I created this blog to share my Aliyah experience, which has proven quite eventful and unpredictable. It is my hope that other olim and potential olim can benefit from this website and together we can find some humor in our self-imposed trials and tribulations.
My blog will take you through my personal story of making Aliyah, with a bit of wit and cynicism. While the process of moving to Israel, dealing with bureaucracy, learning Hebrew, becoming absorbed into a new culture, joining the army and the many other steps can be difficult, they can also be comical. This blog will expose my comical, and sometimes embarrassing, transformation from being an American living in Israel to becoming an Israeli with an American accent.
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July 19, 2008 at 8:44 pm |
Congrats on the new blog! I look forward to reading more about your Aliya experiences…
July 31, 2008 at 8:59 pm |
Congratulations Jessica! Can’t wait to see more of it! I have the feeling I’ll loooove it…
August 1, 2008 at 8:53 am |
Young Zionists unite! Power to the olim…
August 4, 2008 at 7:45 am |
Good luck with the new blog. I already see at least one article that I’ll be referring to at some point…
August 7, 2008 at 10:56 pm |
omggg i CANT WAIT TO MAKE ALIYAHH!!!!!! I NEED TO BE HOMEEE IN ISRAELLL!!!<3
February 17, 2009 at 6:58 am |
Wow, this blog is a great find! I’m a Hebrew student in college and I’ve taken a great interest in Israeli culture and am having all sorts of aliyah fantasies lately. Unfortunately though I’m not even technically Jewish so I guess my Israeli dream is a bit further than other candidates’…in any case it’s a lot of fun living it vicariously through you!
P.S. I’m from Minneapolis!
February 20, 2009 at 5:41 pm |
I am not sure what you meant by “technically” Jewish – by whose standards are you not technically Jewish? As far as the laws of Israel, there are two different “standards”. There is the Law of Immigration standard which says that if you have one grand parent that is/was Jewish, then you are considered Jewish and can make Aliyah. This standard was created as a reaction to the Holocaust because this is how the Nazis defined a Jew. If this is the case, then you can make Aliyah.
Then there is the Rabinut standard. This means that you have to have a Jewish mother or Orthodox approved conversion. The Rabinut standard affects marriages, births, burial – basically any Jewish life cycle. For instance, if you meet the aliyah standard but not the Rabinut standard then you can become a citizen of Israel, but you can not marry in Israel – unless you “convert” by an Rabinut approved rabbi.
This system was created during the birth of the State and was one of the concessions that Ben Gurion made to the religious and has continued to affect the country. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest mistakes Ben Gurion made – along with the concession he made regarding the religious exemption from the army. There are many people that continue to pay for this mistake today.
This concession has basically made Israel, the only country in the world where you can’t practice Judaism the way that you want – i.e. as a conservative Jew, reform Jew, etc.
Unfortunately, there is not enough awareness, especially among native Israelis about this situation, even though there are many immigrants that exist in this “purgatory” state.
October 26, 2011 at 5:39 pm |
What you write is not accurate. Anyone in Israel can practice Judaism the way they want to. A different issue is whether they will receive recognition from the State.
And as for that issue, Judaism with a label is a relatively new construct. The Judaism of two thousand years of pining for Tsion was not orthodox either, it was just Judaism. But nowadays with the plethora of label Judaisms, which ones should the State of Israel recognize? One which prayed for a return to Tsion three times a day or one, for example, which declared Berlin to be the new Jerusalem?
Furthermore, if label Judaisms are recognised by the State regarding crucial issues, which ones should receive recognition? Reform? Conservative? Black Hebrews? Jews for Jesus? Anyone who feels Jewish?
Personally, I am in favour of civil marriage for people who are unable to have a halachic wedding ceremony. Whatever other ceremony they have is their own business.
I also want to add that I have nothing against people who believe themselves to be Jewish only to find out later that this is not the case. In fact there are cases where one member of a couple discovered that they were not Jewish just weeks before their marriage, as their parents never told them. This is very sad and they have my sympathy. However, as integrated a person might be in Israeli life, and unfortunately as brave as they might be in their death, it does not turn one into a Jew if one is not.
October 26, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Alice, you of course have the right to your opinion. But I completely disagree with you. I think it does Israel and the people of Israel an injustice when the State only recognizes one form of Judaism. In addition, you are wrong to say that people have the right to practice whatever form of Judaism they want. If someone wants to practice Judaism by getting married by a Reform or Conservative Rabbi, they can’t. In addition, Reform and Conservative synagogues, schools, mikvot, etc . . . do not get equal funding . . . or for that matter any funding from the government. This means that it becomes a lot less accessible to practice the type of Judaism that a citizen wants. The way the current system is set up is that the Orthodox own Judaism. While the Orthodox have control, there is not much they give back to the Country – army services, taxes, knowledge, etc. The unbalance of the religious system does do damage to the country’s security. And in addition, it is wrong that the Country should expect one person to have all of the responsibilities of a citizen, but not give all the rights – i.e. marriage. The Orthodox do NOT hold the authority on who is Jewish.
March 30, 2009 at 9:08 pm |
Interesting reading. I never really gave much thought to the internal religious politics in Israel before. I loved the beautiful photos too.
March 7, 2010 at 12:12 am |
Hey there, This website is amazing! Keep up the amazing work. I just bookmarked it
March 30, 2010 at 6:40 pm |
Hey very nice blog!! Man .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…
July 21, 2010 at 7:39 pm |
Hi! Check out our blog at El Al to read about the latest Aliyah flight to arrive in Israel this summer.
The link is: http://www.skywordswithelal.com/?p=569
I hope you enjoy our blog!
December 21, 2010 at 11:59 am |
I love it! Hillarious… (looking back not going through it.) absolutely awesome photos!
November 20, 2011 at 9:58 pm |
i would really like to hear from the woman that took all 9 of her kitties not only w/her but in the cabin