Though Zionism may not have been at the forefront of her upbringing, it was deeply intertwined in Gila Sandler’s destiny. Sandler, 29, had never thought of moving to Israel, but a religious moment of clarity came to this Manchester-born olah that would change the trajectory of her life.
It was three years ago when something shifted on Lag Ba’omer night for her, making a deep and permanent impact.
“I was praying at Rachel’s Tomb when something inside me just said, ‘You have to make aliyah,’” Sandler recounted. “I always say I’m an authentic Zionist. I wasn’t born into a Zionist environment, so it really came from here,” Sandler said, pointing to her heart.
This was not the kind of moment she had anticipated when she set herself a six-month timeline to figure out a more fulfilling career path in 2019. She had been working in jobs that were unsatisfying, and dabbling in fashion and event planning. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. With time suddenly on her hands, she enrolled in a fashion program and started working part-time at a fashion brand. That’s when her trajectory changed forever.
“Every time I would leave Israel as a child, I felt like I was leaving a piece of my heart here,” she said. “But this time, it was different. This time, something told me I needed to stay.”
And so, when she was 26, she set the wheels in motion – immediately. But Israel, as she would soon find out, rarely makes things simple. A mistaken click on her aliyah application, indicating that she believed Jesus was the messiah, led to her being temporarily blocked by the system.
Her Jewish identity had to be proven, which launched an odyssey involving her parents’ missing ketubah. Eventually, a new one was written – an event she noted might never have happened had she not decided to immigrate.
Despite her family’s initial skepticism (“They thought it was a phase, like coming back from Los Angeles and saying you’re going to move there”), she packed her bags, booked a last-minute ticket, and landed in Israel on the day of her cousin’s wedding in Netanya.
“I was packing up my whole life. I didn’t even have flights booked. But I knew I was going.”
Culture shock and starting over
Sandler initially worked as a digital marketer for a diamond company in Ramat Gan – a trial by fire. “It was a huge culture shock to me,” she recalled. “Coming from soft England to full-on corporate Israel. I didn’t really speak the language. I felt very isolated.”
Her cousin urged her to be grateful for having a job, comparing it to her own difficult work experiences. Sandler pushed back.
“I said, ‘Maybe you had a toxic boss once. But you were born and raised here. You had a loving husband and family. I’m living in your house. I don’t even have a place to call home.’”
Soon she left the job and found community and purpose at Ulpan Etzion, a government-sponsored Hebrew immersion program in Jerusalem for new immigrants.
“That was the best experience ever,” she said. “It was such a good place to meet people who had also just made aliyah. A nurturing environment, amazing teachers, friends from all over the world – India, Brazil, Finland, South Africa.”
But just as things were starting to feel settled, Oct. 7 happened. Sandler was in Tel Aviv the morning Hamas terrorists invaded Israel.
“I was dreaming there were sirens. Then I woke up and realized it was real,” she said. “I screamed at the girls [I was with] to get to the bomb shelter. It felt like a scene out of a movie. The streets were empty. The only people around were girlfriends hugging their boyfriends goodbye as they went off to fight.”
The trauma of that weekend didn’t end there. Days later, back in Netanya, her cousin ran downstairs, visibly shaken.
“She called out ‘Yosef!’ and I knew immediately. My cousin had been killed. He had been called up to a kibbutz to help, and he didn’t come back.”
Sandler was left alone with her cousin’s three young daughters and had to pretend everything was normal – giving them dinner, a bath, and putting them to bed. She didn’t process the loss until much later.
“At the end of the week, I just broke. I was in a state.”
Her ulpan community rallied around her. The Jewish Agency helped her find a therapist. Her friends and teachers enveloped her with warmth. It was this sense of connection that helped her push through.
“I think community is very important,” she said. “It’s not just about family or close friends. To have a network – to belong – is everything.”
Purpose in style and simplicity
Today, Sandler lives in Jerusalem, working part time for a jewelry company while building her personal styling business.
Her original dream was to style royalty in the UK. Now her ambition is different – but perhaps more impactful.
“I’d just be happier making the average woman feel confident,” she said. “Even if this country values fashion less, women still want to feel good. That doesn’t change.”
Sandler, who grew up dressing modestly, has learned how to cater to women of all style needs, but particularly one close to her heart. Living in the Middle East, she’s taken the time to learn Israel’s unique style language – its climate, practicality, and modesty standards. She urges her clients to invest in fewer, higher-quality pieces.
“Fast fashion is harmful to the environment and to how we feel,” she said. “Good clothes – natural fibers, breathable fabrics – they help you feel confident, polished. You attract better things when you present yourself well.”
Despite embracing her new home, Sandler still sees herself as a blend of identities. “I hope I become this perfect combination of the warm, loving, confident Israeli with the British side to me,” she said. “I still carry that softness, that refinement. I don’t want to lose it.”
Israel, she admits, changed her. “I’m much more capable, more independent, more assertive. You have to be. People will take advantage of you here if you don’t stand up for yourself.”
Still, she doesn’t want to let go of her gentler traits. “I try to stay kind and caring. That’s my contribution to this country – being someone who fills others up so they can pass it on.”
So what does Israel mean to Sandler?
“Home,” she said, without hesitation. Even with the current war, the bureaucracy, and the moments of self-doubt, Sandler knows she is where she’s meant to be.
“Coming alone to this country was like being reborn. I was a baby in many ways – starting from scratch. But I’ve grown in ways I never imagined.”
When asked what advice she would give to other young Brits considering aliyah, she paused.
“Know that it’s going to be really hard in ways you never imagined. But it’s also the most amazing thing. If Israel is calling you, it really is your calling.”
And what are her dream for the future? “Raising a family here,” she said. “Helping women feel beautiful and confident. Contributing, giving, growing.”
In the end, she added, “There’s just something about living here. Every day now just feels right.”