When Israel Zangwill first coined the phrase ‘melting pot’ for the title of his early 20th-century play, he referred to the influx of immigrants to the United States. It was not only America’s ability to absorb these immigrants that impressed him, but her willingness to blossom from their contributions and skills. The English-born writer and political activist had once aligned himself with Herzl’s vision of Zionism, but saw such urgency in the emigration of the Jews that he was willing to take any location available.
Compared to the “melting pot” of America, modern-day Israel is a full-fledged cholent. With all of the summertime hype about hundreds of incoming Anglo immigrants, we wanted to investigate the personalities behind the numbers.
As a staff made of both olim in various stages of aliyah and klitah, and some children of olim, we asked our summer interns to delve into different perspectives of the aliyah experience, the result being Olim in Israel’s Job Market: Do We Stand a Chance? and Dreams vs. Reality.
These two features aim to give a realistic look into the experience of today’s Anglo olim, and to offer some practical tips for newcomers to empower themselves and make it successfully in the socio-cultural cholent—the State of Israel—that we all cherish.
Dreams vs. Reality
Where the balance lies between optimism and pragmatism in the aliyah process is arguable. While Anglo immigrants come to Israel full of hopes and dreams, many people come under-prepared, and some even become disillusioned. However, with constantly improving online communications intertwined with the growing success of private organizations like Nefesh B’Nefesh, Anglo immigrants are coming to Israel much more informed and increasingly often.
Even for the most prepared and knowledgeable immigrant, aliyah can be challenging and eye-opening. A recent article in Haaretz reports that between 1961 and 1972, following the success of the Six Day War, Israel experienced a surge in American aliyah, yet when faced with the harsh actuality of life in Israel, nearly 60% returned to America. Since then, the resources in Israel have improved dramatically, and yeridah has significantly reduced. According to Nefesh B’Nefesh only 2% of the Anglo olim that the organization assists make yeridah.
Today, not only are fewer people returning to their countries of birth, but more people are making aliyah. In fact in the first six months of this year, Anglo aliyah increased by 17% in comparison with the same period last year.
Israel today unambiguously surpasses what it was in the 1970s with regards to quality of life. Yet olim are still faced with a plethora of problems. Successful ,intelligent people thrown into a foreign language and culture become confused and unconfident. Suddenly, paying a bill or going grocery shopping can become an overwhelming experience. One elderly lady spoke of how a simple trip to the bank left her broken-down in tears. However, whether one desires to live in an Anglo area or to fully integrate into Israeli society, it seems that everyone has their own personal method of coping with tough aliyah experiences.
Sixty-five year old Barbara Roff made aliyah three years ago. Her husband passed away several years ago and she decided to move closer to her daughter’s family. Envisioning a joyous time spent with her family, she admits it was ‘harder than I realized.’ She has found the language, food, heat, and social situation difficult. Moreover, she experienced problems that never crossed her mind, such as having her jewellery and a check stolen. However, for Barbara, her family is her coping mechanism.
Thirty year-old office manager and Tel Aviv resident Keren Sigenblat describes her own aliyah as ‘very lucky.’ She had volunteered in the IDF when she was 18 and made aliyah last year. Similar to Barbara, she says it was her extensive network of family and friends who helped her deal with troublesome times.
Barbara and Keren highlight two sides of the aliyah spectrum. There are those who come to enjoy life within the framework they already know, and those who come to fully integrate into Israeli society.
For Efrat Benn, a thirty-one year-old from Washington, D.C., the aliyah goal was ‘to be an ordinary person living in Israel.’ After successfully completing the highest level of ulpan, she refused to settle with language skills that she did not consider being up to snuff with the natives. Thus, regardless of her fluency, she currently coordinates a book club co-established by students from her ulpan class; they hired their ulpan teacher and now meet bi-weekly to discuss contemporary Israeli fiction. The club enables them constantly to enhance their language skills on both spoken and literary levels.
