“The truth is that Uruguay gave me everything since I was a child,” says Sara Unterberg, the oldest immigrant to move to Israel in 2025. “But what happened on October 7 and afterward only confirmed to us that our place is in Israel—and now Israel is welcoming me with open arms.”
Unterberg, who turned 100 this year, made aliyah last week as a birthday gift to herself, with the assistance of the Jewish Agency and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. She was reunited with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, most of whom already live in Israel. She will now settle in the coastal city of Hadera.
Born in Lithuania in 1925, Unterberg immigrated to Uruguay with her mother when she was just 15 months old, joining her father who had arrived earlier. Widowed at a young age, she raised three children—Luis, Lea and Simon—and is now the grandmother of six and great-grandmother of 15.
A lifelong volunteer in Uruguay’s Jewish community, she was deeply involved in communal life. “I visited the sick, went to the Jewish retirement home and organized plays and games for the residents,” she recalls. “I helped found the Yiddish Club and even served as its president for 30 years.”
Unterberg never missed a Jewish holiday and attended both the Ashkenazi-founded community synagogue and the Sephardic synagogue in Montevideo, despite her Lithuanian roots. “I had a strong connection with people in both communities,” she said.
She also stayed closely connected to Israel, visiting multiple times in recent years for family events. “There were many bar mitzvahs and weddings—I never wanted to miss a family gathering,” she said. “I was always connected to Israel and believed in it as the homeland of the Jewish people, but I never thought of immigrating myself until recently.”
Now, she says, “I believe all Jews should live in Israel. The world is becoming less safe for us. I realized I may not have much time left, and I want to spend it with my many grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Israel.”
Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, chairman of the Jewish Agency, praised her move: “Sara Unterberg’s aliyah at age 100 is a living reminder that there is no age limit to the Zionist dream. In every new immigrant who arrives in Israel, we see the triumph of spirit, belonging and unconditional love.”
Yael Eckstein, president and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, said: “Sara’s immigration to Israel this year, as she celebrated her 100th birthday, is a tremendous source of inspiration for all of us. She reminds us how deep the bond is between the Jewish people and their land, a bond that does not break even in times of hardship and war. It is an act of faith, courage and love for Israel in its purest form. The Fellowship will continue strengthening the State of Israel in part by helping Jews return to their homeland.”