Q: My nephew and his new wife, both new olim, are now living in Haifa where he is a student at the Technion. We want to give them a stove and small, two-seater couch for their apartment but we live in Jerusalem.
We have checked with several moving companies who wanted at least 1,000 shekels for doing this move, which seems ridiculously high and is beyond their student budget. Is there any way to find out how they could do this move for much less, possibly by sharing a van with someone else or using an empty van returning to Haifa after unloading in Jerusalem? Any information would be most appreciated. Thank you. Marni.

A: Dear Marni,
Well, we certainly have to come up with a solution so your nephew and his wife will be able to cook their meals!
Unfortunately, even though it is a small job, it still requires at least two people to carry the oven and couch. A quick calculation of salaries for two men for at least five hours (round trip from Jerusalem to Haifa plus loading and unloading) plus five hours of trucking time would indicate that NIS 1,000 is perhaps appropriate.
If you are able to arrange loading and unloading from the truck, then you no longer need a "moving company" and instead can use a freight company for the transport. Freight companies drive their truck up to a loading dock, receive the freight and deliver to a loading dock where the freight is removed from their truck. They will not make a special trip for your goods and therefore can offer you significant savings over a moving company.
I hope this solution will get the oven to them in time for preparing their Shabbat meals.