Moving to Israel

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

As many of the audience of this moving to Israel blog is from North America, I thought it would be interesting to point out the investigative report released this week by the Center for Near East Policy Research (NEPR) that U.S. assistance to the fledgling Palestinian Authority military puts Israel in a precarious position despite congressional limits on aid to the PA. The Congress had intended the limits to prevent the aid from undermining Israel’s security.

Journalist David Bedein, head of the Jerusalem branch of the NEPR, reports that the U.S. gives Fatah-affiliated PA forces training and military equipment, while at the same time the Fatah-led PA attempts to reconcile with Hamas, which the U.S. recognizes as a terrorist organization.

One risk of America’s heavy involvement in building up PA troops is that the situation could lead to an open attempt to limit Israel’s counterterror options, Bedein said. “Let’s say that Israel wants to go after [Fatah] terrorists – there will be a sort of American veto, because the terrorists are affiliated with the Americans… This has extremely serious implications.”

This should be very disturbing to all of us, particularly we American born Israelis who have a vested interest in all the joint ventures of the U.S. and Israel.

The full NEPR report will be available to the general public on the Israel Behind the News website on Wednesday so everyone is urged to check it out.

Ari

As we approach Yom Kippur, the holy day of the Jewish year when we all hope to be written in for a successful year by Hashem, the talk of the Jewish world has been Binyamin Netanyahu’s (some would say “historic”) speech given in the UN on Thursday. For the most part, it has been accepted with a rare wall-to-wall praise both in Israel and abroad.

With a few exceptions, most noted the persuasiveness of the speech and how it will linger long in the minds of the international community who saw Netanyahu powerfully display the photograph of him with the plans for Auschwitz and took criticism for encouraging Israel to leave Gaza, and then condemning Israel in the Goldstone Report when it responded to the rocket attacks that resulted.

As we move towards the holiest time of the year for Jews, let’s hope the prime minister will keep up his strong and effective defense of Israel and hope that, with G-d’s help, our tiny country will prosper and thrive in the year ahead.

Ari

As this is a blog about Aliyah and moving to Israel and I myself am an Oleh from the United States, I tend to focus frequently in my posts about immigration from North America. It is important to remember, however, that Aliyah is happening from all over the world and, in that vain, I refer you to an interesting piece over at Haaretz that takes a look at Aliyah from Russia twenty years after they opened its doors to mass emigration.

The author, Tracy Levy, takes a look at some of the reasons that Russian immigration to Israel has stagnated since 1989 and gives some interesting feedback on where the movement may headed in the future. A great read, especially for we Aliyah addicts.

Ari

While this blog attempts to encourage moving to Israel and to let go of the places we now call home, it sometimes astonishes me how the leaders of these very places make it so very clear to us that we are not particularly welcome anyway.

The latest example of this comes courtesy of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who has recommended that non-Muslims take the opportunity of the month of Ramadan to fast, along with their Muslim neighbors, in order to promote “understanding between cultures.”

Johnson told members of a London mosque that with Muslims so much a part of London life, it would be befitting for non-Muslims to get to know their fellow Londoners’ customs and religion better.

The implications of such a statement are extremely dubious. For one thing, as a local English Democrat leader Steve Uncles so wisely put it, “the indigenous culture of this country is based on Christianity and Paganism. Of course, as an open and tolerant society, if people want to practice other religions, then good luck to them. But the state should not be funding them because otherwise we will lose our culture.”

This is a great point but, what should be even more disturbing amongst the Jewish people is, as the author of the article, David Lev, puts it, “there was no word on whether London Mayor Johnson was planning to suggest that Muslims and Christians fast on Yom Kippur in order to better understand their Jewish neighbors.”

As we all know, this should not be expected to be happening anytime soon and the attempted appeasement of the Muslim population will likely, if history is any indication, come back to haunt the U.K. in the future.

Again, we need to come home. There is really no place for us in countries around the world whose leaders call for the further pandering of the Jew’s (and the West’s) most ruthless enemies. Let’s continue to make Aliyah, call Israel home and make it Hashem’s laws that we practice and celebrate.

Ari

As the Jewish new year approaches and we prepare for it by doing teshuvah/repenting with prayers, charity, etc. we should be extra careful this year to do all of these activities with Gilad Shalit, the captured soldier, in mind.

