Eastward and Upward!

By Sharon N. Galkin

Ahhh, summer in Baltimore: high humidity, frequent afternoon downpours, 17-year-cicadas… And, one more thing – a special group of Baltimoreans making aliya to Eretz Yisrael. It seems to this biased writer that Baltimore has one of the highest aliya rates in North America. Whether or not I’m correct about that, the fact is that no fewer than six frum Baltimore families and one single woman are getting ready to board their Nefesh b’Nefesh flights [see sidebar] to Israel this summer. Families from Silver Spring will join them as well.

Speaking with these inspired individuals brought back much of the excitement, anticipation, and anxiety I remember so well from our own aliya experience seven years ago. In fact, it is impossible for me to be objective enough to present “just the facts” on this subject. Rather, I hope that I succeed in conveying some of the thrills and chills of moving to Israel.

A lot has changed since we were planning our move eight years ago. Then, our main sources for aliya-related information were the Tachlis discussion group on the Internet and our aliya shaliach from the Jewish Agency, who had to travel from Washington in order to meet with prospective olim. Not one person going this year mentioned either of these resources. Rather, Nefesh b’Nefesh (NBN) seems to do it all – from financial grants to special flight arrangements. The organization even helps get your lift (shipment by sea) delivered to your door without your having to go to Haifa to sign for it.

On Sunny Heights

According to Baltmorean Yossie Friedman, with resources like NBN, the Janglo discussion group on the web (similar to Tachlis), and the Ramat Beit Shemesh email list, there has never been an easier time for North American aliya. When the first of this summer’s four NBN flights, carrying over 1,500 olim chadashim (new immigrants), takes off on July 13, Yossie will be on board with his wife, Limor, their 10-year old daughter, and four boys, aged one to eight.

Yossie, who spent much of his youth in and around Baltimore, has always wanted to live in Israel, but marrying an Israeli-born woman did not exactly accelerate the process. Limor moved to the States as a young girl and was not in any hurry to head back. Then, a few years ago, she attended a cousin’s wedding in Israel, and the Land beckoned her to return. At that time, her husband was the executive director of Derech Chaim Academy in Randallstown. Yossie discussed his thoughts about aliya with his rav and was told that his work with teens-at-risk had to come before a move to Eretz Yisrael. When Derech Chaim’s school component closed (the Academy continues to provide services for teens-at-risk), the Friedmans were given their green light. They will be living in Ramat Beit Shemesh, and Yossie will continue to put his psychology degree to use working for the Misrad HaChinuch, Israel’s department of education, and with teens at risk. Limor will be a full-time mom until she is ready to look for work in her field of special education. The Friedman children are all very excited about being reunited with cousins and old friends, who will surely help them with their transition.

Mendy and Malky Newman also chose to live in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Some people have “always” wanted to live in Israel; others were rudely awakened by the tragedy of 9/11. For Malky, the thought of living in Israel didn’t occur to her during her seminary year, but after she accompanied her husband on his first trip to Israel just four years ago, her mind was made up. Mendy felt ready a short six months later. Ramat Beit Shemesh seemed the obvious choice for this American “yeshiva-style” family looking for the most appropriate schools for their children (ages 8, 6, and 3) and the easiest acclimation for both the kids and their parents. Initially at least, Mendy will be commuting to the States for work. Some women in Ramat Beit Shemesh whose husbands work outside the country have formed a support group, where they meet to discuss their challenges, offer suggestions or just have a good laugh (and sometimes, a good cry) about their unique circumstances.

Ramat Beit Shemesh, too, has changed much since our own move. When my husband and I visited Israel in the summer of 1996, someone took us on a tour of what was to become Ramat Beit Shemesh. We drove up and down dirt hills looking for the path that would one day be the street on which the home this fellow had already bought would soon be built! We could hardly believe what we saw just two years later when we spent a Shabbos with the Naiman family, former Baltimoreans and Ramat Beit Shemesh pioneers. Those bare hills had become a bustling boomtown. Two years after that, our own daughter began commuting from Har Nof to a new “American-style” Bais Yaakov in “RBS.”

Star of Jacob

Also traveling on the July 13 NBN flight will be the Eilberg family: Nachum, Pnina, and their four children. They will be making their home in Kochav Yaakov, just outside Yerushalayim, slightly over the Green Line. Their eldest child, Pesach, has already gotten a head start at the high school he will be attending next year, thanks to the hashgacha pratis (divine intervention) that often comes with one’s aliya efforts. I am pleased to be able to tell Pesach’s story from the perspective of my personal part in it.

