Aliyah Testimonies
Shirah's Story: Aliyah - A New Life
Shira Lankin Sheps | The Layers Project Magazine
“My whole life I’ve always thought to myself, ‘Move to Israel. Live in Israel.’ But I never actually thought it was going to happen. When the idea came into my mind, I asked, ‘Is this really happening? Is this something I’m really going to do?’ I asked because America was good for me. My husband and I had good jobs, a nice house, a great community. My parents, in-laws, and families were close by. For us, it was a really good opportunity that we felt was the moment. If we weren’t going to take the chance now, then we would never have the right time again, to go for it.” 
The Unbelievable Aliyah Stories of Ethiopian Jews
Benny Goshen | The Jewish Agency for IsraelWhen Ethiopian Jews were being oppressed in their country in the 1970s, thousands of them fled on foot to Sudan, braving extremely harsh conditions to wait to get into Israel.
Benny Goshen came to Israel from Ethiopia in 1989 at the age of five, after a long and dangerous journey through the desert to the Sudanese border. He now serves as the Program Director for Story of a Journey at the Israeli Association of Community Centers. Story of a Journey was founded in 2015 to tell the story of Ethiopian Aliyah. In this video, Benny shares his incredible and moving story.
Aliyah with Teenagers Is Not Impossible!
Dr. Yael Wahrhaftig Miller
Aliyah with teens is certainly challenging, but it is not impossible! Choosing to take the Lech Lecha leap may be difficult, but remember that in doing so, you will be changing the course of history for future generations of your family. In life our greatest accomplishments are the ones we work the hardest to achieve. To quote Ari Fuld hy”d: “If life is easy, you’re living it wrong.”
Dr. Yael Wahrhaftig Miller made Aliyah with her family in 2014 and has worked as a school psychologist in the Israeli school system. She is currently the Rakezet Olim for the school psychology department of Efrat, helping school age olim and their parents integrate into Israeli society.
70,000 People from 95 Countries Make Aliyah in 2022
JNS - Jewish News Syndicate70,000 people from 95 different countries immigrated to Israel in 2022 with the assistance of the Jewish Agency for Israel, in cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. It was the most olim in 23 years and a dramatic increase from 2021. Approximately 27% of this year’s olim are young people between the ages of 18 and 35, who will boost Israeli society and the economy, including professionals in fields where there is a labor shortage in Israel such as medicine, engineering and education.
My Aliyah Story
Rachel van Koningsfeld
Rachel, a nurse from Dallas, writes about her experience of moving to Israel, or making Aliyah. When she first began researching Aliyah, she didn't find many resources where people talked about their stories, and the process of how to actually make Aliyah. Rachel created this blog as a resource for others looking for information, guidance, or support in making this dream a reality. She offers several Aliyah stories from others as well.
Visions of Aliyah
Nefesh B’Nefesh
Nefesh B'Nefesh brought 2022 to a close with nearly 4,000 North American olim. Among the newcomers who arrived were 1,424 families, 907 children, 981 single men and women, and 697 retirees.The average age of olim over the last year is 34 years old, with the oldest being 101 and the youngest a 3-month-old baby. They hold a variety of occupations, the most prominent of which are in the fields of medicine (some 97 physicians), law, nursing, education, and finance. In addition, 214 young individuals will serve as lone soldiers in the IDF. The following is a collection of inspirational Aliyah stories.
