The term 'aliyah' (literally 'moving up') is used to describe the repatriation of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
History of Aliyah
Israel is not just a country; it is a national and religious
homeland. The citizens of modern Israel share the same religion,
language and culture as the original Twelve Tribes.
Following their forced exile, the Jewish people kept Israel deep in
their hearts and minds. For two thousand years they faced Jerusalem and
prayed, three times a day, that one day they would return to their
homeland.
“…The people kept faith with it (Israel) throughout their
dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and
for the restoration in it of their political freedom." (Israel's
Declaration of Independence)
The establishment of the Zionist Movement in the late nineteenth
century saw the commencement of political activity to create a Jewish
state. Although some Jews had been returning to Israel independently,
the birth of Zionism marked the beginning of organized groups of aliyah
to settle the land and rebuild a nation.
Reasons for Aliyah
There are two reasons people make aliyah; one is the ‘push’
away from their current country; possibly for lack of political,
social, economical, religious or cultural freedom. The other is the ‘pull’ towards Israel, likely to be manifested in a positive aspiration in any of these areas.
Since the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948 there have been
waves of ‘mass aliyah’. Largely these were motivated by the ‘push’ of
oppression.
Number of People Moving from Diaspora Jewish Communities to Israel 1948-2006
765,591 from Arabic Countries
1,174,617 from the Former Soviet Union
75,547 from Ethiopia
(stats provided by Jewish Agency for Israel)
Israel welcomed and absorbed these and other communities to the
point that, today, there are few Jews who need ‘rescuing’. According to
the Jewish Agency those arriving in recent years and in the future
(assuming no major catastrophe occurs) will largely be making aliyah
out of choice. So what is the relevance of aliyah for today’s more
assimilated communities?
Modern Aliyah
Successful integration within their adopted societies has come at a
price for many Jewish communities in the west. The younger generations
often feel disconnected from their religious and cultural roots. To
address this, a variety of community programs have been set up, many of
which include trips to Israel. Programmes through Birthright, Bnai
Akiva, Aish and others have been successful in instilling in
participants an appreciation of their roots and an increased sense of
Jewish identity.
Another large group of recent ‘olim’ (immigrants) are religiously
observant young people and families, who feel increasingly
uncomfortable and dissatisfied by their lives in the Diaspora. They are
searching for stronger community ties and the comfort and security of
being amongst ‘their own’.
In 2007 over 3,500 people made aliyah from the United States, UK and
Canada. This figure is influenced by the foundation of Nefesh B’Nefesh,
an organisation working to encourage and support western aliyah. Their
successful promotion of aliyah and package of support has proved to be
effective, with an increase of around 300 'olim' from the US arriving
in each successive year since their inception. (Figures provided by NbN)
The State of Israel was built by ongoing waves of aliyah and the
country developed techniques to successfully absorb a diverse range of
people and to transform them into a Hebrew-speaking nation with a
strong Israeli identify.
Aliyah built and now bolsters Israel. It provides valuable people
and skills to support her continued social and economic development.
They depart from all four corners of the globe as different
nationalities but emerge in Israel as one people.
