Shalom.
Last week, Alona Zamir (Telfed Scholarship Dept.) and I returned from the Aliyah EXPO in Cape Town and Johannesburg, organised by the Jewish Agency and Ofek Yisrael (the Ministry of Absorption).
In three days, I interviewed 74 family units enquiring about or planning Aliyah.
The atmosphere was festive yet disconcerting as South Africa manages multiple electricity outages daily, sometimes leading to water stoppages.
Today, the Telfed Endowments Committee visited the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, where we presented an award to Prof. Ravid Straussman for his ground-breaking research on the role of bacteria in cancer treatment.
Israel is at the forefront of technological breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, Hitech, water conservation and Torah studies, with a robust economy and minimal unemployment.
The 74 pre-Aliyah families I met all proudly proclaimed their Zionism, but the above “pull factors” play a significant role in their decision to make Israel their home.
I made Aliyah 37 years ago.
I reflect on Israel then and where we stand today and am amazed at our tremendous progress.
We have much to be proud of and much more to achieve.
Telfed salutes the 25,000 Southern Africans and the 10,000 Australians who made Israel their home since 1948 and contributed much to its success.
To those in the Aliyah planning stages, I wish you good luck with the bureaucratic process. May you gather all the necessary documents in less than a year!
To those who are thinking about the idea of coming home, may 5783 be the year that you join the most exciting and fulfilling Jewish adventure in 2,000 years.
Shana Tova – may the New Year bring good health and happiness to our Telfed community and the entire House of Israel.
כתיבה וחתימה טובה
Dorron