Still Crazy: Why We Made Aliyah by Sol Jakubowicz http://aish.com/jewishissues/israeldiary/Still_Crazy_Why_We_Made_Aliyah.asp I am finally home. I live amongst my own people. I am living the dream. All of the above apply to my new life in Eretz Israel, the Land of Israel. Ever since coming to visit Israel on my first trip back in 1983, I knew that one day I would live here. I have visited Israel several times since. Each time as I boarded the plane to return to Canada, I got a sick feeling in my stomach. When would I return? How would I return? How can I leave here knowing that so many exciting things are bound to happen here? Somehow, I managed to stifle these questions. But not for long. I settled down -- got married, had three children. I had a good, secure, 9-5 job, and a modest but attractive home in the suburbs of Toronto. I had a mini-van, and a second family car. I lived in one of the strongest Jewish communities in the world. I lacked for nothing physically and I was growing spiritually. We had started to keep Shabbat and Kashrut, and other mitzvot to the best of our ability. But I still did not feel complete. Every time there was strife in Israel, I watched the events unfold from the safety of my home in Canada. The Gulf War had a tremendous impact on me. On the first night of the war, I wanted to get on a plane to be in Israel -- to be part of the trials and tribulations of the Jewish people, and not just an "armchair political analyst" 7,000 miles away. I knew that when it was all over, I would not be able to say I was part of it. This was the point when my wife and I began to seriously consider the issue of aliyah, "going up," in a spiritual sense, by living in Israel. THE RIGHT THING TO DO We knew moving to Israel was the right thing to do. For two thousands years of exile, Jews had cried and prayed to return to the land. Now we could do it just by hopping on a plane. How could we not? We knew that it would be better for us, our children, and even the Jewish people. But it was very hard to ignore the "sacrifice" that this move would entail. I would have to quit my secure job, and find a new one in a different country. We would have to leave our beautiful community in Canada, where we had great and loving friends to support us. We would have to uproot our kids from their good schools and find a community where we would fit in, and a school where our children would fit in. Our material status would likely suffer -- the average Israeli does not own two cars. The decision was very difficult, and even more so for my wife, Fran. She knew that our material status would likely suffer, most definitely in the short term, and likely in the long term -- the average Israeli does not have a four- bedroom, two-story house with a front and back lawn, and a car, much less two cars. She worried about not having the support of family and friends. What would happen if and when difficulties set in? Who would be there to help us? And what about the family we are leaving behind? How would we be able to help them, when they need us? LEAVING PHYSICAL COMFORT BEHIND Deciding to do the spiritually right thing to do seemed to require leaving so much physical and emotional comfort behind. We were forced to confront ourselves and to honestly analyze our most basic Jewish values. We took the plunge and here we are -- in the land of Israel. Although we have only been here a short time, and we are still getting adjusted, most of our fears have been allayed. I have found employment. My wife is happy in our community, and with the new friends she is making. Life here isn't as rough as we feared. We live in a beautiful, bright four-bedroom apartment. Although it is much smaller than what we had in Canada, we feel that our quality of life has increased, not decreased. We may no longer have a basement, mini-van or a dishwasher. But we do have many parks, and other areas where the children can run and play safely all day. My wife can walk around at night without fear. And I can have a cup of coffee on my balcony and enjoy a beautiful, postcard sunset. It is profoundly satisfying to live my life in a place where being a Jew is acceptable and normal. It is profoundly satisfying to live my life in a place where being a Jew is acceptable and normal. Over Passover, everywhere we went we saw people, religious and secular alike, eating matzah. Just last year, while still in Canada, we went to the zoo on Passover and felt so uncomfortable eating our strange-looking matzah sandwiches while everyone else around us bought their food at McDonald's. PRAYING TO COME HOME Three times a day Jews pray for the ingathering of exiles and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Every time we say the blessing after we eat, we ask for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. At a wedding, under the chuppah, the groom steps on a glass, demonstrating that even at the peak of the most joyous occasions, we take a moment to remember