While Efrat spoke Hebrew before she arrived, she took other steps to get herself settled here professionally. As a school psychologist, with a few years experience and state and national certifications, she attended international conferences and actively sought out Israeli contacts. Consequently, by the time she made aliyah, she had a host of connections in her field which helped her to secure a job as a school psychologist in the public school system. She now works for a quasi-governmental research firm conducting national special education. Seemingly, by taking matters into your own hands and trying out new ideas you can ease the aliyah and integration process.
Hebrew-speaking young professionals find themselves in easier situations compared to those who make the jump later in life and/or with little Hebrew knowledge. Penina Tal Ohr made aliyah at this life stage with her husband and two of her four children in 2006. A lack of Hebrew and cultural confusion were just some of the difficulties she encountered. Her husband had difficulty finding a job and she made aliyah with two teenaged children who also did not speak Hebrew. They wanted their family to integrate into Israeli society and therefore chose to live in Kochav Yaakov, a small yishuv outside of Jerusalem which is not largely Anglo. However, their lack of Hebrew skills and seeing their children struggle to make friends made them decide to move to Beit Shemesh, a more Anglo area.
Out of all the different age groups, making aliyah as a teenager is probably the hardest, as the Tal Ohrs witnessed personally. The changes inherent in adolescence are always difficult, but when combined with being removed from one’s familiar surroundings, being thrown into a foreign system represents a significant challenge.
Despite all of these difficulties, Penina has managed to build up an impressive career in Israel. Her anti-missionary work has led her to help successfully establish and become director of the Jerusalem branch of the non-profit organisation Jews for Judaism. Her aliyah has certainly been scattered with obstacles, but she says that she kept her spirits up by re-reading an essay she wrote about why she wanted to make aliyah. According to the Tal Ohr family, you have to understand the reasons behind your aliyah, and return to that when you get stuck to give you hope and support.
The Tal Ohr family’s move from Kochav Yaakov to Beit Shemesh may appear to be a step backwards to some. This move itself addresses another important facet of the aliyah route: the choice between living in an Anglo or Israeli community. According to recent research, those who take longer to prepare their aliyah are more likely to decide to live in an anglicized area. To some, these ethnic enclaves defy the essence of aliyah and craft a segregated society. But surely for teenagers, the elderly, and the middle-aged, being settled and comfortable is far more important.
For young families, it is often a different story. Sim and Golda Zacks made aliyah in 2003 with four small children. They moved to Maalot, a diverse and not distinctly Anglo area, which they felt eased their integration into Israeli life. After hearing several horror stories from others, they claim that their aliyah was easier than expected. When encountering ups and downs, they said it was having bitachon (faith), acceptance and flexibility, which allowed them to cope.
They chose the Maalot area due to personal recommendations and their desire to live up north. Both Sim and Golda describe their plush northern town as being “gorgeous, warm and friendly.” They told us, “Everyone mixes with everyone here; it’s like being in a small town.” Feeling at home in Maalot, they felt comfortable enough to speak in their broken Hebrew enabling them to improve their language skills. Golda further enhanced her Hebrew by chatting to the teachers and mothers at her children’s gan. Sim on the other hand, made an effort to buy newspapers on Friday and painstakingly went through them. After nine months of searching for a job, Sim found a position as an IT Manager for an engineering company in Haifa, where he has been working for the past four years. Sim and Golda’s aliyah story reflects how making an effort and being adventurous can make for an exciting and uncomplicated aliyah.
That aliyah is easier for toddlers, young parents and professionals, and harder for the elderly, middle-aged, and teenagers is not unexpected. Many people spoke of their rose-tinted glasses, and how the reality of aliyah is harsher than the dream. There clearly appears to be a conflict between the idealistic aspirations of aliyah and the difficult actuality of life in Israel. For every lucky Keren Sigenblat there is someone facing numerous obstacles. But despite this, every person I interviewed said they would do it all over again.
It seems that living in a Jewish homeland with the emotional and spiritual connection we feel towards it counterbalances the practical difficulties. Moreover, the quality of life and general feeling of satisfaction outweighs the challenges and occasional frustrations. Although many admit to having unrealistic expectations, it is our very dreams and delusions which enable us to actually make the big jump, and which are the necessities of aliyah. In the words of Herzl, “If you will it, it is no dream.”