My husband rents office space from Star-K Kashrus. One day, Pnina, who until recently worked as an administrative assistant for the Star-K, approached Bill and explained that they were planning to make aliya this summer but had run into a major obstacle – finding the right school for their 15-year old son. They had heard about a yeshiva called Nehora but were having trouble getting in touch with the administration. They didn’t know how else to proceed. Did Bill have any ideas?

Now it just “happens” that the brother of someone we know in Har Nof is on the administration of Nehora. Bill called me at home, I looked up our friend’s number, and Pnina made the first of what were to be several successful phone calls. Not only did the rosh yeshiva of Nehora “happen” to be leaving for New York in just a few hours, but after a hastily arranged interview with him, Pesach was on his way to Israel to begin the summer zman at his new yeshiva! Last I heard from Pnina, her son has never been so happy in school, and he expects the family to be speaking only fluent Hebrew in their home within five years.

Although Nachum had always thought about moving to Israel, it wasn’t until his sister relocated from Har Nof to the beautiful, new, suburban town of Kochav Yaakov that Pnina agreed. After one visit to the small, family-oriented community, with its close proximity to Yerushalayim and to her own sister in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Pnina said “this is the place for me.” Pnina will be a full-time mom, and Nachum is hopeful that he will be able to continue working for his current computer company at their Israel office.

Not Ready to Retire

The second NBN flight leaves on August 3, and, the Solomons will be on it. Estie, a nurse, and Steve, the executive director of Baltimore’s Jewish Family Services, will take their ten-year-old son, Avrohom Dovid, with them. Their five other children are grown and on their own. It was about two years ago that Steve suddenly asked himself, “What am I doing here when I have the ability to leave the golah (exile) and live in Eretz Yisrael?” So he, Estie, and Avrohom Dovid planned a three-month sabbatical, during which Steve and his son, who are kohanim, davened and said their priestly blessings (daily!) at the Kosel, and learned Torah together in the Holy City, while Estie relaxed and enjoyed the country. By the time their visit was over, they were ready to come back to Baltimore to start packing up for their move. When people ask Avrohom Dovid if he isn’t going to miss everything he is familiar with here, he answers, “I’m going to a better place!” The Solomons will be living in a merkaz klita (absorption center) in Jerusalem until they decide on a town to call their own. Steve plans to seek employment in his field of social services but says he “will do anything” to earn his livelihood so long as he is in Eretz Yisrael. Estie admits that the preparations to make aliya are not just physical but also demand an “emotional journey,” whereby one must come to terms with separating from family and dear friends. But she feels confident about the family’s decision. She hopes to work as a nurse after they settle in.

Dr. Howard Klein, one of Baltimore’s long-time, beloved pediatricians, and his wife, D’VORAH, are making their aliya without kids. Their “baby” Eli, is 23, and I caught Mrs. Klein for this interview on the day of Eli’s official engagement to Aliza Leibtag, also from Baltimore. The Kleins have been dreaming about moving to Israel for 30 years. They’ve gone back and forth for chagim (holidays) and to visit their married daughter in Beit Shemesh (just a couple of hilltops away from Ramat Beit Shemesh). Only now, though, is the time finally right for them. They are the only ones interviewed for this article who are not going with NBN because they didn’t feel they needed the services NBN provides and wanted to leave those seats available for someone who did. Neither Dr. nor Mrs. Klein is “retiring” to Eretz Yisrael. “This is aliya for aliya’s sake,” says Mrs. Klein, explaining that she and her husband are going now while they can still work in and for the country. Dr. Klein will be heading a child development center. Mrs. Klein, a child and family therapist, will be seeing patients privately, collaborating with her husband on child development and learning issues, and writing on the subject. They will be living near their daughter in Beit Shemesh. Eli and Aliza hope to join the rest of the Klein family in Israel within the next six years.

A Singular Move

Aliya is not just for married couples with kids. Sora Hisler will be on the August 10th NBN flight en route to Ramat Eshkol, a post-’67 Jerusalem neighborhood with a relatively new, American crowd of singles, kollel couples, and young families. Sora, whose family lives in Baltimore, graduated from the Yeshiva of Greater Washington and had not been to Israel until she attended seminary at Be’er Miriam in Har Nof. Enamored with the Land and inspired by the religious Zionist curriculum of her school, Sora went back for shana bet, Be’er Miriam’s second-year program. After doing her research and comparing notes with like-minded friends, Sora concluded that aliya was the right thing for her, and want to take advantage of the opportunity while it is within her reach. Sora will be doing a shnat sherut, a year of national community service, at the Sulam school for learning disabled children. She hopes that the environment will help her learn Hebrew, make Israeli friends, and mainstream into Israeli society.

