Reflections on my Aliyah

I realized that I would need a blog because there are too many anecdotes and observations I need to keep track of, but it took me a couple weeks to get the inspiration to write it all down. Here is what in theory should have been the first post. August 24, 2007

What is it like to make aliyah?

Well, I am not quite sure. I had watched the Nefesh B'Nefesh videos over and over again, mostly on my own but also with a certain very excited two-year-old, and I would get teary-eyed thinking that soon that would be me. When I landed in Israel on Tuesday there weren't any tears, but when I watched the video again today there were. I can only complete the experience by reflecting on it.

It is just like the video. The Nefesh B'Nefesh trip was incredibly exciting. For some reason they started landing the planes where the greeters can't see them, but getting off the buses was electrifying. You see crowds like this behind barricades at hotels celebrities are staying at who waited hours for moments in the presence of one individual or rock group. The crowd stays separate, apart from the other side. The Nefesh B'Nefesh arrival is the opposite.

I was lucky to be on the first bus load of olim. From across the tarmac we could see hundreds of Israeli flags and hear the music and cheers erupting from the crowds. Soldiers were lining the path handing out Israeli flags. Kids sat on their father's shoulders holding signs and clapping to the music. The second I located Sam, Michal, and Ruth and Bobby Berren (my greeters) I joined them in welcoming the rest of the olim. Truthfully this was the more exciting part of the arrival. When I got off the plane I was exhausted from the flight and still in total disbelief of the trip I had just made. It seemed like weeks had passed since I pulled my suitcases down the stairs and out to the car. When I said goodbye to my parents on Monday I could not fully understand the move I was making. But when I joined in the crowd, waved my flag, and watched the other buses pull up, I could not help but feel the pride welled up in everyone that day. The barricades were simply a logistical measure-- something physical. The moment I get off the plane I joined a celebration that began the previous afternoon at JFK Airport and at 6am when the buses of greeters left Jerusalem.

For about 24 hours we were movie stars. Our pictures fill the pages of Israeli newspapers and websites, and we are the talk of the town. People walk around talking about how they woke up at 5am to get front row standing room at the Nefesh B'Nefesh arrival. We get blessing from total strangers on the street. Lisa even got blown a kiss by someone at the supermarket wishing her good luck. The teller at the bank saw the date on my teudat oleh and said “welcome to the family.” The guy at the post office said “welcome to the club.” Of course he also said to Lisa, “Why would you leave New York? New York is the holyland... Israel... is just the land.” However even with that bit of cynicism he was excited for me and Lisa.

This week I have successfully opened a bank account exclusively in my name, signed up for health insurance that eventually I will have to pay for, and got a real cell phone plan (that I will also have to pay for). Maybe instead of asking me how it feels to make aliyah people should ask me how it feels to be a grown up. I felt very accomplished after all these errands were finished, but then I realized that I had absolutely no food in my apartment, let alone dishes to eat off of. Alas, I have left the country of Target and large grocery stores.

Making aliyah feels good. And it isn't just the air of superiority I felt when I, for the purpose of superior, walked through town amidst the swarms of shana alef kids that also arrived in Israel this week. It is knowing that a few years ago I made a decision and stuck to it. It is having one goal in mind and successfully making all the necessary arrangements to make it happen. These are feelings that anyone at my age should have at some point, and I am privileged and blessed to feel this way in Israel.

When we were returned to Zion it was like a dream. We were filled with laughter and we sang with joy.... Those who plant in tears will harvest in joy. -- Psalms 126