Magazine

Why I have (not) made Aliyah

12/16/2012 16:13 By YITZHAK BRONSTEIN

Life in Israel is not easy, but that is exactly what makes it exciting and worthwhile.

Photo by: Roi Katlan

I generally have an easier time explaining to those curious the reasons for which I have not made Aliyah than I do answering in the affirmative. I can reply fairly straightforward: I have not moved here because I think all Jews should live in the land of Israel or to further the fulfillment of messianic prophecies. It’s not to follow family members or to be around my most dear friends—they’ve overcome Hurricane Sandy and are doing just fine back in New York. It’s certainly not to trade one broken political system for another; I found United States President Barack Obama’s reelection as reassuring as I find Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s seemingly inevitable reelection—this time as leader of an even less sensible Likud—to be downright depressing.

And yet, in the long days of Operation Pillar of Defense, when our optimism was not whether there would be peace or victory, but at best-case scenario a ceasefire, I was huddled over my Aliyah application. “Why,” I often find myself asking when I’m alone with my thoughts, wondering if my decision can stand up to any rational barometer: why I am trading the land of comfort and security, of friends and family, of Amazon, Pandora, and Netflix, of $2 happy hours, all in exchange for a forecast of perpetual instability?

Read More...

Talkback

Why I have (not) made Aliyah

Life in Israel is not easy, but that is exactly what makes it exciting and worthwhile.

JPosts Sites:

Sites Of Interest:

Services:

JPost Conferences:

Information: