All in the family aliya

With Elisheva and Akiva Gold joining the rest of their siblings in Israel, their sense of solidarity demonstrates that aliya can be a family affair

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated: FEBRUARY 16, 2018 02:37
Akiva Gold and Elisheva Gold, center, pose for a photo with their siblings after making aliya on February 14th, 2018. (photo credit: COURTESY OF NEFESH B’NEFESH)
Akiva Gold and Elisheva Gold, center, pose for a photo with their siblings after making aliya on February 14th, 2018.
(photo credit: COURTESY OF NEFESH B’NEFESH)
The Gold family is whole once more.
On Wednesday, two of the Gold family siblings, Elisheva, 18, and Akiva, 20, decided to join the rest of the family and take the aliya plunge.
“From an early age, we were always taught that the State of Israel is the home of the Jewish people, and so it wasn’t surprising that we all chose to build our lives here,” said Akiva. “The six of us are very close, and so, from the moment the first of one of us made aliya, it was a domino effect.”
Elisheva said her drive to make aliya came from her family.
“What has kept me going through this whole process has been my siblings, all five of whom have made aliya in the past 18 months, and the support of my parents,” explained Elisheva, who made aliya in time for Family Day.
“When things were at their hardest, I kept going back to why I wanted to make aliya in the first place and what I love so much about being here, and today I’m actually finishing my journey home. To me, that’s worth everything.”
Every year, the country witnesses an increase in the number of family members choosing to follow in the footsteps of relatives who have made aliya, Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, said.
“A supportive environment is one of the most important factors to an easy and successful aliya,” he said. “And there is no better support than five of your siblings who have all gone through the same process. There is also no better way to celebrate Family Day than to make aliya with all of your siblings.”
The Gold family dream to start over in Israel was made possible by Nefesh B’Nefesh’s Guided Aliyah Program, which works in concert with the Population and Immigration Authority, the Aliya and Integration Ministry, the Jewish Agency, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund and JNF-USA.
Avi Gold, one of the Gold siblings, is a breaking news editor at the JPost web desk


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