Jewish Scene
Aliyah numbers lowest in 18 years
Yael Branovsky
Published: 24.12.07, 00:32
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53 Talkbacks for this article
31. I would love to live in Israel but not under the
Jimmy   (12.24.07)
dimwits who are ruining the country at this time. I am not a struggling shmoe living in the diaspora.I made it so to speak.I will never ever eat it all up as my late dad used to say. So why dont I come to israel? Cos I am sick of the Israeli schnorrer attitude. The Israeli Jew is a moron. He has become the poor shnook (who you want to hide in a closet) in the Jewish world. Its time for change or israel will be gone .. Either the Israeli Jews grow a set of balls and start being a people and a nation or they are history. Its as simple as that.
32. Aliyah
Jewess ,   Yesha, Israel   (12.24.07)
I made aliyah over 30 years ago and love it here. I would never move back to the US. I have Jewish children AND grandchildren, and that's the most important thing. The majority of Jews in the Galut will not have Jewish descendants., So what are your priorities? I would like to get answers to my talkback.
33. Aliyah
David ,   NYC   (12.24.07)
After making the attempt for a number of years, I am convinced that the weakest link in successful aliyah is employment. Unlike most countries, Israel has the advantage of a well-educated, well-trained, experienced potential immigrant pool. In spite of good lip-service, there is NO effective mechanism to help potential olim locate appropriate employment. Preference is given to sabras, especially recent graduates. Until this is resolved realistically, aliyah from the West will be minimal at best.
34. aliyah
irv   (12.24.07)
Aliyah and donations will dry up if olmert is not removed. He has hurt israel and it will take some years to restore israel's elan. It must be done democratically. If Olmert were an enemy diplomat, he would have been targeted for assassination long ago, that's how much he is loathed. Israel doesn't realize what a cancer he is. This is final proof that jews are not the chosen people to have a dog like olmert. By the way, the enigma of barak may be explaind by some of the above. Why would barak, a decorated soldier be so passive in the ramallah lynchings which demanded a serious israeli retaliation. He was paralysed by fear from Olmert-like advisors saying egypt would break relations. Instead of considering it and proceeding like Sharon ,who essentially told his opponents, go to hell-and then took action, Barak was paralysed by these fears into non-action. He's ok for covert missions, but he is still some way from recovering from Olmert-like paralysis. The best thing israel could do now is to plan a careful lightening strike and retake philadelphia route after considering the engineering factors necessary to clean the site. Barak is totally wrong when he says Olmert is a national asset vis a vis the US. He is a national disaster.
35. To all those Anti's
charles ,   petachtikva   (12.24.07)
Well you look to find out many excuses for not making Alyah . You want to stay in your "secure" places , you only want to stay there for your wellbeing . Well stay there , life abroad , without the feeling to be at HOME . I know what i'm talking about , i lived for most of my life abroad , had good conditions , lived less than 500 m from the place i was born , knew every street , did'nt experience any form of antisemitism there , but here i'm at HOME . You don't know the warmth of the people , the way you can talk to unknown people in buses , cafes , restaurants and so on . Yes making Alyah is not an easy thing , i did it some six years ago . There are many problems here , there are many things i do not like , but this all is nothing in regard of being HOME , BABAIIT
36. Low Wages/ High cost of Living
Mark ,   Boston   (12.24.07)
That is why Jews do not make aliyah. Also Israel gives jobs to foreigners first.
37. Ethiopian aliyah will stop.
Mark ,   Boston   (12.24.07)
The government wants to end Ethiopian aliyah. The numbers will continue to fall. Fewer Russian Jews are making aliyah because most are very old.
38. Build more Kibbutzim.
Mark ,   Boston   (12.24.07)
People will come if a job is already lined up. Make it more attractive to make aliyah. Provide a job and more will come.
39. Nice one # 25 !
John ,   Amsterdam, Holland   (12.24.07)
40. JEWISH AGENCY IS A FARCE!
andy ,   orlando,u.s   (12.25.07)
ISRAEL DOES NOT CARE ABOUT IMMIGRANTS.TOO MUCH RED TAPE AND IDIOT BUREAUCRATS PREVENT JOB ASSISTANCE AND INTEGRATION.MAKE ENGLISH THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE OF ISRAEL.THEN THE WESTERNERS WILL FLOCK!
41. #35 too live within 500M from where I was born
Yankle   (12.25.07)
and you know what I can goto to 5 shuls on a Saturday. And you know what I have a choice of what kinda kiddush I want to have. I have choice. Oh yeah we Jews in Canada are doing pretty damn good. And you know I dont have to put up with busy know it alls 24/7. I dont need to have people being my freaking accountant or my personnel Rabbi. I do as I want and if I want to be a Jew, well guess what I can be. As far as anti-semites are concerned well they know not to F with me.I am not your garden variety nebb yid I can take it or leave it. Of course Canada is a tough place where -20Cand 30 Centimeters of snow on the ground are routine.Yeah nothing like a cold freezing winter to separate the boys from the men. I gather you're from TO well that about sums it all up.
