Making Aliyah: A Continuing Trend
Why Do Many Jewish People Decide to Move to Israel?
History of Aliyah
Israel is not just a country; it is a national and religious homeland. The citizens of modern Israel share the same religion, language and culture as the original Twelve Tribes.
Following their forced exile, the Jewish people kept Israel deep in their hearts and minds. For two thousand years they faced Jerusalem and prayed, three times a day, that one day they would return to their homeland.
“…The people kept faith with it (Israel) throughout their dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom." (Israel's Declaration of Independence)
The establishment of the Zionist Movement in the late nineteenth century saw the commencement of political activity to create a Jewish state. Although some Jews had been returning to Israel independently, the birth of Zionism marked the beginning of organized groups of aliyah to settle the land and rebuild a nation.
Reasons for Aliyah
There are two reasons people make aliyah; one is the ‘push’ away from their current country; possibly for lack of political, social, economical, religious or cultural freedom. The other is the ‘pull’ towards Israel, likely to be manifested in a positive aspiration in any of these areas.
Since the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948 there have been waves of ‘mass aliyah’. Largely these were motivated by the ‘push’ of oppression.
Number of People Moving from Diaspora Jewish Communities to Israel 1948-2006
765,591 from Arabic Countries
1,174,617 from the Former Soviet Union
75,547 from Ethiopia
(stats provided by Jewish Agency for Israel)
Israel welcomed and absorbed these and other communities to the point that, today, there are few Jews who need ‘rescuing’. According to the Jewish Agency those arriving in recent years and in the future (assuming no major catastrophe occurs) will largely be making aliyah out of choice. So what is the relevance of aliyah for today’s more assimilated communities?
Modern Aliyah
Successful integration within their adopted societies has come at a price for many Jewish communities in the west. The younger generations often feel disconnected from their religious and cultural roots. To address this, a variety of community programs have been set up, many of which include trips to Israel. Programmes through Birthright, Bnai Akiva, Aish and others have been successful in instilling in participants an appreciation of their roots and an increased sense of Jewish identity.
Another large group of recent ‘olim’ (immigrants) are religiously observant young people and families, who feel increasingly uncomfortable and dissatisfied by their lives in the Diaspora. They are searching for stronger community ties and the comfort and security of being amongst ‘their own’.
In 2007 over 3,500 people made aliyah from the United States, UK and Canada. This figure is influenced by the foundation of Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organisation working to encourage and support western aliyah. Their successful promotion of aliyah and package of support has proved to be effective, with an increase of around 300 'olim' from the US arriving in each successive year since their inception. (Figures provided by NbN)
The State of Israel was built by ongoing waves of aliyah and the country developed techniques to successfully absorb a diverse range of people and to transform them into a Hebrew-speaking nation with a strong Israeli identify.
Aliyah built and now bolsters Israel. It provides valuable people and skills to support her continued social and economic development. They depart from all four corners of the globe as different nationalities but emerge in Israel as one people.
