Why Aliya now? Why Merchav Am?

 

Hello All,

While we’ve been in Israel for two months now, it’s finally time to begin sharing our journey with friends and family! Many have asked for pictures, descriptions, and updates. But in these first two months, it’s been hard to think about anything other than re-setting up our life here. These first few posts will be about this summer, and going forward I hope to post every few weeks or months.

Why do this?

Partly, it’s to update everyone. But also, we’re aware that our Aliyah journey has (and will continue to be) a little off the beaten Aliyah path. Because of that, we’d love to give everyone a window into what it’s like to make Aliyah to the Negev, to a small Israeli yishuv, 2.5 hours from Yerushalayim. Life here is new for us, and hopefully our journey will open a window for those of you who have never been to this area or known someone from a place like this.

Why did we decide to make Aliyah? And why Merchav Am?

Jessie and I always wanted to make Aliyah. For me, it was a dream that began with Camp Yavneh’s Naaleh program, and later at Yeshivat Orayta. For us together, it really started during the year we spent in Gruss, 2015–2016. At the end of that year, we left for Florida to be near family and begin our careers, but we already knew deep down that we wanted to return. Over the next 8 years, we longed to make Aliyah. There were a few times we seriously considered it; right before we came to Chicago, we almost did. But I was excited about the position at Hillel Torah, and we didn’t “need” to just yet.

I also personally felt that Hillel Torah would be a chance to gain leadership experience and improve my Hebrew, to eventually become a principal in Israel, which at the time was my professional goal.

But two years ago, everything shifted. I came to Israel with the Lifnai V’Lifnim program. I hadn’t been here in 7 years, and the moment I got off the plane was deeply emotional. Spending days in Kfar Etzion, time in Yerushalayim and around the Gush, and even a Shabbat in Merchav Am left us with a strong feeling that the time was now. We made the plan that in two years, we would make Aliyah.

What felt different this time? Temima was getting older, and in two years she’d be entering middle school, a natural transition point for Aliyah. We felt as though this was our window to give our family the best chance of success. Also, giving ourselves two years also meant we could prepare slowly, both emotionally and practically. And that’s what we did.

It wasn't an easy decision then, and it only got more painful as the two years went on. We loved Skokie, and had made really good friends there. My brother lives in Chicago, and it had been such a joy to live down the street from his family. We were also leaving our greater family in the states of course, Jessie and I each had siblings, her parents, my dad etc. And, Hillel Torah meant so much to me, professionally and personally, so to leave that was hard to imagine. But we stuck to our plan, no matter how many times we had second thoughts, and two years later; Aliya! 

Why Merchav Am?

When we decided two years ago, we spent a lot of time thinking about where to live. Jessie’s sister Shayna lives in Merchav Am, and the idea of being near family in the Negev was appealing. 

We liked the idea of a religious yishuv life: quiet, calm, small community. We love nature, and it’s set right in the heart of the Negev. Living near family meant support for us and our kids, making the transition sweeter and more manageable. Not to mention, our kids growing up with their cousins felt like an incredible gift.

We also knew houses there were hard to come by. Just then, registrations for a 20-house project in the yishuv were finishing, and there was one last slot. We figured we didn’t know exactly where we wanted to be, but Merchav Am checked many boxes for us. If we wanted a house that fit our family, at a (very!) good price, getting in on this project was the way to go.

The next year was full of documents and bureaucracy (another story for another time) but by then, we were committed to Merchav Am.

And that led us here to Merchav Am!