 Was hoping there's something like..
 Where you pay 5-10 bucks to have a number with 100 minutes and your service stays active until you use all those hundred minutes.

[myi]

You can't port an Israeli number into GV

Sorry if I wasn't clear, all I need is an American number for cheap.

 Someone is going to learn in E"Y.
 Want to be able to remove him from my T-Mobile plan, that way I don't have to pay for service when he's not home. And port his number to another service provider to be able to retain his number while he's gone and then have that number set up to call forward to his american/Israeli number which he'll get.

 I take it GV might be the easiest? And to port in and back out any idea what that costs?

[coffeebean]

Sorry if I wasn't clear, all I need is an American number for cheap.

 Someone is going to learn in E"Y.
 Want to be able to remove him from my T-Mobile plan, that way I don't have to pay for service when he's not home. And port his number to another service provider to be able to retain his number while he's gone and then have that number set up to call forward to his american/Israeli number which he'll get.

 I take it GV might be the easiest? And to port in and back out any idea what that costs?

$20 for GV gotta be your best option.

[grodnoking]

$20 for GV gotta be your best option.

Agree.

[myi]

google voice?

$20 for GV gotta be your best option.

Agree.

Thanks guys will help him do that.

[Mikes@Micro]

@myi GV is your prob your best option if SMS is important as he/ you can log in on PC. If used for call forwarding to Israeli number, I would go with voip.ms - free porting and cheaper international rates. Best of both worlds might be gv fprwarding -> the voip.ms number.

If you are looking for an Israeli plan w/ texting as if in America, TripleTell is the way to go and they will port your US number..... (Just consider yourself warned that EVERY SINGLE major yeshiva for American bochrim here is about to make new takanos. PM for details)

[sky121]

Whats the best cell service in Israel these days? My Golan was terrible last time I was there.

[myi]

@myi GV is your prob your best option if SMS is important as he/ you can log in on PC. If used for call forwarding to Israeli number, I would go with voip.ms - free porting and cheaper international rates. Best of both worlds might be gv fprwarding -> the voip.ms number.

If you are looking for an Israeli plan w/ texting as if in America, TripleTell is the way to go and they will port your US number..... (Just consider yourself warned that EVERY SINGLE major yeshiva for American bochrim here is about to make new takanos. PM for details)

How'd you know that?
 I see Mir is cracking down on texting and if you want a seat In the BM you need a kosher phone with a kosher number.

 He'll probably get an american Number so there's no need for the Voip call forwarding.

[JlmBoi]

How'd you know that?
 I see Mir is cracking down on texting and if you want a seat In the BM you need a kosher phone with a kosher number.

 He'll probably get an american Number so there's no need for the Voip call forwarding.

Brisk, the last hold out of personal freedom, just cracked down....

[myi]

Brisk, the last hold out of personal freedom, just cracked down....

If one really wants to avoid getting one without texting, the mir guys use the brisk phones to verify they have a kosher phone and the brisk guys use the mir kosher phones to give a number and verify the phone is kosher and now they're off your backs.
 Or spend the $30-40 and buy what they want you to. A waste of money but does what they want.

  Whomever has a smartphone will not be getting rid of it, just won't be using the flip phone on yeshivah texting unless they decide to keep two phones.
 Not really any incentive to keep whomever away from keeping the other phones.
  It's just a gamble hoping those with a phone with texting will give it up and use a kosher just with talk only, as they wouldn't want to pay $ for a 2nd phone if they have service on another phone.
 But good luck. It's not exactly 1990.
  We're unfortunately living in a crazy world, so locking talmidim from the entire world will not work.
  Allowing texting should be the bare minimum. Though I hear the reason to stop the phones with texting that way... you won't find people texting in the BM and or using the phones in the BM reading their messages.
   
 For that you have to make a cubby or policy for everyone to leave their devices outside or turn it off completely.

 Just curious how long these new takanas are going to last..
 Or untill some good guys speak out and ask what's going on, as they want texting..

[JlmBoi]

If one really wants to avoid getting one without texting, the mir guys use the brisk phones to verify they have a kosher phone and the brisk guys use the mir kosher phones to give a number and verify the phone is kosher and now they're off your backs.
 Or spend the $30-40 and buy what they want you to. A waste of money but does what they want.

  Whomever has a smartphone will not be getting rid of it, just won't be using the flip phone on yeshivah texting unless they decide to keep two phones.
 Not really any incentive to keep whomever away from keeping the other phones.
  It's just a gamble hoping those with a phone with texting will give it up and use a kosher just with talk only, as they wouldn't want to pay $ for a 2nd phone if they have service on another phone.
 But good luck. It's not exactly 1990.
  We're unfortunately living in a crazy world, so locking talmidim from the entire world will not work.
  Allowing texting should be the bare minimum. Though I hear the reason to stop the phones with texting that way... you won't find people texting in the BM and or using the phones in the BM reading their messages.
   
 For that you have to make a cubby or policy for everyone to leave their devices outside or turn it off completely.

 Just curious how long these new takanas are going to last..
 Or untill some good guys speak out and ask what's going on, as they want texting..

I think there's big value to having a legit kosher phone even if one carries a smartphone. The Pshevorsker said this a fee years back. It's what I do, and I feel that it's a big thing for chinuch and for kdushas beis haknesses and general spiritual level of the tzibur. Think about what it means to have a smartphone vs what it means when everyone is sitting on it in or outside shul between mincha and maariv.

[myi]

I think there's big value to having a legit kosher phone even if one carries a smartphone. The Pshevorsker said this a fee years back. It's what I do, and I feel that it's a big thing for chinuch and for kdushas beis haknesses and general spiritual level of the tzibur. Think about what it means to have a smartphone vs what it means when everyone is sitting on it in or outside shul between mincha and maariv.

I agree with you, I had for some or at least my later years in yeshivah a flip phone and a smartphone.
 In yeshivah I would only use my flip phone, basically calling, here and there figure out how to send a text if needed.
   But yes a must to have a 2nd phone if you own just a smartphone otherwise you can never pick up a phone call or make a phone call.

   I remember the days when I owned a blackberry and was always scared to use it to make phone calls and to pick up phone calls.
 So in short, noone was able to reach me the whole day unless I went in hiding or for A stroll to make the phone call and see who called me.

 Lessoned learnt to get a 2nd phone. And boy with these new flip phones you can literally turn it into an android with all the apps.
  Though for someone like myself who had a filtered phone there was never a need for me to download all those apps as I had a smartphone which did exactly that, and defeated the whole purpose of owning a flip phone.


(Yes, my post is missing half the comma's, and periods. "Sorry about that.")

[JlmBoi]

I agree with you, I had for some or at least my later years in yeshivah a flip phone and a smartphone.
 In yeshivah I would only use my flip phone, basically calling, here and there figure out how to send a text if needed.
   But yes a must to have a 2nd phone if you own just a smartphone otherwise you can never pick up a phone call or make a phone call.

   I remember the days when I owned a blackberry and was always scared to use it to make phone calls and to pick up phone calls.
 So in short, noone was able to reach me the whole day unless I went in hiding or for A stroll to make the phone call and see who called me.

 Lessoned learnt to get a 2nd phone. And boy with these new flip phones you can literally turn it into an android with all the apps.
  Though for someone like myself who had a filtered phone there was never a need for me to download all those apps as I had a smartphone which did exactly that, and defeated the whole purpose of owning a flip phone.

FYI I wasnt thinking of yeshiva leit when I wrote above, but that a whole nother subject

[myi]

FYI I wasnt thinking of yeshiva leit when I wrote above, but that a whole nother subject

You were referring to bachrim, that's what I was referring to as well.