As can be expected, nearly everyone interviewed, especially those closest to their departure dates, was experiencing some level of nervous tension – whether about being packed on time, missing family and friends, or just about their command (or lack thereof) of the Hebrew language. To those who wonder if they’ll even make it through the first year, allow me to quote my husband’s childhood friend Paul, who, at his own wedding, was having such a great time that he turned to his friends and shouted: “If this marriage lasts for a year, it’ll have been worth it!” (Paul is still happily married, 20 years later!)

Better yet is the advice i was given by former Baltimorean Shoshana (alias Suzanne) Weinberg about one year after her aliya and shortly before ours: When the “going” (that is, the preparation for the move) gets rough, as sometimes it surely will, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and smile as you remind yourself that you are doing this for the mitzva and privilege of living in the “palace of the King.”

And it wouldn’t hurt to think about this old joke: A prime minister of Israel went to Washington to meet with a president of the United States. The PM noticed a white phone in a locked glass case on the president’s desk. “What’s that?” he asked. The president responded that it was his direct line to G-d. “May I make a call?” asked the PM? “Sure,” said the president, “That’ll be $1,000 a minute.” The PM paid the price, made the call, and asked G-d’s opinion on the matter that was being discussed. Several months later, the same president came to Jerusalem to meet with the PM. The president noticed a red phone, easily accessible on the president’s desk. “What’s that?” he asked. The PM responded that it was his direct line to G-d. “May I make a call?” asked the president. “Sure,” said the PM. The president made his call, which lasted about 10 minutes, and took $10,000 out of his pocket to give the PM. “Not necessary,” said the prime minister, “it’s a local call from here.”

Let us all wish this year’s olim chadashim a safe trip, a soft landing and a “klita kala,” an easy absorption. May we all follow you soon. Meanwhile, remember that “it’s a local call” from there. May G-d answer all your prayers – for yourselves, for your families, and for all of am Yisrael.

Alu vehatzlichu! Go up and succeed!

Sidebar

Nefesh B’Nefesh: Jewish Souls United

Nefesh b’Nefesh was founded less than three years ago by Tony Gelbart and Rabbi Yehoshua Fass to “revitalize North American aliya and to expand it for generations to come by removing the financial, professional, and logistical obstacles that prevent many would-be olim from fulfilling their dream.” (www.nefeshbnefesh.org) In its short existence, NBN has not only dramatically increased the numbers of North American olim but has also helped ensure their successful absorption in Israel.

In cooperation with the Jewish Agency, and with much of its funding from private Jewish philanthropic sources, NBN provides olim with financial grants, guidance through government agencies, employment resources, assistance in social integration, and a support network to help them through their initial acclimation and beyond.

Since its first flight carrying 519 olim in the summer of 2002, NBN will have delivered a total of over 3,000 North American olim to Israel's shores by this summer's end. These numbers include over 250 families and more than 270 singles. While the average adult age of their olim is 33, the eldest yet was 82 years old!

NBN has brought olim from 33 states and four Canadian provinces. They represent all streams of Judaism and nearly every imaginable profession. They have settled in cities throughout the length and breadth of the Land. By revitalizing North American aliya, NBN continues “to send an unmistakable message to our Israeli brethren that even in these turbulent times, Israel has not been abandoned.” It emphasizes to the world that “Israel is not just a haven for Jews fleeing religious oppression and economic distress but…a primary choice for those who have professional stability and social comfort.”

To those of you not yet booked, please note that the fourth NBN plane is still only half-full. If you work fast, you still might be able to join the crowd. If not, perhaps “leshana haba’a”… Next year in Jerusalem, Ramat Beit Shemesh, or Kochav Yaakov - be it via Nefesh b’Nefesh or on the wings of an eagle. No matter how you get there or in what town you will live, there’s no place like Home.

- S.N.G.

For more information about Nefesh b’Nefesh, visit their website, www.nefeshbnefesh.org, or email them at info@nefeshbnefesh.org or call 866-4-ALIYAH. (Outside the U.S., call 561-955-1908.)