Moving to Israel

Two more really outstanding articles were published this week comparing the situation in Russia/Georgia to Israel/Palestinians. They can be viewed here and here and were written by Steven Plaut and Jack Engelhard, respectively.

While there is great content coming out regarding Israel on a regular basis, I found these two articles to be exceptional as they took a very major, current event and, in plain terms, compared it to Israel as they explained the diproportionate analysis (among other things) being to assigned to each. The general message by both is a clear biased against Israel whenever they are involved in the news while things are usually covered in a dramatically different light while almost anyone else is involved.

Again, two great Israel related reads that really hit home with what is going on today around the world.

Ari

For the first time since the British rule, Aliyah to Israel will be stopped. In an obviously cruel and racist manner the Israeli government will stop all Aliyah of the Falashmura from Ethiopia. In a decision made by the Jewish Agency, a quasi official government entity, all agency representatives will return to Israel, bringing to close a five year streak which saw over 16,000 Falashmura make the move to Israel.

If our readers will recall a previous blog post, the Israeli government had declared war on the Aliyah of Jews who are not wealthy. Apparently, a new front to this war has been opened as Falashmura Olim from Ethiopia can hardly be considered wealthy and therefore not of interest to Israeli government officials. Although Ethiopians are an honor and credit to Israeli society, they are usually only found working menial jobs for the Israeli economy and it is possible that their manpower is no longer needed or that quotas have been met.

Unfortunately for the rest of Israel’s citizens, this represents a further moral deterioration of Israeli government leaders. Further, if Israel was truly a democratic state then, at a minimum, citizens should be called upon to vote over the issue.   

      

This has not been the easiest of weeks in the history of the Jewish people in general and the country of Israel in particular. Basically, a “tradeoff” of hostages was completed where several live, swearing-to-do-more-evil terrorists were released from Israeli prisons while, in return, Israel received the bodies of two young soldiers kidnapped and killed two years ago (with another “wrinkle” on Israel’s side: noone even knew whether the soldiers were dead or alive).

For a country and a people that has known its share of pain through the centuries, for many, this was a particular lowlight. Here we have a determined nation with G-d behind it and one of the most powerful armies in the world being led by the nose by a sworn enemy now returning the dead bodies of two soldiers for whom we once swore we would not rest until they returned home. The outrageous details could go on for hours but, needless to say, it has not left Israel with the greatest impression around the world and, even more needless to say, is certainly not something that is going to encourage new potential immigrants to make Aliyah. That is why this article by Go´el Jasper is such a fantastic read. A snippet:

But we are still the Jewish people. We are still the nation that has survived - and thrived - throughout the centuries against all rational calculation. We are the nation that won an un-winnable war in six days, and we are the nation that rescued the hostages from Entebbe, and we are the nation that bombed Iraq’s nuclear reactor.

The article is filled with inspirational messages such as the above and was really the first time all week I was able to look at my country and my own personal Aliyah with pride. These are some very dark times and with many people in full ”I’ve had enough” mode, it will take people with spirit such as Go´el to keep us on the right path of belief of our attitude in general, and our love and desire to move to Israel, in particular. This is still a wonderful, miraculous country that has accomplished an unprecedented amount of achievements in its short history. We need to continue to push on and encourage every Jew to come home and not let the terrorist, murdering ways of our enemies, as well as some woeful decision making by those in power, discourage us.

Thanks for the message Go´el.

Ari

Nefesh B’Nefesh has brought in its first batch of new Olim of the summer. As reported by Pinchas Sanderson of Arutz Sheva:

Nefesh B’Nefesh welcomed its first summer aliyah flight at Ben Gurion International Airport on Thursday. The flight brought 220 new immigrants from North America to Israel. It was the first of thirteen flights expected to bring more than 2,000 new immigrants over the course of the summer. Tracey Levy, formerly of Houston, Texas, who arrived on the flight, is the organization’s 15,000th new immigrant.

As a blogger who writes about the significance of Aliyah and moving to Israel, I have to say that Nefesh B’Nefesh continues to amaze me. To think that there is an organization that has built itself up in these few years on the premise of helping and enabling people to drop everything and come to Israel is truly awe inspiring. Although my own personal Aliyah was a bit before Nefesh B’Nefesh came into being, I have many friends who I can without doubt say would not be living (and thriving) here without it. I also take pride in knowing co-founder Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, who I grew up with. Although we haven’t had much contact since we were kids, it’s still great to see a fellow native of the Highland Park/Edison, NJ area have such a phenominal infulence on helping people with the life altering move. I know for the two of us, life was very nice in the NY/NJ area and, as I’ve written in the past, there are a myriad of reasons that people are able to uproot and leave these pleasant lives behind. While they’re too numerous to mention here, it goes without saying that financial issues are often one of the top concerns potential Olim have. This obstacle, along with many others (including information, advice, etc.), is one that Nefesh B’Nefesh has done an absolutely extraordinary job of tackling and easing the burden on people.

