Kudos to Israel’s Minister of Aliyah and Klita (Immigration and Absorption), Ofir Sofer, for beginning to implement some of the projects we proposed to him some three years ago at Emergency Aliya Conferences held by a small group of concerned Israelis, including myself.. Before the second Emergency Aliyah Conference, Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich, Joshua Wander, and I met with the Minister in the Knesset.
Rabbi Mendelevich stated:
“If the situation in the Diaspora becomes one of active violence against Jews, and if the just war we are fighting in Israel extends to other fronts, causing air travel to and from Israel to cease, how will Jews escape the hostilities? Does the Government have an emergency evacuation plan ready to put into action? And where will we house the hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees who may soon be coming? Hotels in Israel are still filled with evacuees from the north and the south. Will new immigrants from New York and South Florida be expected to dwell in tents until permanent housing can be provided?”
In a letter to the Ministry of Aliyah and Klita, Nefesh B’Nefesh, and to the Prime Minister, we wrote: “The Government of Israel must prepare now for a coming emergency. Woe that we be caught unprepared as we were caught unprepared on October 7th. The Government of Israel must immediately devise a plan of evacuation for the Jews of the Diaspora lest they have to flee in a hurry. How will they get here if the highways to airports are blocked and if airlines refuse to fly to Israel? And all those who come now and those who manage to escape, where will we put them? Picture 500,000 new arrivals. One million. 2 million, please G-d. Where will Israel house them? If it be in tent cities then Israel must buy the tents now.”
We were happy to learn that last week the Ministry of Aliyah and other government agencies held emergency klita exercises to prepare for the wave of Diaspora refugees which we predicted several years ago in our emergency conferences. We even set up tents in the conference hall to visualize the immediacy of the need for emergency housing. Last week’s press release stated:
“Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the National Emergency Authority just ran a full-scale drill in Ramla simulating a sudden influx of tens of thousands of Jews fleeing exploding antisemitism and security crises abroad.
The hypothetical scenario:
Planes landing one after another, with thousands of new arrivals needing housing, jobs, schooling and basic care all at once. Officials rehearsed how Israel would absorb around 800 new arrivals per day over two weeks with no prep time, many lacking full paperwork or even clear eligibility under the Law of Return. The exercise stress-tested everything: airport handling, medical screening, temporary housing, food supply, schooling and rapid work placement, with government ministries, security bodies and NGOs all plugged into one joint command picture.”
However, the proposal of ideas discussed at the Aliyah Conferences and which we sent to the appropriate government agencies also stressed the need to begin construction of special Olim Cities, as follows:
“Let construction begin right now on a network of Olim Cities throughout the country. Each city will have a new hospital for all of the Jewish doctors who will be arriving; a high-tech, start-up, industrial park for the wizards of Silicone Valley; retirement communities, old-age homes, shopping centers and educational institutions of all persuasions. For the Jews of Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Boro Park, Lakewood, and Monsey, new Haredi cities like Betar Illit must be built.”
We are pleased that the Government of Israel has woken up to the urgency of the situation. May the seeds that we planted at the Emergency Aliyah Conferences continue to grow. A National Aliyah Project must be declared. And it must be done in a positive spirit.
The Galut wasn't made to last forever. Hashem wants His children home now!
Tzvi Fishman was awarded the Israel Ministry of Education Prize for Jewish Culture and Creativity. Before making Aliyah to Israel in 1984, he was a successful Hollywood screenwriter. He has co-authored 4 books with Rabbi David Samson, based on the teachings of Rabbis A. Y. Kook and T. Y. Kook. His other books include: "The Kuzari For Young Readers" and "Tuvia in the Promised Land". He directed the movie, "Stories of Rebbe Nachman." His most recent book is “Torat Eretz Yisrael Anthology,” available in Israel at bookstores and via link: https://www.chavabooks.co.il/product/torat-eretz-yisrael-anthology/#tab-description. Or via Amazon Books divided into 2 volumes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G324RXNH. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G3M4747T
