We were honoured to interview Ayelet Mamo Shay, a business woman, journalist and professional researcher of small Jewish communities around the world, moved with her husband and children to Gibraltar from Israel following a job offer. Since arriving in Gibraltar, Ayelet has felt that she has been “cheating” on her country by falling in love with the other country that has welcomed her so warmly- Gibraltar! Despite the challenges and dilemmas of moving to a new country, Ayelet has embraced the opportunities offered by the relocation to become a good ambassador for both her native Israel and Gibraltar.
This life-changing experience has given Ayelet the inspiration to write her book Relocation Darling, Relocation! - a realistic, humorous, emotional novel about the hottest and most charged topic in modern society today, one that touches many families across the world: relocation to another country in pursuit of a promising career.
Ayelet is the Co-Founder and Director of Benefit Business Solutions Ltd (www.benefitgibraltar.com )- a Gibraltar based business consultancy firm. She also serves as the Chairwoman of the Gibraltar-Israel Chamber of Commerce (www.gibrael.org), actively working to strengthen the business relations between the two countries and promoting business opportunities across the two ends of the Mediterranean. Gibraltar, with its small but thriving Jewish community, has also given Ayelet the inspiration to do her PhD research on small Jewish communities (under 1,000 people) around the world. As part of this research Ayelet visits small Jewish communities around the world, interviews community leaders and other key individuals, and writes reports and articles which have been published in numerous publications and magazines around the world.
Relocation Darling, Relocation! Was originally published in 2015 in Hebrew and has proven very popular amongst the Israeli expat community worldwide. In 2017, the book was translated to English thanks to a grant from the Gibraltar Ministry of Culture and since then became a must read for anyone who is planning to do a relocation, is currently on relocation, or has returned from a relocation assignment.