I would encourage everyone to check out Nefesh B’Nefeshs’ web site and, particularly if you’re thinking of making Aliyah, give them a shout.

Ari

As Israel and Hamas have begun to implement a supposed “truce,” it has got me thinking more about the amazing things Israel has put up with since it’s inception and the way, despite all this, she continues to thrive.

This latest truce is designed to halt Hamas attacks on Israel as well as Israeli reprisals on Hamas. The absurdness of that concept (here’s an idea to halt Israeli reprisals on terrorists - don’t attack to begin with!) just underscores the double standard that Israel deals with which adds to the other miryad of challenges that she meets on a daily basis (23 Arab contries vowing to drive her into the sea, world Anti-Semitism streaming in at faster than ever pace, endless UN resolutions being churned out specifically against her, etc., etc., etc.).

Yet despite all this the tiny country continues to survive and thrive. Real estate in Israel continues to explode. The Hi-Tech sector continues to expand. Medical and technological advances continue to be disproportionately attributed to Israeli leaders of the fields. The list goes on and on. Amazingly, the country continues to be one of the fastest growing in the world. Against all odds - and people are noticing.

With all the challenges people continue to immigrate and move to Israel and don’t look back. These are some more reasons to join the crowd and make Aliyah. In addition to all the previously mentioned determination, Israel continues to be a beautiful, flourishing land where culture, entertainment and history soar. Come join and be a part of both the miracle and physical beauty of Israel.

 Ari

I ran across a great forum posting this morning over here that really made me smile. Basically, it’s from someone in Australia who is making Aliyah. On the surface it doesn’t sound all that incredible. What seems to be a single, Jewish male coming to Israel and giving it a shot. Just an “ordinary” story.

 However, to me there are no ordinary Aliyah stories. As I wrote in my previous post, every move to Israel requires bravery, determination and alot of inner belief. I think the author of the post puts it best:

 ”See, I’m backing up my rhetoric with action!…..I love Australia dearly, probably more than than most of my friends and certainly don’t take my unbelievably fortunate life for granted, but I suppose I’m just looking for a greater a sense of purpose and a good adventure…..Actually, you know its more than that, for more than 2000 years, my ancestors have been praying and yearning for an opportunity to return to the land of Israel, and now I have it and so in a way, I have a responsibility to go….”

Just a very inspiring story.

I have posted on this gentleman’s forum and will try to get more information and as soon as I do I will share it here.

News of an incoming Olim is always fantastic so please let us know any stories about you or people you know who have made Aliyah or are thinking about doing it and let us know what it is that inspired you.

 Ari 

Why? The question has been asked thousands of times to thousands of people. Why? Why did you move to Israel? Why leave the comforts of North America to come here? Why enter the financial questions that will arise? Why leave that great job in the center of Manhattan? Why leave your friends and family that you grew up with over the course of decades? Why enter into the hardships? The rudeness of seemingly everyone. The endless bureaucratic hassles that seem to be daily. And why move to a tiny little country surrounded by countless enemies whose dream is the end of said tiny little countries’ existence?

Perhaps the only thing more fascinating than this question is the wide range of answers you hear. “It is where G-d wants us to be.” “I am Jewish and want to live in a land where (almost) everyone else you encounter on a day to day basis is Jewish.” “I want to be near my parents/children.” “The atmosphere is much nicer.” “I came and ‘something’ just kept me here.”

These are but a short list of some of the wide range of answers we hear. Some mundane, some fascinating, some mystical even.

As an Oleh from North America in the past decade I too have been asked this question many times and while my answer has, admittedly, varied over the past ten plus years, some time ago my official answer to this often asked question just sort of hit me and has gone unchanged since. My humble take on the question is as follows.

Israel is a miracle. Not just a miracle in the traditional sense i.e. the fact that the country even exists since the events of 1948. But also a miracle of circumstances that puzzles me to this day. The astonishments never cease. With so much catastrophe occurring around the globe, turn on CNN or any other major news source in the world on any given day and Israel will be front and center. How are the “negotiations” going? How is Israel “disproportionately” responding to today’s terror, er, sorry, I mean militant attack? How have the Palestinians been humiliated lately? What’s the latest UN resolution against Israel? The list goes on and on. With life and death disasters which, one would think, dwarf Israel’s in size and relevance, occurring universally on an hourly basis, Israel continues to dominate the news, usually painted in a negative light. One might suspect that this would be yet another deterrence for coming to live in the Holy Land, yet for me it has now become the clinching factor in my remaining here indefinitely.

The hate is illogical. The focus is disproportionate. Throughout time this continues to occur. With all going on in the world Jewry and Israel continue to dominate the headlines. To me, this can be no coincidence. How could this continue, without disruption, throughout time? Somebody is trying to tell us something. While not trying to get all mythical we have to admit that, whether by G-d (which I personally believe) or some other divine force, somebody is trying to tell us that Jewry/Israel/etc. is different. It is of supreme importance and uniqueness and always will be. This will never change. Times, fashions, cultures and technology all change but the one constant, as illogical as it may seem at the time of occurrence, has always been fascination/contempt/disproportionate focus on Jewry.

