MERCAZ Newsletter — Spring 2006
LINKING U.S. TO ISRAEL

How do we strengthen our connection to Israel? How do we link ourselves more deeply to the Jewish State? These questions stand at the forefront of MERCAZ USA and, in particular, our Aliyah Committee, which has undergone revitalization in the last few years under the leadership of its Chairperson Elana Gershen Finkelstein and our current Aliyah Shlicha Devora Greenberg.

Capitalizing on the Jewish Agency’s decision in early 2005 to fund aliyah-related activities in North America in conjunction with the weekly Torah portion “Lech Lecha” (Genesis 12:1-17:27), the Aliyah Committee last fall launched “November is Link To Israel Month”. The month-long program, inaugurated with a full-page ad in the United Synagogue Review, was built around two 10-day speaking tours on Israel and Aliyah and the creation of a new website, www.linktoisrael.org.

Working in partnership with Project Reconnect, KOACH, the Schechter Day School Association and the USCJ regional offices in New England and the Great Lakes, the Aliyah Committee sponsored Charlie Kalech, a native of Cherry Hills, NJ, who was participating in his second shlichut, and Rabbi Tsvi Landau, originally from New York City. Both speakers merited the title of “aliyah shaliach”. Each had moved to Israel in the 1990’s and today fill leadership roles in their respective Masorti synagogues: Charlie at Kehilat Moreshet Avraham in Jerusalem’s East Talpiot neighborhood and Rabbi Landau as spiritual leader of Kehilat HaKerem in Karmiel.

An Internet “web” designer and founder of J-Town Productions, Charlie Kalech visited New England, speaking for KOACH groups and at Hillel Houses at Clark University, Smith College, Boston University and Brown University. He met with high school students at the Gann Academy, Boston’s Prozdor Program and the Midrasha Program in Providence, RI. He was also the guest speaker at Shabbat services at Temple Emanu-El in Providence.

Rabbi Landau, ordained from the Schechter Rabbinical School in Jerusalem, toured the Midwest and Great Lakes areas. His program started in Chicago at Loyola University, the University of Illinois and Temple Beth Judea in Long Grove, IL. He then traveled to Detroit where he spoke at Adat Shalom in Farmington Hills and Michigan State University before moving to the CRUSY Fall Kinnus, held at Congregation B’nai Israel in Toledo, OH, and the annual Conservative Movement Study Day in Pittsburgh, PA.

Commenting on his shlichut, Charlie writes: “Wherever I went, there were unexpected surprises...Aliyah seems to be more accepted as a viable option in the Conservative Movement. [In] the last twenty years, the Conservative Movement has moved from the former attitude that aliyah is for Jews in need...to the realization that the future of Israel and the best way to shape the Jewish state is through aliyah.”

It should be noted that while immigration to Israel from the former Soviet Union decreased by 10 percent in 2005 to just over 9,000 immigrants, North American aliyah is at its highest point since 1983, with more than 3,100 olim last year.

The new Aliyah Committee website www.linktoisrael.org, has been designed with two main purposes in mind. First of all, the website has up-to-date information in its “Travel” section about synagogue trips to Israel and study and volunteer programs in Israel for students and adults. Secondly, the website discusses in its “Explore” section various issues, both ideological and practical, related to aliyah.

Additionally, in the “Link” section, there is a page entitled “Meet Our Olim”, which introduces us to American-born Conservative Movement olim who discuss what motivated them to move to Israel. Every few weeks, a new “profile in aliyah” will be featured.

At the end of February, following the annual KOACH Kallah, Devora Greenberg, the Movement’s Aliyah Shlicha for the past two years, will be returning to Israel to assume a senior staff position with Ramah Israel. Succeeding her will be Marik Stern, a veteran NOAM Israel educator and the son of former refusenik and now Israeli MK Yuri Stern. MERCAZ USA and the Aliyah Committee extend “Todah Rabbah” to Devora on her two years of dedicated service to the Conservative Movement and wish her and Marik “behatslacha” in their respective new roles.