When Teddy Fischer was 14 years old, he opened up his Aliyah file. “My grandparents are all Holocaust survivors, so I grew up understanding what can happen if there’s no Jewish state,” said Teddy. “I knew that if there needs to be a state, someone needs to build it and defend it and make it a thriving place to live in so that it’s not just a refuge. I always felt a responsibility to be one of those people.”

Teddy’s passion for Israel was reinforced both at Solomon Schechter in Boston, at Camp Young Judaea, and in his home. After returning from his gap year in Israel with Young Judaea Year Course, he planned to make Aliyah in 2009–right after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. His dream was to form a Garin, a group of people interested in Aliyah, who would all move to Israel together.

But after graduation, a job offer in Manhattan felt more concrete than his plan to make Aliyah. So Teddy decided to put his dream on hold while he gained professional experience. Two years later, Teddy knew he wanted to attend graduate school, and decided that doing it in Israel would be the perfect framework to make Aliyah. He was accepted to the Technion, where he would be able to study environmental engineering.

In the summer of 2011, Teddy boarded the Nefesh B’Nefesh flight and landed in Israel as an Israeli citizen. “It was an amazing feeling to have already achieved a life dream at age 26,” he said.

But, the night before classes began, Teddy started to second guess his decision. His classes would be in Hebrew, and he was concerned that he would not be able to follow his professors. The next day, when he realized that he was able to understand them, he was relieved. “I still had many things to learn, but I knew that I was going to be okay,” he said.

During his first year in Israel, Teddy immersed himself in his studies, improved his Hebrew, and explored Israel on the weekends. The next year, with a part-time job, Teddy relocated to Tel Aviv.

“In my view, Tel Aviv is the center of the world,” said Teddy. “It’s a young and vibrant city with museums, lectures, restaurants, and the beach. It was exactly where I wanted to be.” He already had many friends in Tel Aviv from school and camp, but he was also looking to create a community.

“I noticed that there were a lot of people in Tel Aviv, like me, who cared about being Jewish, but were not Orthodox,” said Teddy. “There was no place for us to go to both grow and meet like-minded people.” So, Teddy teamed up with a few other new Olim and created Minyan Tel Aviv Shivyoni, a biweekly egalitarian minyan that meets in community members’ houses.

“Israel is a still a young country and we are building it every day–both physically and culturally,” said Teddy. “I love that I am able to be a part of that experience.”

In Teddy’s apartment, which was down the street from Dizengoff Center, the Garin that he had dreamt of forming began taking shape. In addition to hosting the minyan, Teddy made it the gathering spot for his Zionist book club, chagim celebrations, and his enlistment party. At age 27, Teddy joined the Air Force, where he was able to work in water construction. Six months later, he was discharged with experience in his field and a letter of recommendation from his commander.

Now, Teddy lives in Rishon Lezion with his Sabra girlfriend, and works at Telescope, where he is a project manager for the Tel Aviv Light Rail project.

“In some ways my life in Israel is very similar to my life in New York. The people I’m friends with are similar and my job is similar,” said Teddy. “But on another level, it’s totally different, because here I really believe in what I’m doing. I’m not just creating a train so that someone can get from point A to point B. I’m actually building my land.”