the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and that we still live in exile. It's crazy. There is nothing stopping us from being in Israel! We can fly here on a comfortable air-conditioned plane, be served three meals, and watch movies. Once here, we can drive on modern highways, live in modern homes with all the amenities. All the name brands are available here. Israel's economy is strong, especially in the high tech area. There is a shortage of high tech manpower. Many people are already coming here from India and other countries to work in high tech. How many Jews from around the world could be doing the same thing? There are many types of communities, and many streams of schools, enabling most people to find their place here. Don't take my word for it, come see for yourself! If things are so good here, why aren't more people coming? A CRAZY IDEA When I first revealed my intentions to move here, almost everyone told me I was crazy. Friends, family, work associates and neighbors. During a brief pilot trip to Israel, I met with Rabbi Noah Weinberg, Dean of Aish HaTorah. In addition to discussing some technical matters, I wanted to go in for a "spiritual checkup." I sat down and said to the rabbi, as if confessing, "I want to make aliyah." Rabbi Weinberg said: "This is where the Jewish people belong. Why wouldn't you want to make aliyah?" "Of course you should want to make aliyah," he responded. "This is where the Jewish people belong. Why wouldn't you want to make aliyah?" "Rabbi, I am so relieved to hear you say that! Everywhere I turn people are telling me I am crazy." "Of course you are crazy," he replied. "You're crazy, I'm crazy, the Jewish people are crazy, and everybody else in the world is crazy. But do you know the difference between the Jews and everybody else? We know that we are crazy!" Rabbi Weinberg explained that we Jews have always had "crazy" ideas. We brought monotheism to a pagan world and guaranteed women's rights in marriage. We brought concepts like world peace, social responsibility and education to the world. Don't you think our neighbors back then thought we were crazy? Mark Twain visited Israel in the late 1800's and commented that nothing would ever come of this place. Any sane person would have agreed. Except for the crazy Jews. And today we have a country of over five million people, with skyscrapers, hotels, shopping malls, Yeshivas and schools teeming with young children. If we pray for the ingathering of exiles so consistently, it may be crazy, but it can't be wrong. And even if everyone around us is telling us that it can't be done, then it is our job as Jews to demonstrate that with God's help, we can do it. BUT IS IT SAFE? What about the safety? What about the army? What about the internal strife? These are all great questions. Rather than answering each one of these, and a million other possible concerns, I always urge people to at least come here to see for themselves. I brought a visitor to Ben Yehuda Street, a pedestrian mall. Her first reaction at seeing the crowds on a Saturday night? "Wow, so many people. I thought everybody would be afraid to come out at night." I can't tell you how many times I told her how pleasant life was here in Israel. But until she experienced it for herself, it did not register. I don't want to give the false impression that moving here is easy, and that Israel is a perfect country. It is a very challenging process. Yes, there are problems that must be solved. But being involved in solving these problems is a labor of love when one realizes that one is building the foundation for the home of the Jewish people. This will be our last and final stop in our journey through exile. In every other place, our investment is temporary. One day, sooner or later, we'll all end up in Israel. It may not be today or tomorrow, but Jewish tradition tells us that in the End of Days, the Jewish people will be gathered from the four corners of the earth, we will rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem, and we will once again be a light unto the nations. By being here today, I believe that I am playing a role. My decisions and actions today will have an influence on the future. In my own tiny little way, I am participating in building the home of the Jewish people, this time God willing, to last forever. It is time for every Jew to stand up and be counted. To make the statement that regardless of where we live right now, Eretz Israel is our destiny, and that we will be intimately, personally involved in her rebuilding. To show the world that we still care. To show the world that we do really believe in what we are praying for. To show the world that we really believe our dreams will come true. And if we are crazy, at least we know we are crazy. Sol Jakubowicz, along with his wife, Fran, and their children, made Aliyah two years ago from Toronto, Canada. Sol works in Ra'anana as a Knowledge Manager in Hi Tech and lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.