A recent emergency immigration conference was held today in Jerusalem, focusing on the messages from various activists urging the Jews of the world to immigrate to Israel in the face of growing antisemitism and tensions in several other countries.
Conference organizer Josh Wander explained the need for the conference: “I'm here today to give a message to Jews around the world that it's time to come home. Unfortunately, half of them still are waiting to come home and we are trying to encourage them. We're trying to educate Jews that the window of opportunity is closing, and this is the time to come home.”
Co-organizer Tzvi Fishman added: “We want to try to wake up the government of Israel to the emergency situation in the Diaspora - how is med Israel going to evacuate Jewish communities? Where are we going to put the hundreds and thousands of Jews who will soon be coming from the West? We want to help Nefesh B’Nefesh, the Jewish Agency, the Absorption Ministry. We ask that they send us out to the world to give the Jews a positive reason to come - the yearning for the homeland, the land of our forefathers, the great beauty of Israel - and show them that this is their future. Give us a chance to help you help the Jewish people come home to Israel.”
One such activist, Hila Oz, seeks to bring student populations specifically to Israel, even in the middle of their academic careers. “I'm here to speak specifically to college students in America about English-speaking programs that are opening up at Israeli universities. Because I immigrated, my degree is almost entirely paid for by the government, and even if it wasn’t, it’s cheaper than the USA. It's so liberating to have this education and not have to worry about paying off a debt.”
“There’s also tons of violence on campuses, and Jews feel unsafe on their campuses and they're not getting a good education. I want students to know that there is an option in Israel. It can be daunting, because it's a different country and language, but there are many English-speaking programs opening up on Israeli college campuses. You can get your degree for little to no money and you know you're not going to be at a university that is supporting terror.”
Religious Zionist Party MK Simcha Rothman, who took part in the conference, welcomed the efforts of the many activists who participated. “It's always good to have people immigrate to Israel. We want to make immigration easier for everyone, and we know that the nation and state of Israel will benefit. Whatever your reason for immigrating, we will be happy to see you.”
Shraga Evers, CEO of the Shivat Zion organization that focuses on European and Latin American immigration, urged people to realize that moving to Israel did not mean fleeing from antisemitism. “There is extremism and violence in Europe right now, but Jews should immigrate because they want to, not because they're scared. There are a lot of people interested right now, but not making the actual step to Israel. Every Jew that is thinking about moving, contact us - there are a lot of programs from both the state and private organizations to support you, and we’ll help you and make sure that you et a soft landing.”