Israel Is the Only Country in the World That People Flock to During a War

The inspiring article below was shared in the Advocacy for Israel WhatsApp I just joined.

Sorry to be the voice of doom, but as things get worse for Jews everywhere, the greater the Aliyah numbers will be.

The first big wave in recent years was from Eastern Europe, and there has been a lot of movement from France over the last couple of years. The UK and America are probably next.

If you read the article below you'll see how people plan their move to Israel for many months before coming here. It's a very big deal for people of all ages and all kinds of things need to be covered.

Here's what I want to say - right now Jews still have the luxury of planning every aspect of their Aliyah to Israel, pretty much the way it's always been done. But as things continue to escalate against the Jews - and they will - the Jews are going to want to get out and it will be too late to do everything properly.

Here's what I want to say - right now Jews still have the luxury of planning every aspect of their Aliyah to Israel, pretty much the way it's always been done.

But as things continue to escalate against the Jews - and they will - the Jews are going to want to get out and it will be too late to do everything properly.

We don't exactly know what's going to happen but we're already seeing plenty of examples reminding us of the exact same way things went down in Germany.

So Jewish assets and bank accounts could be frozen.

Jews can suddenly lose access to all kinds of services they've always taken for granted, which could be a really big deal in the world we live in where everything impacts everything.

So what am I saying? Start talking to Aliyah experts like this woman from the WZO. Start inquiring about career opportunities and schools for your kids while you still have so many options and opportunities.

Don't wait until things get so bad that you have to leave in a hurry and without being able to take everything you've worked so hard for.

And in the meantime - send your kids to study here and possibly begin their careers here. That will make everything so much easier.

By Marina Rozenberg Head of the Aliya Promotion Department, World Zionist Organization

Even when the cannons roar, it is important to continue encouraging Aliyah (immigration to Israel). Israel is home; here you don't need to take off your kippah or mezuzah, and you don't need to hide the Star of David.

Israel is a unique country in many ways, and it's hard to cover everything. But it’s also unique for a reason worth dwelling on: it’s probably the only country in the world that people flock to during a war—not away from it, but to it.

We’ve already seen thousands of Israelis drop everything and fly back home to enlist after the events of October 7. But it’s not just Israelis: between January and July of this year, about 20,000 people made Aliyah. Yes, despite the war, despite the rockets, despite everything. From Russia and France, from the United States and Ukraine, from Brazil and Argentina, from England and Belarus—20,000 men and women have moved the center of their lives to Israel just since the beginning of 2024.

This doesn’t happen by itself. It happens due to the tireless efforts of several organizations, one of which is the Department for Encouraging Aliyah at the World Zionist Organization.

We’ve noticed that since the war began, many Jews in the Diaspora have connected with Israel for the first time. As Hollywood actor Michael Rapaport aptly put it, they felt something they hadn’t felt before: a deep connection to their brothers and sisters in Israel. And they want to know the truth about Israel. We, in the department, try to convey the reality of Israel as it is.

Israel is a country full of challenges. But Israel is home; here you don’t need to take off your kippah or mezuzah and hide the Star of David. Here, people will help you in times of trouble, and your neighbors will be the first to defend you. The rising antisemitism in the West, on the one hand, and the sense of "togetherness" in Israel, on the other, repeatedly prove that we have no other country. Many Jews understand this now.

How do you encourage Aliyah during a war? First, we do everything to ensure that Jews in the Diaspora can get to know and love their future home even before they arrive. Every year, we run hundreds of Aliyah preparation classes worldwide, combining language studies with activities to learn about the country, from culture and food to heritage and Zionism—all of which help our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora connect with their roots. Gradually, they discover that they already know Israel, understand the language, and get the culture. And when you understand and know the country, especially the opportunities Aliyah offers, the move becomes less frightening.

And yes, the opportunities are many. I keep repeating this time and again: Israel is a country of endless opportunities, a country where immigrants have found and realized themselves in every field, becoming high-tech entrepreneurs, engineers, senior researchers, doctors, and Olympic athletes. Every year, we send dozens of new and veteran immigrants to communities abroad to talk about the opportunities available to potential immigrants. And people's eyes are opened. When a combat helicopter pilot or a world-renowned epidemiologist speaks with Jews in France, Argentina, or England, sharing their experiences and expertise, it makes people look at Israel differently.

Even when the cannons roar, it is important to continue encouraging Aliyah. The country needs its people, and it is also full of opportunities—Jews around the world just need to know that.