You live inside a box fearful to step outside. One gets the feeling you spend most of your time alone (who would want to be with you?). Clearly you are no bargain. The highlight of your day is to read YNET and wait for the moshiach. Sad

I made alyiah over a year ago from London. I have to say it's been the best decision of my life. I could not be happier! There is so much negativity on here it pains me. To number 27, you ovbiously were never willing to compromise yourself at all! There is pleanty of oppourtunities here to make money and a great life. I would NEVER EVER go back to London in my life. I love Israel. I can not wait until I find my jewish husband and raise my jewish family. I am not religious at all but judaism is very important to me. Israel is the only place I feel comfortable being a jew in the world! Get a grip you negative people. We are no way an 'apartheid' state. No where is perfect, but Israel is far more amazing than the US or the UK by miles. I can't stand reading all this left-wing crap about the IDF being icompetent, did you go and serve in the army 27? That is also so wrong about "most Israelies" being here becasue they could not get into another country. It is people like you that give Israel a bad name! ERETZ ISRAEL FOREVER FOR THE JEWS!

It seems better for them to go to their own country and get subsidies,than for people from Turkey to go to Germany and live on subsidies from the Germans. Why does Turkey do nothing about it?

I sent this by mistake to #27 but it was intended for you so I've copied it to here. Thank you for your comments. As I wrote above to # 10, 13, 31 it’s not a simple process and there is no magical solution. To me, the biggest thing that needs to be changed is the individual and collective mindset of the nation. This is obviously something that doesn’t change over night, but nonetheless it needs to be changed. Moreover, the more people that ‘wake up’ and the quicker, the faster things will be changed. See for example some other articles of mine on this site “Towards a Jewish Mindset” and “The Jewish Idea”.

Thank you Yoel Meltzer for pointing out all the reasons (there are some more I can think of) to make aliyah. Your "16 commandments" to immigrate to the land of our forefathers is anchored in my heart like you would not believe. I am just stuck in Canada for a few more years then pffffffft I am off! #2 Palestinian: I am glad YNet posted your talkback. Even though I know and most Israeli living in the country know what you pointed out is somewhat true but explain why your ancestors living in the wonderful land of Israel did not build anything on it. They did not build cities, hospitals, university, train tracks, irrigation systems and all the good things that make a viable country...please explain this. Now that it's all in place most of your People want to throw the Jews out to sea and settle in the comfortable country they wish to take over so badly. Some in theses talkbacks complain that if they make aliyah, they will lose their standing of living, and that they will have to do menial jobs to survive. Even if this reality is true, there is nothing wrong in getting the hands dirty to make a living as long as it is an honest living. Of course if the fear of losing your seemingly comfort is too great then don’t immigrate because of course you won’t survive! Even though Canada is a great country to live in, only in Israel can a Jew feel really at home! For those who don’t share my feelings it is hard to explain this concept but I am glad to feel the way I do because when the time comes for me to make aliyah, I will be mentally and financially prepared for it. Shabbat shalom!

really, you'll regret it in a few years. Sure, it sounds great on paper, but nearly everyone leaves (esp. the UK and US olim). You'll curse the day you made this mistake - don't make Aliyah, it is for people who don't or can't fit in at home. It may take 2 years, or 5, or even 15 (for me about 12), but you'll regret it and realize that going back home is very difficult.

Yes, there are misfits who immigrate from Western countries and then find that they are no happier here. Unfortunately you are one of them. I had a great life in Canada and I have an even better life in Israel especially now that I am married with two small children. Jews who make aliya for the right reasons will be very happy here. Jews who make aliya because they were miserable in their home country will end up miserable in Israel too. Happiness comes from within.