As many of you are aware, Gilad Shalit was kidnapped more than three years ago by Gaza terrorists affiliated with Hamas as he served in the army protecting the land of Israel. Aviva Shalit, the mother of the kidnapped soldier, made an emotional speech Thursday in honor of her son’s 23rd birthday. It is truly heart wrenching words she delivers and should remind us to keep him in mind and do whatever necessary to secure his release as soon as possible.

Gilad is one of many who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us to be able to miraculously live and pray in the land of Israel. Not too long ago the very idea of such a possiblility seemed absurd. Let’s ask Hashem this Rosh Hashanah to provide us with yet another miracle and have Gilad return home for the coming year.

Ari

As a common topic among concerned Jews around the world has always been whether or not the President of the United States is “pro Israel” or not, Danny Gottlieb provided a great piece of insight the other day in an article over at Arutz Sheva entitled “Obama is Not the Problem.”

It is a great read regardless of one’s opinion of President Barack Obama as Gottlieb makes the case that we should be more concerned about our political situation here in Israel and stop spending so much time worrying about the pros and cons of the leaders of other nations (yes, even America) via their affinity - or lack thereof - of our people.

He hits the nail on the head when he says “The Knesset is our national and natural home for decisive political debate, not Washington. When we take our fate back into our hands by taking back the Knesset from those who currently sit within it, only then will we get the kind of government we need. And not by expecting miracles from the tall skinny fellow with the different name who sits in that big white house, so detached from us in every respect.”

Here’s hoping we all heed Gottlieb’s message.

Ari

In an act contrary (and some would say in defiance) to the policies of President Barack Obama, a group of Jewish students from the United States spent last week working in hilltop communities throughout Samaria. The significance of this should not be lost on all of us as Obama is pressuring Israel to cease all construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, and the students are volunteering in some of the very Jewish villages which the U.S. is asking the Israeli government to demolish.

This is, in this author’s humble opinion, a tremendously positive event for Israel as many of the university students participating in the program voted for Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential campaign but “oppose his imperialist approach to the Middle East.” They are showing that, while they approved of is political policies in the run up to the election, they oppose the administration’s efforts to shrink the State of Israel and ethnically cleanse our people from the heart of our land. In addition, the have transformed their disappointment in Obama into action by volunteering in the very communities that he is trying to destroy.

We can only hope that the upper echelon of America, Israel’s closest ally and friend, is able to see such occurrences from the very people that voted for them and begins to understand that a united, strong Israel is in the best interest of the entire West and free world at large.

Ari

As a writer about all things Israel (including Aliyah and moving to Israel, which is our main focus here), there is, unfortunately, never any shortage of stories about the hard times and many challenges that our small country faces. Therefore, it is always important to make sure that we never lose focus of the positive and often remarkable occurrences that happen here on a regular, daliy basis.

Israpundit did a great job of this the other day with their Good News Israel piece. It goes over some of the positives happening in the country and, while it is only a small list, it makes one remember how far along Israel has come in such a short time. May G-d continue to help and may our drive and ambitions continue to see us prosper.

Ari

While you tend to get used to the anti Semitic and anti Israeli sentiment around the world, there is occassionaly still a piece of news that comes along that will make me gasp in bewilderment.

This morning was one of those cases as I was reading the news and saw in haaretz.com how a group of British Lawmakers are urging the U.K. government to talk to Hamas. The British parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said in a report that it stood by a recommendation it first made two years ago that the government should engage politically with moderate elements within Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

In explaining their position the Legistlators stated that “We conclude that there continue to be few signs that the current policy of non-engagement is achieving the Quartet’s stated objectives.” They went on to say that “We further conclude that the credible peace process for which the Quartet hopes, as part of its strategy for undercutting Hamas, is likely to be difficult to achieve without greater cooperation from Hamas itself.”

Needless to say, such assertions are both despicable and offensive. There should not be any discussion as to the potential to “communicate” with the murderous thugs of Hamas. This is a group of killers who (along with many other Arab “political groups”) dream of the day that all Israelis, Jews, Christians and other “infidels” are wiped off the face of the earth, never to be heard from again. The only connection we should have with these criminals is in discussing the best way to stop their vicious assault on the world once and for all.

Let’s hope with the help of Hashem that the  postion of these lawmakers is ignored and that the West’s policy of shunning the Palestinian Islamist group continues as they make preparations to uproot the Hamas terror network for good.

Ari