Shortly after Nathanel Young, of blessed memory, fell in battle on October 7, his parents, Chantal and Nicky, made the life-changing decision to make aliyah from London.
At the time, they explained their decision with just a few short but incredibly meaningful words: “We need to be in the place where our son is buried – in the nation that he fought for.”
The story of the Young family is reflective of our people’s deep and passionate connection to this land. Indeed, very often the brave and not-easy decision to move to Israel comes from these points of deep emotion, moments that remind us of our common national destiny and of this connection.
These moments occurred numerous times throughout our history, and indeed they are occurring again now. We live in a time of true drama and, in many cases, unrest for our people, both here in Israel and across the Diaspora.
There should be no denying that these moments must serve as a catalyst to call us back home. There can also be no denying that we live in challenging times. From the security, economic, political, and social perspectives, much uncertainty prevails.
Surge in global antisemitism sparks wave of aliyah
On the local level those challenges are certainly clear, while the global fears of antisemitism and personal safety are becoming more real by the day.
Those fears present very legitimate questions of whether Jews abroad can feel the same sense of acceptance that was often taken for granted in recent decades. The result of this situation is a noticeable interest in aliyah.
While the number of immigrants from Western countries such as the US, France, the UK, and Canada has shown a clear upward trend, the number of aliyah files opened by individuals and families expressing interest in future immigration has surged dramatically — in many cases increasing by more than 100%.
From Israel’s perspective, this trend demands an increased focus on creating an environment that both encourages aliyah and a nation that is conducive and welcoming for immigrants.
The past two years have proven our military and economic resilience amid a devastating war; we need to take those achievements and visions and carry them into this next critical phase of national expansion.
The days we are living in remind us of the wave of aliyah from the Former Soviet Union that took place in the 1990s. The historic fall of the Iron Curtain led to widespread geopolitical shifts, resulting in the ability and desire for hundreds of thousands of people to come home to Israel.
The immigration wave resulted in an economic boom for Israel, countering the financial challenges of the previous decade, where the country had to face the most desperate economic crisis of its relatively young history.
A further result of the “Russian aliyah” was the development of a new social structure where a massive influx of people helped build one of the world’s strongest and most vibrant workforces and domestic economies.
How to ease integration for new olim
We must recognize that we are again on the precipice of such an opportunity – and we cannot afford to miss it. On the national stage, this will call for increased resources to encourage aliyah from the marketing and operational levels.
We must commit to reducing and removing the bureaucratic strangleholds that often deter people from moving. We should revisit models of “temporary housing” for olim that were an icon of aliyah in past decades.
This will ensure that everyone who wants to move can do so without delay even before long-term housing options are secured while also being acclimated into our culture and society.
We need to effectively and strategically address employment and language issues to best reduce these very legitimate obstacles.
I welcome this occasion of the 39th World Zionist Congress to embrace this opportunity and to address these issues by confronting the important truth that what began with Herzl in 1897 is in fact a process that is in many ways only beginning.
The Jews of the 21st century still need the Land of Israel, perhaps more than ever before, and at the same time Israel needs the Jewish people to come home.
The writer is the head of the Department of Education in the World Zionist Organization and World Mizrachi’s representative in the National Institutions.