Europe is dying and most of it will be Islamic within 25 years at the most. The US is bankrupt and Obama will put and end to US hegemony. You failed in Israel, but at least you tried, so kol ha kavod. I came here six years ago and am happy every day that I made the decision to come here. I have a US and UK passport and rushed back from the UK the last two times that I visited. The suburbs are deserted. Adults drive to work and back and to the supermarket and kids are not allowed out because of paranoia about pedophiles. I wish you luck and expect you back soon :-) Mike

in every land you have people who know to make the best of their lives and the bitter people who see the half empty glass. So you decided Israel wasn't for you, fine, have a great life abroad - just don't be so bitter and stop telling new olim how bad their lives "will be" just because it didn't work out for you. Don't worry, we'll make it without yout.

PLEASE MAKE IT com. .to make bussiness from alliyah

i know that you tell your heart it is not propoganda or spine ..one day in summer of 68 i met an iraqi jewish woman on the shore of natania . she was crying needed to be in bagdad .she said it was my home i like it more than israil i prefered to return to it but how i can not visit it ... i know she told her heart only

I made aliyah many years ago and love my life here. We live in a wonderful community with people who are always willing to help each other. We feel like our friends and neighbors are our family. We don't have a private house and we manage without a car, but there are other things in life that are more important. In response to some of the talkbacks here: we travel by bus all over the country and find that the bus system is very, very good. You can get almost everywhere for not a lot of money. Our kids are in local state religious schools and are receiving a good religious and Zionist education. We only eat meat or chicken on Shabbat and that's healthier. We eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Instead of expensive hotels, we visit friends and relatives or just make a family picnic on the lawn of our apartment house. Our social life consists of weddings, bar mitzvahs, brit milahs, engagement parties, etc. We are always getting invitations to simchas and love to go. We take good care of our clothing and pass it from child to child. Our kids run around outside day and night and we are not worried. They all have fine friends. It's true that salaries are not high here but by being careful with money you can live a decent and happy life. I never want to leave Israel, it is our home, and we wouldn't change it for any other country.

search a spouse . If someone has'nt found one in his birth country , where he was fluent in the local tongue and so , at a certain age , he will have problems to find one here . We have big problems here , everything is not as it should be , people can be rude , inpolite and so on . But , here we are at HOME ! Where will you find this warmth people give you ? Where will you talk to someone unknown to you as if you were old friends ?

moving back to New Jersey (if we can find the money). In answer to critics here: 1) good luck to everyone coming on Aliyah or already here 2) regarding the situation in Europe. Yes, there are many moslems / Arabs in Europe - but look around you. The UK has less than 10%, in Israel we have more than 20% and growing fast. In Europe immigrants tend to eventually become part of the host society - not so for the most part in Israel where they will remain hostile. 3) Judah from the Golan, I respect what you say. Unfortunately, another reason why we are leaving is because people like you, sooner or later, will be forced out your houses. I am very much against this happening, but it will happen in the end. Get used to this fact. I don't want to live in a state which does this to my people (i.e. Jews) not secular Israelis who happen to be Jewish by birth, or, in an increasing number of cases, are not Jewish even by blood. 4) I'm all for Aliyah, but I agree with Ruth. It is usually people who can't make it in their own country (or the very religious), or those who can't get into somewhere better that come to Israel. It's great when your in your 20s or even 30s. When you reach your mid 40s you'll inevitably regret your decision. Goodbye Israel and good luck - you're going to need it...

I made Alyah from a West European country where i lived without any problem . I'm returning there only for vacation , to meet family and friends . I'm ultra secular , but prefer to have Jewish grandchildren , Jewish in-laws . Some 50 % of Olim go home [ ? ] after 5 years , for Americans the figure is far higher . You wrote . Can you give me the references of those numbers . You see , before writing something did you check it ? The army is incompetent ? what a BS is this ? And Gaza ? Morrocans came here because they knew that this is their country to live . Those in France i have read want to come too because they fear the muslims there , they had better come to Israel immediately i think .

Can you give the exact numbers and the source of your info , please ? Alyah is for people who don't or can't fit at home , you wrote . Home is HERE , the other one is their birth country . I'm always refering to my birth or origin country . Let me tell you that i had a great life there , less than 500 meter from the place i was born , i knew everything there , but here i'm at HOME ,בבית . Here i was sure , or almost because of the Jewish education my children received , that my grand children will be Jewish , and they are .

