Making aliyah (“ascent” or “going up”) refers to the immigration of Jews to Israel. I made aliyah 5½ years ago, and I never have regretted my decision. It is difficult to explain why I did it. I do not have one specific reason. All I know is that ever since I touched ground on a visit to Israel 34 years ago, I had a burning desire to return to the Land of Milk and Honey and make it my home. I only can describe the experience of aliyah as coming home. Perhaps it was the tears in my eyes when thinking I have returned to the home of my ancestors, or the goosebumps on my arms, the shivers I got from head to toe when I visited Jerusalem and the holy sites. Coming to Israel to live is quite different from coming as a visitor.
Some people make aliyah to escape oppressive regimes. Other came for financial reasons since costs of a Jewish education for children and healthcare for the family are nominal compared to the costs in other countries. Some move for ideological and/or religious reasons. None of the above pertains to me, other than the fact that I feel G-d's presence wherever I go in Israel. It is a heady, exhilarating, liberating sensation. Having come from the United States, where freedoms abound and life is relatively easy, Israelis and Americans often wonder why I want to live in a country surrounded by enemies, where people earn one-quarter of the salary of Americans but spend four times the amount it takes to live in the U.S. The hardest part of all is having my family in the States. Like the lone soldier, I came to Israel without family, without knowing anyone but my ex-husband's Israeli cousins. I moved to a city where I knew no one at all and could not speak or understand the language.
Making a U-turn
Too many people making aliyah return to the U.S. within the first year or two of being in Israel. Earning a living to support a family is difficult, especially if one is not fluent in Hebrew. I was offered a job within the first three weeks of coming to the country. So supporting myself kept me going. But the jobs I worked at were for American companies doing business in Israel, paying low Israeli wages. Because I lived outside of Jerusalem, where I worked, I spent most of my time traveling by bus and by train, 4½ to 5 hours a day. I was exhausted. But I felt lucky I had a job.
The major reason I adjusted to life here was because of the community in which I chose to live. Rehovot has many Anglos, from countries like the U.S., Canada, Australia, Scotland, South Africa, New Zealand. Some of my friends have been here for 30 years and still cannot speak Hebrew. Because it is a university town, English is spoken by many. But the most significant reason aliyah was successful for me was the friends I have made. Never in my life have I met so many supportive, generous, caring people. Everyone helps each other. People think nothing of inviting strangers into their homes for a meal. They are really living the Jewish ideals of love, kindness, and charity. Their actions are not unique to me. True, I have become a fixture at their Shabbat tables, often a grandmother to their children. But the people in my community truly are living a life of good deeds. I could not have survived Israel without the friends I have made here. I really feel blessed and know that G-d has been looking after me.
L'hitraot. Shachar