Who is rich ?

If a country's wealth is measured by the contents of its collective head and heart rather than its abundance of forests, beaches, fields and mines, then Brazil is not rich.

P has recently made contact with a fellow Brazilian who emigrated from Sao Paulo to northern Israel a few years ago. She and her (Jewish) Brazilian husband now have three children. I found this woman's comments, made off the cuff and without any hidden agenda, equally revealing about her new home and the place she left behind.

Bear in mind that Israel's ongoing summer of discontent clearly indicates much unhappiness among its public, regarding the cost of living. But this only makes the ex-Brazilian's positive comments even more remarkable and proves, yet again, that everything in life is relative.

A few quotes:

"Before I came here (Israel) I had a million doubts and questions."

"I never suffered any robbery in Brazil but I have many friends who did. And on a visit there in 2009 we were followed by robbers. We luckily found a police station and told them we were being followed but all they did was to advise us to hide our valuables. This experience reminded me how unsafe it is in Brazil and gave me an unpleasant feeling that I hadn't experienced since moving to Israel."

On healthcare: "We pay 300 reais (about £120) a month to cover the entire family, including all dental care for my children up to the age of eight. My husband had an operation on his vocal chords and I had my twins by caesarean: we didn't need to pay a penny more for either of these procedures. Everything is included and medication is also super-cheap. For example, my husband needs to take pills for his stomach which costs 50 reais in Brazil but only 7 reais here !"

On education: "My (seven-year-old) son's schooling costs 400 reais a year (about £160), including books."

On security: "No question I feel much more secure than I ever felt in Brazil. There are no gates and doormen at the entrance to buildings. My son can play outside the house and I'm not worried that someone might come and kidnap him. This makes the children here very independent. We have the same peace of mind that our parents had when they used to ask us to pick up a loaf of bread or something from the corner shop. You can't even imagine being like that in Brazil today."

In conclusion: "Moving to Israel was the best thing we could have done for our family. I'm sure if we were still in Brazil I wouldn't have got pregnant yet. Here we received government aid and my children have access to a safe, healthy and educational environment without having to spend a fortune."

"We don't have to live in fear of violence."