CPCL “Column” #2 • Editor: Batsheva Pomerantz; contact — aloh-naaleh@aaci.org.il This new “from time to time” feature is geared towards encouraging Aliya... AND encouraging veteran & new Olim to become more invoved in encouraging and easing the Aliya of others. In the week following the Shabbat that we read in Parshat Mas'ei
about the mitzva of dwelling in the land of Israel, a group of nearly 400 North
Americans have made aliya. As this goes to press, they are making their way to
their homes after an enthusiastic welcome at Ben Gurion Airport. They are the
first group of the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization, which plans to send planeloads
of olim every few months. Nefesh B'Nefesh co-founder Rabbi Joshua Fass related
the triple message of this event: "To our neighbors in Israel - this is a
passionate expression of solidarity. To the world, our Aliya says - Israel is a
primary choice. We are bound to the land. To the family back home - we say 'you
can do it too.'" We warmly welcome home all the new olim to our communities,
schools and workplaces! AACI volunteers greet olim as they enter the arrival hall. They assist with passport control and then with Immigration Ministry officials. They process paperwork, translate and answer questions. Volunteers help with luggage and send the olim to their destinations in taxis. Olim receive the necessary contact information for the nearest AACI office. The Welcome Home Committee needs volunteers who live within
driving distance from the airport. Volunteers undergo a training session and are
provided with literature. For more information, call: Albert Rettig at
03-641-5564.
Here to Stay As I make a slow 360 degree turn on this windy hilltop, I can view the slopes of Shilo, where the Mishkan stood for 369 years, the Ammon mountain range (now Jordan), the red rooftops of Ofra, and the remains of Ai, the city conquered by Yehoshua Bin Nun. I can see the skyline of Jerusalem, ancient Bet El, the Tel Aviv coast, the remains of the Jewish town of Gofna, and back to Shilo. I was formerly known as Craig Daniels. Growing up in what can be described a "Conservative-Traditional" Jewish home, I became religious during the two years spent at a medical program at the City College of New York. I then chose to leave New York and seek an Israeli yeshiva education. At the age of 19 in 1981, I came to Israel and had the privilege of studying five years in Yeshiva. I have been living in Israel ever since. At times, I questioned the wisdom of my decision to move to Israel at such a young age. Most of my family and friends felt that I had made a big mistake. However, when I thought of myself as the father and grandfather of future offspring, I realized that I had obligations to them as well. Upon concluding that this is HaShem's desire, I felt that making Aliya immediately would instill in my family-to-be a strong attachment to HaShem, His Torah and His Land. These thoughts helped me through the more difficult periods, especially during army service. As a Kohen, I chose not to pursue a career in medicine, and completed a degree in economics. I work as a licensed investment advisor for one of Israel's leading banks. My Israeli-born wife Michal (a preschool teacher) and I have five beautiful children. We speak Hebrew at home, and they understand English. My oldest daughter volunteers as a counselor in the Ariel youth movement in Bet El. We celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of our son on Shabbat Parshat "Shlach". At my Bar Mitzvah, I barely understood the meaning of the Haftorah words, which I sang before we drove off to the party. Yet, when my son read from his Torah portion, he understood the meaning of the story of the twelve spies. He understood that the unfortunate decision to reject coming to Eretz Yisrael, caused that day, the Ninth of Av, to be destined as a day of destruction and calamity for the Jewish People throughout history. Come Chanukah, my children not only know that they will receive doughnuts and gelt, but they know that the miraculous Maccabee revolt, was planned in the Mountains of Gofna, just across our balcony. Coming to Israel not only gave me fulfillment as a Jew, but enabled me to pass on to my children a true connection to the Torah and the land of our forefathers. I naturally urge others to follow in the footsteps of all new immigrants to Israel. Not only do you owe it to yourselves - you owe it to your children! Bet El Ancient Bet El was within the heartland of Biblical Israel. Avraham Avinu built his second altar in Israel just east of Bet El. Ya'akov Avinu also built an altar there. During the period of the judges the ARON KODESH rested at Bel El. The site of ancient Bet El is identified within the Arab village of Bitin, a couple of kilometers from modern Bet El. Modern Bet El, established in 1977, is now home to over 800 families. According to Tehilla statistics, about 10% of Bet El's population are English-speaking. Added to this issue of ALOH NA’ALEH by TT Ed. without permission of ALOH NA’ALEH editor. One of the things I like to tell my “not-yet-Olim” friends about is the first car insurance policy contract I received from my insurer, way back when. I read with surprise that I was getting a discount for being Shomer Shabbat. And taking that discount meant I would not be covered by the policy for driving on Shabbat. That’s okay with me, I remember thinking to myself, Shomer Shabbat people don’t drive on Shabbat. But wait! What about driving in a life-threatening situation? What if my wife were to go into labor on Shabbat and I would drive her to the hospital on Shabbat? The next paragraph had the answer. The policy — this “secular” document I was reading, said that if the driving on Shabbat was permissible because of Piku’ach Nefesh in accordance with Jewish Law of the Shulchan Aruch, then I would be covered by the insurance policy. The company was not “religious”. But it was “Jewish”. This was a standard arrangement. This is Israel. Not without its problems. But there’s plenty of “Only in Israel” if you open your eyes. [The D'varim Homepage]
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