42. Aliyah
Dara ,   Rosh Ha Aiyn Israel   (12.25.07)
After living in Israel for 5.5 years I can understand why people don't come. The Jewish Agency openly lies or does know about the "current" benefits offered to new immigrants, I fought for my Sal Clitah for 4 years before giving up. The chauvanism from many Israeli men is a very difficult thing for many female immigrants from the North America, not to mention the low salaries, and the lack of appreciation for the fact that we even came and live here. As a secular Zionist, I came here to live as a Jew openly and freely, but it gets to a point where enough is enough. Health care is getting worse all the time, the religious bureaucracy for simple things like getting married is humiliating, and education isn't as well taken care of as most of our countries of origin. The reasons are simple, if anyone really cared, they would ask Olim what they think.
43. aliyah
habakook   (12.25.07)
Conquer poverty and assist all peoples in israel who want to live in peace to be fruitful and multiply .
44. Yankle , what is TO ?
charles ,   petach tikva   (12.25.07)
If this is a Canadian town , well you are very wrong . I came from a West European country . The Jews in my town do it very well , flights to Tel Aviv are well occupied too , and last but not least , 95 % of Jewish children go to Jewish schools , religious and seculars alike . This resulting in a very low quantity of mixed marriages . You have only 5 shuls in your vicinity ? I had more , maybe twice this number , but i did'nt need them , i'm secular .
45. Mark , Boston
charles ,   petach tikva   (12.25.07)
Israel gives jobs to foreigners first , you wrote . What kind of jobs ? would you accept a job as caregiver for a senile old person , for a invalide one ? Would you accept this job if you know that you have to care for this person 24 hours a day , six days a week ? And this for a low wage ? Low wages ? yes , but mostly for unqualified people . You can't compare it to the USA , where wages are higher , but living is more expensive , look only at the price for health care in your country .
46. No decent intelligent Jew will consider emigrating to Israel
Chanalau, Tova ,   London, UK   (12.25.07)
People contemplating moving to another country might build an image in their mind of how they could see themself in say, 5 years time: perhaps sitting sipping claret in their garden in the Midi, or maybe relaxing on the beach with their kids in Melbourne, or possibly chewing a steak with friends at a barbq in California ... Who in their right mind is going to dream of wasting their lives and their children's future in a corrupt, expansionist, futureless Zionist state with gangs of arrogant settler types prancing around like little you-know-whoms. The few people Israel is going to attract are the British tax fraudsters and Russian mafioisi, crooks fleeing the law in their own countries and who will leave Israel just as soon as it has served its purpose and the hue and cry has abated.
47. chanalau,the putz number three at Ynet.
Keren ,   Israel-SP   (12.25.07)
Ms Chanalau Putz,it is clear you have never visited Israel.Israel is wonderfull;much,much more than your crowded,mad London.Actually,you are a product of that madness.
48. Well spoken #46
World Citizen ,   the world   (12.25.07)
Just reading the posts on this thread and site would frighten any civilized Jew from making aliyah. And the rest of the jews of the world are too busy praying to their real god, MONEY to ever consider moving to Israel. Sabras with money or connections are leaving Israel! Maybe some old 99 year old Russian or Ethiopian jew will come if some American religious fanatic will donate the money to buy an airplane ticket but rich Hellenized Jews? Forget about it!
49. Ynet, why allow such ugly anti-semitic emails, 46# and 48#?
Judah ,   Israel   (12.25.07)
50. Keren , let them bark
charles ,   petach tikva   (12.25.07)
Don't you know this bipede vegetating in londonistan ? Is this worth a reaction from normal people ? the same for # 48 , let them bark . We , having both made Alyah , know better than all those apes . They both personaly need another 9/11 or a nice group of suicide bombers to maybe understand .
51. Even Ben Gurion's Children Left
World Citizen ,   the world   (12.25.07)
Need I say more?
52. #46 and the rest of you- What a load of selective bitching.
Andi ,   Israel   (12.26.07)
You read too many newspapers, #46. I eat in nice restaurants, go to the theatre, and my kids play in the park and wander in the mall unsupervised because its so safe here. Amongst my neigbours are American doctors, a French hairdresser, British salesman, a Brazilan economics lecturer and an Italian real estate specialist. We're not losers, fleeing crooks or tax fraudsters, but successful individuals with realistic expectations, bringing our skills to Israel, and succeeding. The truth is most Israeli's still live in Israel and are NOT leaving. Most immigrants stay and love the place. Do you think no immigrant ever left the US? 300,000 British left the UK permanently this year, according to the British Home Office. Only Poles are moving there. And for those of you waiting for Israel to become "better" ,more efficient and more wonderful than Manhattan, West Hampstead and Sydney all rolled in to one on a sunny day before you'll put a foot on Israeli soil and leave your Porsche behind, well sorry we're so sh*t.
53. "world citizen"#51-Doesn't ache so much envy?
Keren ,   Israel-SP   (12.26.07)
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