Agency official cites ‘new approach’ and incentives
So who is moving to Israel from North America these days? More people than you may think.
In 2004, some 2,800 people from the United States and Canada made aliyah, the highest annual total from those countries in 20 years and 75 percent higher than the number five years ago.
Moreover, according to Michael Landsberg, the New York-based executive director of the North American Aliyah Delegation of the Jewish Agency for Israel, those new immigrants are “the best of the best.”
In a conversation with The Chronicle, Landsberg said that 70 percent of these immigrants are under 34; 66 percent are Orthodox, with most of those being Modern Orthodox; 55 percent have bachelor’s, 27 percent master’s and seven percent doctoral degrees.
And why has immigration to Israel taken such a jump in North America? At least partly because Israel is offering both new incentives and a new approach to “aliyah and life opportunities for all ages,” said Landsberg.
Landsberg, 44, visited Milwaukee this past week to introduce and explain these subjects to area Jewish leaders. The Chronicle spoke with him right after a meeting with members of the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis Monday; and he said he was scheduled to meet with Milwaukee Jewish Federation leaders, principals of area Jewish schools and officials of other area agencies.
Landsberg said that in the past, aliyah had been viewed as “a holy marriage for life.” But just as today marriage is often not a commitment for a lifetime, so aliyah doesn’t have to be, and that fact is “not a threat,” he said.
“Everyone in their life has situations in which they are at a crossroads and might consider this option,” Landsberg said. “I am trying to show that there are a number of good options” that can give people “personal solutions to their needs.”
Some of these have been in existence for a while, but only recently have been opened to participation by North American Jews. One such is The Elite Academy, which offers three full years of high school-level education (10th through 12th grades) in Israel with nearly all expenses paid — and no commitment to make aliyah afterward is required, Landsberg said.
Landsberg said that in the 12 years this program has existed, some 10,000 students from all over the world except North America have participated. Of this group, 95 percent graduated and many went on to “the best universities all over the world.”
This is the first academic year that this program is open to North American participants, of which there are now 26. However, it is a tough program to enter; candidates must pass psychological and academic exams.
Israel is also offering opportunities for scholarships at its universities and colleges for up to three years toward a bachelor’s degree (for people up to age 27), two years toward a master’s (up to age 30) and three years toward a doctorate in some fields (up to age 37).
Participants in these programs do have to obtain an Israeli passport, in effect obtaining dual citizenship, Landsberg said. They may also be eligible to receive grants of various types, he added.
Those not wanting to make that kind of commitment have many other programs available for varying lengths of time, and open to people of almost any age, he said.
Some are opportunities to volunteer to perform various services, such as for Magan David Adom, Israel’s equivalent to the Red Cross; others can involve working as interns, obtaining “international experience” in a professional field.
Landsberg also said there are a number of programs that encourage new immigrants to purchase land and homes in various areas, including on kibbutzim, in the Negev and Galilee regions and around Jerusalem.
Finally, Landsberg said that now is a good time to consider a move to Israel because of its general situation. He said the economy is projected to grow at a rate of 4.3 percent this year; that the employment situation is the “best in the last four years”; and that of the immigrants who arrived last summer, 92 percent are employed.
“All factors are showing that Israel is moving in the right direction,” Landsberg said.
For more information about opportunities to study, work, volunteer or live in Israel, contact Alon Galron, Israel emissary to Milwaukee and director of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Israel Center, 414-390-5705.
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