I hope that your dreams will come true as soon as possible .

try to find a good job when you are in your 40's anywhere in the world . Or when you have'n any good qualification . There is a saying : if you want to beat a dog , you'll always find a stick . Explanation : if you want to excuse your ideas , you will always find some "reasons" . An excuse for you to not feel guilty to leave .

Can you find a job as a journalist or marketing expert in your own country easily ? I happen to know a journalist in my birth country , even after many years it's difficult for him who works partly as a free lance one . And here you have to know Hebrew very well too , something you most likely don't do . Can you find a decent appartement in your country ? cheap and rapidly ? Where i lived the prices have risen too . I paid 450 Euro the last year [ less or even much less before ] , now it stands at 700 , as rent for my appartement . No , youi will not be presented a great job on a silver plate , nor a decent appartement .

Ruth #66 you are right. Thank god for dual citizenship. Our poor soul #67 from the Golan Heights will have his regrets when another demented dictator from an unstable Israeli government will decide to throw him out like garbage similar to what occurred with the citizens of Gush Katif.

You are obviously in a very depressed, pessimistic state. I suspect that even if you do go back to New Jersey this will not change. When someone is depressed they keep saying to themselves "what if". You feel that I should leave Israel because "what if" one day The Golan is given away. Its been 42 years that the Golan has once again become part of Israel. There are now almost 25,000 Jews in the Golan. New homes, shopping malls,factories continue to be built. Dan, try becoming more positive and stop worrying about the "what ifs".

this is a fact. Ruth, Dan, and others are 100% correct. The only people who go on about how great aliyah is have only been here for a few years, are very religious, very naive, or are living in a dream world. From personal experience, I used to feel exactly the same way (originally from London). What a wonderful, beautiful country, great weather, lifestyle, etc. Then, after about 10 years it dawned on me that these are not my people (I have more in common with non-Jewish brits than with most Israelis), that we are in a fight we will never win, that the country couldn't care less about being Jewish, that corruption is rampant, and that I'll never get a good job here. Also, my children will be putting their lives on the line for what exactly? So to all those posts here in favour of aliyah, give it a few years and you too will regret your decision. Not all of you, but most of you. This is the case with approximately 90% of all the people I know here, and many have gone back. I am looking to going back myself after 11 years, but London is very difficult - I do believe that the future is better there than here. Being in an Anglo-Saxon bubble, and feeling like you're on a long holiday doesn't last very long. Go to Tel Aviv and see the real, ugly face of Israel. Judah, I love the Golan and believe we should stay there. But get real - one day you will be kicked out one way or another. It's going to happen. Perhaps you will change your tune when this happens. And if you really don't think it will happen, then you don't understand this country very well.

TO DAN, TEL AVIV Thanks for the breath of fresh air in the morning! Your talkback was truly depressing! I hope things will be better for you in New Jersey (though I'D never want to live there). And you call this weather GOOD? Hot steamy humid heat for months of the year? I've been in Israel for years and don't agree with many of the reasons given in the article. For example, to get away from Christmas shopping? I've lived in Israel for years, I LOVE Xmas shopping and try to get abroad every year to see it. However, having brought kids through the school years and army here, I must say that it's been an incredible ride. Experiences that couldn't happen anywhere in the world. They've grown up sassy and proud! They have friends that are simply amazing (and Jewish!) that they've met every step of the way. I'm back in the US a lot, and believe me the relationships that the kids have here in Israel are just inconceivable there. OK there are a million problems in the school system, but the friendships and experiences are just unbeatable anywhere else. And maybe its my kids, but we don't worry about alcohol, drugs, etc. The secret is encourage them as much as you can to find something they absolutely love, be it music, dance, etc.

Be honest. Your problems in Israel are not because of the country but because of family/religious problems which you once admitted in the Jerusalem Post.

