First aliyah

Proposed Law of Return amendment sparks debate over conversion standards in Israel

Religious coalition lawmakers frame the bill as a return to halachic conversion standards, while opponents say it would hand the religious establishment greater control over Jewish identity

 THE EXPECTATION that citizens should roam the length and breadth of the country in order to find an appointment slot somewhere to renew a passport is preposterous.
THE WRITER wraps up a ‘Hinenu’ photoshoot at a heliport in Herzliya last year.

Moving to a 'war-zone': What the headlines won't tell you about the lives of Israelis - opinion

Despite recent 12-day war with Iran, Nefesh B’Nefesh expects 2,000 North American Olim during 2025 summer season.

Undeterred by war, over 2,000 immigrants expected to arrive in Israel this summer

 CONFIRMATION AT the Orthodox Temple Beth Shalom in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1954. Center, Rabbi Jacob Kraft. Fourth from left, Ruth Weinstein.

Confirmations on Shavuot's first day helped preserve American Jewish identity


Aliyah advice from Murray Greenfield

"What I’ve found is that the guy who gives up and throws up his hands in disgust gets no place," is the one-liner advice from 59-year-old Murray S. Greenfield, who made aliyah in 1947.

 Murray Greenfield

The subtle traumas of Jewish immigration to Israel don't disappear

I would rather the salesperson, clerk or waitress have to suffer through my accented Hebrew than me having to suffer through their accented English.

 The language of the Hebrew man

'Every day is a miracle, it's just more apparent in Israel'

“The moment we landed, I started crying.”

The Schwartzes: Dr. Reuven, 71, and Amy, 66 from Pittsburgh to Jerusalem, 2015

Arrival stories: Rabbi David Arias Weil, 31, Chile to Jerusalem

In Chile, he left behind his parents, four siblings, a beloved grandmother, other close relatives and many friends.

(LEFT TO right) Rabba Diana Villa, Rabbi David Arias, Rabbi Yosef Kleiner and Rabbi Ehud Bandel at Arias’ rabbinic graduation/ordination ceremony.

Aliya as an act of faith

More than 3,000 Bnei Menashe have thus far made aliya thanks largely to Shavei Israel, the organization I founded and chair. Another 7,000 are still in India, all of whom wish to come.

A PLANE at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

The ups and downs of aliya

A YOUNG olah, newly arrived from France, waves an Israeli flag after disembarking from a plane upon arriving in Israel on a special flight organized by the Jewish Agency at Ben-Gurion Airport, last year.

An answer to Paris: The ‘gentile aliya’ epidemic

srael will soon have to expand its borders far beyond its wildest dreams – not for the benefit of the Jews, but at the request of millions of Europeans.

THE STATUE at the Place de la République in Paris is seen featured with a giant cardboard pencil reading ‘I am Charlie’ in 2015 after the attack against the ‘Charlie Hebdo’ magazine

Time to ease aliya for French Jews

It is well known that the first cracks in the equation of “France equals liberty, equality and fraternity” have been evident for quite a while.

TRAY of pastries is seen at a patisserie owned by members of the French community in Netanya

Celebrating aliya

The concept of aliya has changed radically since the first decades of Israel’s establishment. Once upon a time, refugees made up the bulk of olim.

Largest French aliya flight of the summer lands in Israel, July 20, 2016

Nefesh B’Nefesh: New York Jews’ interest in aliya this year ‘highest ever’

NBN aims to bring 4,000 North American olim in ’16.

RACHEL (LEFT), ABBY and Bentzion Raice attend the aliya fair in New York Sunday