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Making Aliyah
It’s not as hard as you think
by Talia Kaplan, Stern College
The whisper reverberating in my mind, “make Aliyah,” may just be a reminder of the not-so-subtle appeals I heard over the loudspeaker at Camp Moshava to make Aliyah, but I believe it is something much deeper and far more powerful.
“My heart is in the East, but I am at the edge of the West.”
–Rabbi Yehudah Halevi
The whisper reverberating in my mind, “make Aliyah,” may just be a reminder of the not-so-subtle appeals I heard over the loudspeaker at Camp Moshava to make Aliyah, but I believe it is something much deeper and far more powerful. It is the recognition in the soul of a Jew that it is time for him to return. Return to his homeland. Return to the land of his forefathers and of his people. It is the realization that a 2,000-year-old dream is finally within his grasp.
In the aftermath of the recent Disengagement Plan, I feel confusion and sadness—not for any specific political reason, but rather for the people of Israel. How can I help those who were removed from their homes? What, if anything, can be done to ease their pain?
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Even in these difficult times, Jews from North America have begun to flock to Israel to begin their lives anew in the Promised Land.
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It is my impression that most Jews living in America are feeling similarly torn and have thus become uncharacteristically silent regarding Gaza. The rationale for and against the withdrawal are equally confusing and uncertain.
Zev Orenstein of Arutz Sheva has a different perspective on the lack of support Israel received in regard to the disengagement from American Jews: “When it comes down to it, the vast majority of these [American] Jews know very little about what goes on here in Israel on a day-to-day basis, and make little effort to change that reality” (www.israelnn.com).
Even in these difficult times, Jews from North America have begun to flock to Israel to begin their lives anew in the Promised Land. While Israel braced itself for one of its most difficult and saddest endeavors (the disengagement plan), causing over 9,000 Jews to lose their homes, jobs, farms, schools, and synagogues, and as Palestinian Arab terrorism against Israel raged on, North American Jews continued to come to Israel on Aliyah. And they came in record numbers. On the first day of disengagement, 250 Jews made the bold move. Nefesh B’Nefesh (www.nbn.org.il), an organization specifically designed to ease the transition of new olim (immigrants to Israel), expects to bring 3,200 people to Israel this year alone.
 With the help of Nefesh B’Nefesh, North American Jews seem to be awakening to the burgeoning Aliyah movement. They are once again realizing the central importance the Land of Israel holds in our religion, in our heritage, and in our future. Our nation’s entire history is inextricably tied to the land. A majority of the 613 mitzvot, or biblical commandments, can be performed only in Israel. Orthodox Jews pray three times a day for a return to the land. Our ancestors and rabbis all stressed the holiness and importance of settling in the Land of Israel. The country is a place of refuge for a people that has suffered discrimination and persecution in every generation; Israel remains today a bastion of freedom for any Jew in the entire world. It is a thriving democracy with rapidly expanding industry.
The question we are faced with is: HOW? How can I, a college student who is so engrossed in my education, and who still must answer to my parents on any major life decisions, even begin to consider making Aliyah?
First of all, it is important to realize that Aliyah at our age and stage in life is not impossible. Bar-Ilan University is a perfect example of how Israeli universities have cultivated an increase in American students. Aliyah has become a popular option for college-age students who have decided to follow their dreams. Leora Sonnenblick, originally from New York and one of the organizers of activities for American students at Bar-Ilan University, estimates that there are approximately two hundred Americans who have decided to make Aliyah and attend college at Bar-Ilan instead of enjoying all the benefits that college in America has to offer. “Some people are scared to make aliyah at this stage in life, because they do not want to be alone. But at Bar-Ilan your network of friends is more like family, they are there to share in your ups and downs.”
It is important to note that not everyone is entitled to continue his education immediately upon making Aliyah during the college years. One critical issue that people in their twenties considering Aliyah face is the mandatory army duty incumbent on citizens of the State of Israel. For some, this army duty is a tempting draw; they cannot wait to stand proudly in an army of their brethren to defend their homeland. Yet for others, the army is just not a viable option.
 Females who make Aliyah between the ages of seventeen and twenty do not have to serve in the army as long as they make Aliyah before January of 2006. Religious females, regardless of when they make Aliyah, can get an automatic petor, exemption, from serving in the armed forces. For males, receiving such an exemption may be somewhat more difficult.
Another option for religious females is what is known as sherut leumi, or national service. Sherut leumi is not mandatory, but many religious females choose to serve their country through volunteer work. Even though they cannot be in combat units for religious reasons, they still devote years of their lives to the state.
If Aliyah is not in your immediate future, there are still many things that can be done to ensure that the option is favorable for your near future. First of all, when selecting a major in college, find out how applicable your field of study is in Israel, and what type of additional training you might need to pursue that profession in Israel. There are many resources to be utilized in this search. Many organizations, such as Nefesh B’Nefesh and Tehilla (www.tehilla.com) assist people in the Aliyah process; they have helpful tips for many different professions listed on their websites. These organizations can also put you in contact with a professional in your field of study. Other groups are grassroots, such as Kumah, which was founded a few years ago in order to “invigorate the Jews of the Diaspora—particularly young people—with a new vision of Israel and innovative plans for Aliyah” (www.kumah.org). One of Kumah’s projects is the website SingOlim (www.singolim.org), which provides an online resource for networking and for singles interested in Aliyah or who have already made Aliyah to meet each other.
North American Aliyah of young adults is undergoing a revolution. Through Aliyah, we can now fulfill the dream that our ancestors were unable to realize, perform many more mitzvot that can be performed only in the Land of Israel, and influence what Israel will look like demographically. There are a multitude of reasons to consider Aliyah. Whatever your specific interests are, you should try to realize them in Israel! As it says in the Tanach (Jewish Bible): “Arise, and let us return to our people” (Jeremiah 46:16).
Talia Kaplan is a junior Jewish History major at Stern College.
Above photos courtesy of kumah.org
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