Moving to Israel

Being a proud American by birth who didn’t move to Israel until adulthood, I get no pride in relating negative stories about my country of origin. Unfortunately, today I must do just that in referencing an article by Rabbi Hanoch Hecht of a very disturbing incident that occurred right in Manhattan, one of the centers of the U.S.A. (if not the world).

It seems Rabbi Hecht was walking in the storied borough when he heard the voice of an approximately 11 or 12 year old Caucasian boy chanting the words “dirty Jew” at him. The mother of the boy was right there, apparently not caring and undaunted.

While I try to use this blog to encourage Aliyah and moving to Israel and try not to use fear tactics for this agenda, sometimes there seems to be incidents that just cry out to be heard with messages that are coming in loud and clear. This is one of those times. While this boy and his mother do not speak for the entire country I think Rabbi Hecht puts it best when he says the following:

“The fact that this mother let her son say what he said, and did not reprimand him, makes me wonder what this new generation is being taught.  When an 11-year old boy has no clue about tolerance and respect for another, and thinks that calling someone ‘dirty Jew’ is acceptable or even cool, then I think it is safe to say that we are in big trouble.”

Just another instance of G-d perhaps telling us that there is only one home for the Jews…and it is not America.

Ari

While I would never discourage anyone from moving to Israel, today’s article of the week does, unfortunately, contain some sobering thoughts of the state of our country. Fred Moncharsh, an Oleh from the West Coast of America as well as a Likud activist and member of the Likud Central Committee, does a fantastic job of making his point and painting a very clear picture of some of the troubles facing the Jewish homeland today.

The biggest problem, says Moncharsh, is the lack of true leadership here in Israel and he points out that this is not a new phenomena. He talks of how this has been a problem dating back decades. In his words:

“Israel needs a real leader. A real leader who is more than hot air. A real leader who has a red line, any red line. A leader who knows that when the red line is crossed, the time to talk is over, and the time to act is crucial.”

Moncharsh is a true Zionist, lover of the land and a very astute observer of the political landscape here and in the Middle East. This is a highly recommended article and, as you’ll see by the comments at the bottom, a lively discussion and debate is already brewing. Enjoy the piece.

Ari

The heat has continued to rise in U.S. President Barack Obama’s tense relationship with Israel and this American Jew who moved to Israel over a decade ago couldn’t be more disappointed in the leader of the country he once called home.

The dust continues to settle in the wake of the Obama administration’s misguided rebuke of its best friend and most trusted ally in regards to potential new construction in Jerusalem and, thank G-d, it seems that some of Israel’s true friends are indeed beginning to lose their patience. A string of prominent Jewish communal, political and social leaders - including former mayor Ed Koch, ADL National Director Abraham Foxman, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder - that have publicly called out the President and his Israeli policies have now been joined by New York’s senior senator, Charles Schumer. As this link and its corresponding article states, many U.S. Jews are continuously growing frustrated and breaking their silence against Obama’s seemingly one sided crusade against Israel.

While, obviously, it is Hashem that ultimately decides our fate as a country and a people, it is our job to continue to put pressure on the powers that be in America and around the world and let them know of the dire consequences that will result from more hostility towards Israel.

Ari

Still have those people who, no matter how hard you try, can’t get them to finally pull the trigger and move to Israel? Just bring them for a visit on Purim and let them soak in the incredible atmosphere that overtakes the country on the 14th of Adar (in Jerusalem, Purim is celebrated on the fifteenth of Adar, Sunday night and Monday this year).

The site of children in their costumes, everyone listening to the story of Esther, celebrants eating their festive meals and sending prepared food items to each other by messenger and everyone giving money to the poor in order to allow them to celebrate the holiday as well, all to celebrate the story of Purim, in which a sequence of events led to a Jewish woman named Esther (Hadassah) being crowned queen in time to use her position to save her people from a genocidal decree, should be enough to get even the toughest customer heavily thinking about finally making Israel their home.

This is truly one of the most special times of the year to live in Israel and I know that I will be cherishing every second of it.

Ari

The status of the children of the foreign workers who have swamped Israel’s shores legally and illegally is only one aspect of a complex, growing problem exacerbated by the infiltration of fleeing refugees and illegal transients who find their way to our already beleaguered country. This is the crux of an article over at Arutz Sheva written by National Union Head, MK Yaakov -“Ketsele”- Katz, Chairman of the Knesset Committee for the Problem of Foreign Workers. He talks about how the problem is reaching crisis proportions and therefore was the subject of a heated meeting last week at the Knesset Committee that was created to deal with the issue.