I'm trying to get out too after 13 years. We have passed the point of no return. There will never be a Palestinian State which means that there will be the same number of Jews and non-jews between the Jordan and the Med. Education has collapsed, with 50% of 1st graders being either Haredi or Arab (in Israel proper). The country is already overcrowded with a huge birth rate, loud, rude, and unpleasant. Certainly doesn't feel Jewish. I felt more Jewish in Hendon (London). If my children marry a secular Israeli, I see no difference to marrying a non-Jew in the UK. What are we fighting for? I have forgotten. Certainly not the pathetic, sorry place we have today. My advise for young Olim is to come for a few years, enjoy the weather, the beaches, the food, etc. But don't grow roots here. You'll want to leave soon enough. You will maybe find work in some sleazy online casino / poker / forex company which will pay ok for a few months, but you will never make a career here. If you are a professional (dr, dentist, lawyer, etc.), you may be able to weekly commute to Europe, but will find the competition intense in Israel (and the wages very low). It is very expensive to live here. If you want a long holiday or are trying to escape for a few years, then Aliyah is great. Otherwise, stay away for the sake of yourself and your family.

after he moved to LA. Come on people - moving within the same country is challenging, let alone moving overseas.

I respect your positive outlook and am glad to see you settled in. On the other hand, I think you're quick to judge others. Many who have left Israel include immigrants and native born Israelis who invested years of service in the military and for various reasons did not end up staying here. Coming here at 36 is brave thing to do, but not as brave as coming at age 20 and doing a year of guarding. Therefore, you're "glad your leaving" comment was out of line.

Precise numbers not "facts" .

Most of the comments posted here (including those of the article's author, Yoel Meltzer) have been from the heart and reflect each and everyone's personal experience. That the notion of aliyah, the return to Zion, inspires romanticism and a commitment for Jewish survival is indeed commendable, noble for all who try and succeed or even for those who try and ultimately return to their country of birth. After having made Aliyah 10 years ago, I cannot help but confess that my enthusiasm has somewhat wained by the trials, tribulations and frustrations encountered over the years. The rawest (and most common) emotion is invariably regret at having left a more lucrative career in the U.S. in order to struggle in a more diminished version of it here. The fact is that most western olim do return and so care must be taken in recruiting or encouraging potential olim. Much has been said about the advantages of religious olim with large families. The government subsidies together with a nearly free tuition (in comparison to $20k or higher per child per year in private Jewish schools in the U.S.) certainly provides the impetus for large religious families to live here. Such reasoning is indeed valid and aliyah based on this financial calculation is perhaps the most sane and justifiable. However, religious and non-religious singles will not find it easy above a certain age (33 is a good rule of thumb). I tell potential olim that they can be a good Jew anywhere and moreover Israel needs a strong Jewish base in America for her continued support and survival. Thus, each and every American Jew has a role to play, whether it be religious, political or financial, and that role need not require quitting a high paying profession in the U.S. so that one can live here and languish economically, socially and ultimately spiritually. The upshot is that potential olim should weight very carefully all factors before committing to aliyah. It is definitely more valuable to speak with present and former olim who will be honest and candid (such as the respondents to this article) than to rely on pep talks given by the visiting shaliach whose objective is maximum recruitment. I have told several friends that coming here for a few weeks every year and contributing to the Israeli tourism industry with your hard earned dollars is indeed a worthwhile compromise that will preserve your career (and your sanity) in the U.S. and still allow for a meaningful connection to Israel. Some have even thanked me for this advice.

I would dispute that "most Western Olim" leave Israel. Many do, but I think most is an exaggeration, certainly from amongst my social circle. I've even come across a few who have left, and then returned again to Israel, having saved some money or after realising that the "grass is not necessarily greener". Nefesh BeNefesh quotes very low returning rates for their Olim, although that might be because they have to return their grants if they leave within 3 years (or is it 5?) Alternatively it might be the grants that enable them to overcome initial hurdles and they end up staying.