I want to be get on that train! While I was born Jewish, even our non-Jewish brethren, when thoroughly contemplated, would be amazed at this phenomenon. It’s just too illogical to ignore. I want to be a part of that. We need to look at this miracle and all the amazing circumstances surrounding it and not blow it off as coincidence. It’s just too big and, as has been proven throughout history, too important. While I too enjoy indulging in the pleasantries that this world has to offer I cannot ignore the message being told to us that the Jewry/Israel issue is one that has to be tackled. The disproportionate reaction to our existence is not by chance. It is a calling, in the most blatant terms, that this is an issue that, at worst, is at least as important as any issue facing man.

This is why I choose to live in Israel. Somebody is telling us something. This tiny land, smaller than Lake Michigan, is treated with more focus than the entire planet and galaxy combined. The Jewish people, a total world wide sum so relatively small so as to be considered statistically irrelevant if it were any other people, who have always been the most loyal citizens in any land they have inhabited, given to the most endless, unreasonable scrutiny at an outlandish amount of time and resources. The Muslim population, over 1 billion plus strong, considered the underdog. These are not reasonable calculations. Even the most indifferent among us would have to agree there is something else at work here. For me, what is at work here is a message. A message that says you/we are being told something. We are being told what and where is important. Do we listen? Do we answer the message? I have decided to and will continue and, while I am not suggesting that Aliyah and moving to Israel is for everyone, I am definitely suggesting that these amazing miracles of circumstance are questions that anybody alive might be anxious to address.

Ari Strauch

  Though we’ve already started posting material, we came to the realization the other day that we never really introduced ourselves and our blog properly so we’d like to take today’s post to do that. Ronen and I are both born and raised in America and have made Aliyah to Israel in the last ten years (he from Los Angeles, me from New Jersey). We were roommates in college and met back up here in Israel upon arrival. As many new Olim, we have spent the years struggling in both the financial and emotional adjustments to Israel. I think most people are familiar with the financial difficulties associated with the move from “comfy” North America but equally, if not more difficult, is the whole draining psychological process of making Aliyah. The people you are leaving. Adjusting to a new culture. Bringing your family up in a strange environment. Where do you send your children to school? Where do you go to school and/or get a job? What’s the health care situation? The list is endless and can be very intimidating.

This is why we have started this blog associated with everything about moving to Israel. As two established, hi-tech trained, North American Olim, we have seen a lot here in Israel and would like to help the community at large. We’d like to tell you our experiences, share some of our connections, provide you with expert analysis from highly regarded sources on the news and a whole lot more in attempting to become THE source for people moving to Israel and interested in life in Israel in general. We will be posting regularly and hope to establish a long term relationship with you, our readers, while hoping that you enjoy our postings for years to come.

One final, important note: we think that the most important aspect of a successful Aliyah/moving to Israel blog is you. We want and encourage you to regularly comment and post on our blog as often as you wish. All comments are welcome: critique, praise, questions, answers, and suggestions; anything related to Israel and, especially, making that tough, life altering move to the Holy Land.

Thanks so much and looking forward to a very fruitful relationship.

Ari Strauch

An old saying often used by Olim - How do you make a million dollars in Israel? Make Aliyah with 2 million.

The Finance Ministry of Israel has come up with a plan to further increase the economic divide between rich and poor - if you’re rich you don’t have to pay taxes.

According to the plan recently posted on Arutz7, any wealthy Jew who makes Aliyah would be exempt from paying taxes for the first 10 years. The ministry claims that as of now the exemption will be only on income that originates from outside of Israel. If one were to ponder on the finance ministry’s track record, a full tax exemption for the rich is not far behind. Just another step closer to ultimate goal of turning the average Israeli worker into a modern day slave,

Corruption in the Israeli political sphere is rampant and may be the real force pushing this new plan. Rich Israeli’s are very successful when it comes to wooing Israeli politicians and getting laws passed in the Knesset that benefit the rich and trodden on the poor.

The Jewish Agency, Israel’s main NGO responsible for Aliyah, decided not to cut Hebrew language classes in Russia. The classes are to help Russians learn at least a minimal amount of Hebrew, especially if they will be moving to Israel.

The Jewish Agency claimed it considered closing down the language program due to budget cuts. Many people question the effectiveness of the language course amongst the Russian immigrant community. Throughout Israel there are many Russian immigrants who still don’t speak a word of Hebrew. In addition Russian immigrants tend to form tight social groups in places such as workplaces and schools further limiting their exposure to the Hebrew language and their integration into Israeli society.  

Members of the Israeli parliament of Russian background were mainly responsible for influencing the Jewish Agency’s decision. They claimed that the Hebrew language programs are considered the backbone of the Aliyah program and also highly regarded in strengthening ties between Israel and the Jews in Russia.