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Aliyah
Committee, AMTON Newsletter — Spring 2004
Aliyah:
A Realistic Option
by Avram Hein
This summer, I am getting married and then my wife and I will
make aliyah to Israel. Many Americans have thought that I
must be crazy or a religious fanatic if I am willing to give
up my comfortable life in America and move to a "war
zone." They are wrong. I am making aliyah for one reason
only: Israel is home.
A
few months ago, I had the opportunity to attend a board meeting
of a major American Zionist organization. At this conference,
the idea of North American aliyah was only parenthetically
on the agenda — despite the fact that Nefesh b'Nefesh,
with the help of only a few generous funders, brought planeloads
of North American immigrants to Israel the past two summers,
and is bringing three full flights of olim this summer, myself
included, by providing financial assistance to help new immigrants
with the costs of relocating. These olim have had an
incredibly successful absorption process and have already
contributed greatly to the building of the State of Israel.
The
fact that Nefesh b'Nefesh sent plane-loads of olim
to Israel over the past two years should show that North American
aliyah is a realistic goal if we make it one of our priorities.
North American aliyah is up, as is Conservative North American
aliyah. As one young woman who made aliyah with Nefesh b'Nefesh
said, "The best place for a Jew who defines herself as
a Jew is Israel. I'm going specifically now because I think
the Jews of Israel really need our help and they don't necessarily
need checks or little parades waving flags, but...they need
people who are going to develop the land."
They
need us! North American aliyah can be a realistic goal if
we make it one. First let's change our mindset to incorporate
aliyah as a realistic goal. We need to talk it up, to make
it a regular item on the agenda at all Jewish / Zionist organizations
we belong to. Israel, built on dreams, went from a desert
to a country with the world's highest concentration of scientists
and engineers because we dreamed it. North American aliyah
is the next step to make Israel a friendlier, more efficient,
and more prosperous country...We have much to gain as well
as much to give if we support North American aliyah - a tradition
of freedom; democratic, respectful, and efficient governance;
pluralism; a desire for a comfortable living and a respect
for customer service in the public and private sectors, that
we can help make a reality in Israel.
You
don't like certain things about Israel? There's only one way
to fix it — by moving there and becoming citizens of
the State of Israel, where we can vote for the politicians
and parties that represent our views. Want to see more Reform
and Conservative communities in Israel? Move to Israel and
start Progressive and Masorti (Conservative) congregations.
Let the only arm-chairs that we commiserate in, be the arm-chairs
in our comfortable and modern apartments in Jerusalem or Beersheva
or Ashkelon. Aliyah is the best way to help Israel. This summer
I am making aliyah. I hope you will join me.
Avi
Hein is a native of Potomac, Maryland and a recent graduate
of University of Maryland where he majored in Government and
Politics and was co-head of KOACH. He is also an alumnus of
the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He is currently a research
assistant at the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE)
in Chevy Chase, MD. Avi served as a delegate to the World
Zionist Congress in Jerusalem and is a Member of the Board
of MERCAZ USA. The preceding were excerpts from a recent article
by Avi in Israel Insider. He can be reached at ahein@email.com
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