What were your reasons for making aliyah?

amother

Bluebonnet

Mon, Jul 04 2022, 9:50 pm

Because America isn’t ours. Because going back home was the fulfillment of nevuah. Because we wanted a greater connection to Hashem. Because I wanted my dh to learn with his rebbi. Because it was right thing to do. Because Hashem gifted us with experiences that enabled us to feel like the American Justice system isn’t justice, the medical system is only as successful as Hashem warrants it, and that the financial system is controlled by Hashem alone. The only reason a person shouldn’t come is to fix a bad financial situation or a bad marriage because it won’t be fixed, it will be further stressed.

essie14

Mon, Jul 04 2022, 11:35 pm

Because I got this incredible pull the first time I ever stepped foot onto the Land.

Because Moshe Rabbeinu wasn't allowed to enter Eretz Yisrael and how can I not take advantage of the opportunity?

Because the entire Torah was given to the Jews to be kept in Eretz Yisrael.

Because living here is the basis for every mitzvah.

Because the writing on the wall is so obvious to me that there is no future for Jews anywhere in ch"ul.

Because by Jews living here we are actively working towards bringing the geula.

Because I want to be an active participant in the future of the Jewish people.

Because I just always felt like this was home and never felt like America was the place for me.

Because when Mashiach comes I want to be able to live in my own home and not be placed in some caravan in the Negev Smile

And because the weather is amazing, the food is incredible and my kids can go to public school for free Smile

There are hundreds of other reasons.

Rappel

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 12:16 am

Hmmmm... In seminary, I heard for the first time that there is a mitzvah to live in the land of Israel.

I argued against, and several different rabbis there showed me sources, and they were compelling (not that it matters, but this was a yeshivish seminary, not DL).

I had come to Israel that year against my will, and hating the state. By the time I heard that we are obligated to live here, I had already figured out emotionally that Israel is our true home and family. But it was hard. I had a completely different life plan, and I was a loyal American patriot.

So I sat myself down, and asked myself whether I follow Hashem and His Torah? If the answer was yes , then I couldn't pick and choose which mitzvot I felt like doing. So I made aliyah.

G-d definitely crafted the stage for me. The emotional side enabled me to hear the intellectual side, which was not what I wanted for myself at the time. And the rest is history Smile

Last edited by Rappel on Tue, Jul 05 2022, 7:29 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

cornflower

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 12:22 am

I was married to an Israeli guy.
I also have a lot of Israeli friends. I just love Israel. I always wanted to raise my kids Israeli. I do speak Hebrew like a child of a native speaker B"H. I also speak Yidish which is a big bonus.
Unfortunately I had to move back because I am no longer with him and I wanted to be near my family. I hope to move back but that depends on where my guy wants me to live etc.
I will say that if you live on American standards like eating American cheese etc and you don't have the means and know how to budget, it will be harder. Since he was Israeli he knew how to live on a budget. So we were able to swing it.
Another tip if you have kids over the age of 9-10 then you missed the boat. It's harder once they're over 10 years old to learn a new language etc.
Culture I didn't find it shocking because we're all Jews at the end of the day. Maybe Israelis are a little cleaner than Americans, especially their spider webs and toilets are cleaned. Toilets must be cleaned daily! I didn't have a dryer and I made myself a schedule for laundry. Polyester was washed in end of week and cotton beginning of week so it can dry for two days. I managed fine. Loved it!

essie14

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 12:27 am

amother [ cornflower ] wrote:

I am so sorry that aliyah didn't work out for you. That must be incredibly painful.
I disagree with the bolded. I know at least 25 families who made aliyah with kids over the age of 10 and the families are THRIVING!

amother

Bergamot

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 1:12 am

By the time I'd finished a year here in seminary, it was obvious to me that I couldn't live anywhere else.

My family has been in England since the 1600's. When we were sitting shiva (in England) a distant family member came to visit. Being a very proper English gentleman, he had to make polite small talk. He looked around the room, and commented, 'Isn't it strange, how after four hundred years in England, all of you decide to go and live in Israel, all at once?'
So I looked back at him. 'After four hundred years in England, it was time to go home!'

amother

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 1:16 am

The main thing holding us back from making aliyah, is parnassah. We bh are doing well in the US. We make a nice amount of money, although the expenses in the US are astronomical, so we don't really have money for extras.

