As 42 congregations across Israel celebrate Shabbat Aliyah, they honor both the journeys that brought olim here and the communal spirit those immigrants bring with them.
“It’s such an incredible blessing to be here. I really feel it was the mission of my life to facilitate my family’s return to Israel,” retired judge David Parry said of his aliyah journey.
From learning Hebrew to making new friends, five young olim share the excitement and nerves of finding their place in an Israeli classroom.
Russia topped the list of countries sending new immigrants to Israel, followed by France and the US, as more than 20,000 olim arrived during the Jewish year 5786.
Artist Ma’ayan reflects on her journey from New York to Jerusalem, finding her spiritual home, discovering her artistic voice, and turning loss and renewal into art.
A chance encounter with a Chabad rabbi and the sound of the shofar awakened Yosef Turtora's Jewish identity, setting him on a journey from Arizona back to his birthplace in Israel.
“It’s record-breaking for us,” Nefesh B’Nefesh’s Vice President of Diaspora Partnerships, Marc Rosenberg, said.
The immigrants are part of an unprecedented wave of aliyah taking place during the summer months, from June through September.
Sitting in their apartment on a sweltering summer afternoon, bowed by old age but not broken, Sandy and Rosalie tell the story of their lives, their aliyah, and their future.
"We will propose a national plan that will call on young people to return home and on Jews around the world to make aliyah to Israel, because this is our national home," Eisenkot said.
“We’re running on fumes, but exhilarated,” Jordan, one of the new olim (immigrants) and a father of six girls, told The Jerusalem Post at the airport.
