Passport trouble

We made aliyah a year and a half ago. We still have only our American
Passports. Are we supposed to apply for an Israeli passport? What is
the process? I am hopefully leaving the country shortly for a week
long visit to the states. What do I need to do?

According to Israeli law - which is not always enforced strictly, but the safe side is best, you need to enter and exit the country with an ISRAELI travel document. There are two kinds - the lassiez passier or תעודת מעבר, which is valid for a maximum of five years and is orange, and the stadard passport, דרכון, which is valid for up to ten years, and is blue.
Both documents can be obtained from your local Misrad haPnim (the wait is bad, but not too bad). Be sure to bring two pictures of yourself, your teudat zehut, and 220 NIS for the passprt (75 for the orange passport).
Passports are generally issued one year after making aliya, and orange passports right after aliyah. If you have no teudat zehut yet, a foreign driver's license or teudat oleh will do.
The passports are generally sent by registered mail and arrive a week to ten days after making them. If you need things speeded up, the מנהל can do it for you, if you ask nicely.
to save time this is a link to the form you want to use for the passport and bring with you.
Misrad haPnim in Jerusalem, Shlomzion haMalka 1, is open every day from 8:00AM-12:00AM, and mondays and wednesdays from 2:30-5:00 PM. Fridays are closed.

Arnona

From http://groups.yahoo.com/group/janglo/message/149659:

I'm trying to help my friend who applied for a reduction in his arnona. He
received a reply from the City that he hadn't submitted proof of his
authorized "Guaranteed Income (Avtachat Hachnasa)" from the Minsitry of
Religion. The reason he didn't, is because he doesn't get it.
His question is, does anyone know if one can get an Arnona reduction without
Avtachat Hachnasa.

So how does Arnona work? Who does it go to?

1. The first thing to know is that Arnona, despite being a city tax, is regulated by the central government.
2. The central government published lists of criteria for Arnona reductions from time to time.
3. Arnona is calculated according to three factors, location, area, and use.
4. Location zoning is regulated and calculated by the city. Price per sqare meter is regulated by misrad haPnim

Now, we can list several criteria for Arnona reductions.
1. New Immigrants can get reduced arnona rates for their homes for their first year in Israel, for the first 100 sq.m. of their homes.
2. Small Businesses run by senior citizens get reduced arnona rates for their businesses.
3. Soldiers, senior citizens, holocaust survivors, WWII veterans, and the disabled receive reduced rates as well.
4. Those who are in financial straits, due to illness, unemployment, and other criteria - which entitle them to supplemented income (אבטחת הכנסה) - are also entitled to reduced Arnona rates.

First Things First

Don't you ever feel lost trying to battle Israeli bureaucracy? They speak to you in a language you hardly understand - even if you've been living here for a million years - they aren't nice to you, and you don't know where to find information. Even when you do, it's all in officialese, and you don't understand anything. That's where this blog comes in: your one stop shop for Q&A on the dealings with the infamous Israeli clerk.

I'm going to start with questions from Janglo that I see from time to time - but of course everyone's welcome to send questions too.