There are so many reasons we want to make aliyah, but it's so scary to think about picking up and leaving a nice steady income for the unknown.

amother

Hyacinth

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 1:20 am

I came as a teenager. Wasn't always easy at all. Now I am so thankful to my parents who brought us. If I lived in the US I am not sure how close I would have been to my Sibs as I assume we would be all over in different areas. Here I see my sibs a few times a year, and Simchas. Our kids grew up together and know their cousins.

amother

Saddlebrown

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 1:30 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

It's definitely a cheshbon. Having said that, nowadays so many jobs are transportable. Try and find out what your options are.
Living in Israel is not cheap but compared to what I hear about schooling and medical care, I'm not sure if you would need such a high income here.
Work it out - if you didn't have to pay for schooling or medical care, no sleepaway camp and the general standard of living is way lower, how much would you need to be earning? Can you make that happen?

amother

Bluebonnet

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 1:42 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

This held me back for many years. However, if you have parnassah in US, generally, you have here. Tech here pays more than tech where we lived in the States and we know quite a few engineers with higher salaries here. My salary stayed the same in a tech related field. We haven’t regretted coming.

essie14

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 1:57 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

You can prepare.
I am in the tech field. I did a lot of research before I made aliyah about jobs and companies. I attended nbn job fairs, I networked with people in my field. I knew what salary I could expect and I knew what my basic expenses would be.
I sent my CV to many friends in America and Israel and said, "please forward this to anyone you know in Israel " and that's exactly how I got my job.

It's not unknown.

What are your careers?
Do you speak any Hebrew?
I know many people who make Aliyah with promising career prospects, even tentative job offers.
I also know many people who get jobs in America for a company with an Israeli office and then just transfer.

amother

Camellia

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 2:59 am

We made Aliyah because we couldn't see ourselves living anywhere in America (despite having been there our whole lives). From the second we got here, it felt like coming home.
I spoke virtually no Hebrew before arriving, and have improved tremendously in just a short amount of time.
I've started giving English lessons to the local Israeli kids, and the interest is huge. (It would be more if I wanted to work in the school system, but I'm also home with my daughter at this point.)
In terms of some of the above comments- I have a dryer. It isn't so expensive, doesn't take up much room, and greatly improves my quality of life. All of the Anglo olim and second generation who I know have dryers.
The cost of living here is much lower. Between health insurance and schools alone, it's so much less.
The areas you're considering will shape your cost of rent/mortgage, etc, of course. And the fields of your professions.

Last edited by amother on Tue, Jul 05 2022, 3:21 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Springgreen

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 3:06 am

We made aliyah for religious reasons, but honestly- I think Israel is a better place to live than America.

There is no burden of yeshiva tuition. If you lose your job, you still have health insurance. There is robust public transportation here (although the strikes are annoying!). Kids are raised to be independent and go places themselves.
We are blessed to make very good parnassah and I think our standard of living is higher here than in America, where all of our money would be going to tuition.

If you have the money for a down payment (which is a huge if, home prices are insane here), then I think it's a better place to live. Not sure which is better if you don't.

amother

Natural

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 3:08 am

I came here for a year to a very zionistic seminary and decided to stay on and make aliya.

I admit it probably was not the most level-headed decision at the time, but my parents were supportive, and I had family in Israel (many cousins) and several friends staying on too.

In hindsight, it was absolutely the best decision ever, b"H!!

I feel as a Jew that I wouldn't be able to live a completely fulfilled Jewish life outside Israel.

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 3:27 am

After sem I realized how much I missed living in Israel.
I finished uni and cane back, sungle, without a plan. 😁
Almost 20 years later I could never have seen myself bringing up children any other place
And as my husband said on shabbat, we have the zchut of something that moshe rabbeinu never did and thats amazing.

Reality

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 3:57 am

We wanted to move out of our community in the US because of the tremendous rise in crime and antisemitism. The only place we both wanted to live was in Israel.

We also felt very strongly it's time for the Jewish people to come home. Our ancestors would have given anything to live in Israel. No matter how hard it is for American olim, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the struggles of the past.

We have older children. We talked to them and they were all on board, BH. We planned and with many unexpected twists and turns, we are here a few years later.

We are loving our life here in Israel. All the naysayers don't know what they are talking about. My hebrew and my DH's hebrew are really not good, yet we felt at home right away. Israelis love olim!!

Parnassah, my DH works remotely, same job he had in the US. I found a job. The pay is a lot less but my husband gets paid in dollars so it makes up the shortfall.

My kids acclimated. They never want to move back. They love this country so much, as do me and my DH.

I thank Hashem every day for the zchus to live here!

amother

Dimgray

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 4:04 am

So many of these answers resonate with me. It had been an unspoken goal in our marriage from the beginning. At the right time we came.
How could I not take advantage of being able to come to Israel in my lifetime? Historically, this was not always an option. Certainly now with Nefesh B'Nefesh and sal klita and low cost education, Israel was just calling me. How could I not come?
10 years later we are so glad we did.

Reality

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 4:20 am

I know I'm going to sound like a gung-ho extremist, but I have to add this.

You can't imagine what I feel like as I take a walk and look at the beautiful scenery. As I sit on the bus to Yerushalayim and see harei Yehuda. The beauty is breathtaking and it's mine. It's ours. It's the Jewish people's.

My son is presently at the Kotel at a bar mitzvah of a boy in his class. How amazing! Can the people in chul realize what they are missing? I didn't until I got here.

This land is ours and it is begging us to come back. If you feel like you want to come, don't push that feeling down!! Figure out a way and come!!