Incredibly, there are about 100,000 non residents  who entered Israel on tourist visas and simply did not leave when their visas expired. This should be an issue that concerns both native Israelis and anyone thinking about moving to Israel as the dangers presented in the article argue. Katz also mentions some of the possible solutions being discussed that may not bode well for some of our media conscious brothers but, as he states, need to be considered and does not in any way negate the natural, humanitarian values of our people, but is simply a way to ensure that this country, earned with blood and tears, continues to be what it was created to be.

A piece definitely worth a read.

Ari

Another milestone in Israel’s amazing history has come and gone as Tel Aviv’s 100th anniversary officially came to a close Saturday night. A major water and fireworks show took place, with tens of thousands on the shore watching and enjoying themselves in the unseasonably warm weather.

When I moved to Israel almost a decade and a half ago it was events like these that always helped to inspire me. Imagine, a tiny country surrounded by mortal enemies whose greatest wish is to drive the little country into the sea, and yet here we are, all these years later, with thousands celebrating such a historic event as the terrorists can only watch and wonder.

Happy birthday Tel Aviv and congratulations to Israel for once again defying all the odds and marching forward.

Ari

One of the most common arguments used to delegitimize Israel (and by extension, the Jewish people as a whole) is the claim that they are a racist state. Beyond the irony of who the people are that are doing the accusing is a further irony that not only is Israel not the discriminating monsters they are made out to be but that the country is, in fact, one of the ultimate models of equality and fairness. This point is driven home wonderfully in a fantastic article by Dr. Alex Grobman entitled “Keeping Israel on the Defensive.”

The article reminds us that “Significantly, Arabs living in Israel are guaranteed equality. Israel’s Proclamation of Independence declares that the state ‘will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace taught by the Hebrew prophets; will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed or sex; will guarantee full freedom of conscience, worship, education and culture… and will dedicate itself to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.’ Under Apartheid South Africa, Blacks were not citizens of the country and were not permitted to vote.”

In complete contrast to what the many anti-Semites out there would have us believe, the country’s fair and just treatment of all its citizens should be another reason to admire the Jewish state and want to move to Israel, as opposed to another reason to hate and despise it.

Ari

As this blog is always trying to promote Aliyah and moving to Israel, we also like to keep tabs on Olim to get their feel for the pulse of immigrants throughout the country. On that note, it was interesting to see the news that a group of immigrant academics has written to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, urging him to take a clear stand in opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state in Israel.

The group, consisting of many of the Russian-speaking community in Israel, said such a state would be ”foreign to and hostile to the Jewish people… inside [Israel’s] historical borders and adjacent to its largest cities.”

While the ceation of a PA state has been the subject of debate for what seems like an eternity here in Israel, it is important to point out the feeling from this group of immigrants who, like many of us who have made Aliyah in the past, make up a large, core group of the citizens of the country and it is therefore always crucial to let our voices and opinions be heard. Vital decisions for the welfare of the country could depend on it.

Ari

As the winter moves towards its close for the year it made me take a long look this morning at another of the beauties of our country and what could be another little push towards making the move to Israel for the many people still hesitant to do so.

Getting into my car the rain was poring down as the work week began and all around me I saw the people rushing around….with smiles on their faces. Yes, the cold gloom of another wet winter day, usually met with such scorn and depression where I grew up in America, is being treated here in Israel with great happiness and even celebration. The winter had produced an unseasonably dry few months this year and every sunny day was met with more and more concern. After much anticipation and praying, thank G-d, the recent weeks have brought beautiful, wet weather. Whereas in other places these types of days usually bring gloom, here we are being thankful and knowing this is truly a gift that G-d has bestowed upon us in these hard times.

Looking forward to everyone moving home and let’s hope for more wet days.

Ari

As the process moves forward after Israel’s Election Day votes have been tallied and counted, a common question seems to be on the minds of both Israelis and outsiders alike: what exactly just happened?

To recap: Kadima, led by Tzipi Livni, came out on top with the most votes in the election barely edging Binyamin Netanyahu and Likud. However, due to the uniqueness of Israel’s election system, Likud has pretty much come out on top due to the right wing’s stronger showing than the left and, therefore, their being better positioned to form a coalition in the Knesset.

As the wrangling and positioning of the various parties continues to shake out, I continue to ask myself if this whole process needs to be changed or, at the very least, seriously reconsidered. The people have voted and they expect results. They want their decisions to have a bearing on the leadership of the country (as does any democracy) and, after taking time out of their busy schedules, expect immediate results from their voting. The long, drawn out process that will now take place only further delays the implementation of a new government and, Israel of all places, has little time to waste. There are important, life and death issues that need to be tackled immediately and we need (hopefully strong) leaders to move into their new roles right away and get to the business of - among other things - protecting our country.

Let’s hope the matter is settled as soon as possible and that the new leaders will have the strength and faith in Hashem to grab the country and lead her through all of our current challenges.

Ari