Resources and articles on Aliyah InfoBase

8 - Jul - 2007 - By: Goel Pinto

"I didn't know there were so many French speakers here," says Salinger. "I was moved to rediscover my native language, to hear expressions in French that I hadn't heard in years. It was like hearing a lullaby from my childhood." Israel's French speaking new immigrant society is connecting to a culture that is rewarding and yet at home in Israel. [Full article]

Glorious Past, Uncertain Future

Youth Movements in Israel

2 - May - 2004 - By: Carl Schrag

Whereas the diaspora movements were built on hopes and dreams, the members who actually moved to Eretz Israel set about actively trying to bring those hopes to fruition. [Full article]

Exile

Abstract Condition and Concrete Community

6 - Jan - 2004 - By: Ben Halpern

The Hebrew Galut means the abstract condition of exile, or bondage. Golah refers to a concrete community in exile. [Full article]

On Making Aliyah

Letters to an American Jewish Friend

11 - Nov - 2003 - By: Hillel Halkin

The same classical Zionist beliefs that justified modern Jewish settlement in Palestine, and that justified the establishment of a Jewish state, justify this country to this day. [Full article]

Olim in Israel

Dreamers in a Promised Land

22 - Oct - 2003 - By: Michael Rosenak

I begin with a confession. Whenever I return from hutz l'aretz, a rather large domain of endless sky, all the great seas, and practically all the beaches and the total land mass on earth, I recite Psalm 126: Shir hama'alot: b'shuv HaShem et shivat Tzion, hayinu k'kholmin , ("When the Lord brought back those who returned to Zion we were as dreamers"). [Full article]

Culture Clash or Cultural Compatibility

Understanding Culture Part 1

6 - Jul - 2003 - By: Katrina Jacobs

After providing a basic definition of culture and its influences on us, this article outlines the basic Israeli cultural orientation with suggestions for how to orient oneself more successfully to the cultural reality in Israel. [Full article]

Sources, Symptoms, Solutions

Culture Shock

22 - Jun - 2003 - By: Katrina Jacobs

The first in a series of three articles, this article looks at the experience of crossing cultures, particularly as it relates to aliyah. You will learn: what culture shock is, what causes it, and tips for how it can be managed. [Full article]

Why I am Making Aliyah

To Keep the Blessing

27 - Mar - 2003 - By: Arnold M. Eisen

Eisen shares his reasons for making aliyah- some of which may defy conventional wisdom. [Full article]

Aliyah Seven Years On

Scratching the Seven Year Itch

23 - Jan - 2003 - By: Deborah Meghnagi

Things are never quite how you expect them to be. That goes for aliya too. No doubt people have different expectations, and I can only speak for myself, but after seven years of being here how does the reality compare to the dream? [Full article]

No Abbreviations With Thousands of Olim

Yakov Maimon

20 - Jan - 2003 - By: Batsheva Pomerantz

Batsheva Pomerantz introduces us to Yakov Maimon. In addition to being Israel's first stenographer, he helped thousands of new immigrants to Israel integrate into Israeli society. [Full article]

Cultural Diversity and The American Dream

Aliyah

22 - Aug - 2002 - By: Elazar Larry Freifeld

When I first came to Israel, I admit, I came with an American NYC cum hippie/bohemian head. I was not fleeing persecution, only rising from one level to another. More like jumping between two levels at the same level, like when I was a kid at summer camp crossing a stream, dancing from one rock to another. [Full article]

A Sense of Belonging

Stomping Home

12 - Aug - 2002 - By: Deborah Meghnagi

A trip to Caesarea for a performance of the UK dance sensation ‘Stomp' made British-born Deborah Meghnagi feel she belongs in Israel. [Full article]

Memoirs of a Bi-Patriot

From Vermont to the Red Sea

6 - Jun - 2002 - By: Elazar Larry Freifeld

Elazar Larry Freifeld looks at the aliyah process from a personal perspective - and what we find is an emotional, and often amusing roller-coaster ride, following the trials and tribulations of his family's immigration and absorption into Israel. [Full article]

Memoirs of a Bi-Patriot

What time is it?

13 - May - 2002 - By: Elazar Larry Freifeld

Elazar Larry Freifeld looks at the aliyah process from a personal perspective - and what we find is an emotional, and often amusing roller-coaster ride, following the trials and tribulations of his family's immigration and absorption into Israel. [Full article]

Israel and the Diaspora

Aliya is a four-letter word

17 - Feb - 2002 - By: David Breakstone

An article written by David Breakstone, (Head of the Department for Zionist Activities of the World Zionist Organization and a member of the Executive of the Jewish Agency and WZO), originally published in the Jerusalem Post. [Full article]