Recession leads some U.S. Jews to move to Israel
This recession is causing an increase in American Jews moving to Israel. It may be the higher cost of Jewish day school education, the difficulty for some to find jobs or affordable housing, or just a general feeling that if the U.S. economy is not doing so hot, why stay?
In any case, officials at the Jewish Agency for Israel say they are getting 15 percent more calls from North Americans wanting information about making Aliyah and moving to Israel. Nefesh B’Nefesh, the organization managing aliyah from the United States, said its North American call center in New York handled 9,536 calls between January and July, up from 6,238 during the same period in 2008.
“It’s not been a trigger for making aliyah but rather an accelerator,” Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, the founder of Nefesh B’Nefesh, said of the recession, JTA reports.
If you decide to join the crew of Jews moving to Israel this year, we will miss you, but know that there are resources to help you make your way there. Nefesh B’Nefesh has webinars, scholarships, employment and absorption assistance, local counselors for you to speak with and more. If you are a physician, they have a specific scholarship to bring you to the Holy Land; they are in need of good doctors there, especially given recent health outbreaks in Israel like the swine flu.
And take the Tefilat Haderech, or Traveler’s Prayer with you on your journey. It is always a good idea to have a little bit of God in your pocket.
(Photo: Topdog1)
Filed Under: What's Nu?
