Rabbi Johnny Solomon is the newly appointed Program Coordinator for Young Israel in Israel, and the Chief Learning Officer at WebYeshiva.org. His community in Even Shmuel is one of 42 communities celebrating Shabbat Aliyah this week. Find your nearest participating community at https://yiisrael.com/aliyah/
There are three years engraved on David Ben-Gurion’s final resting spot in Sde Boker: The year he was born. The year he made Aliyah - which he considered to be the year he was reborn. And the year he died.
We often speak of Aliyah as a journey from one country to another, while drawing inspiration from the journey of Avraham and Sarah to the land of Israel as recorded in Parshat Lech Lecha.
But by describing Aliyah as a rebirth, Ben-Gurion is teaching us that Aliyah is not just a transition from one country to another. Instead, it is a metamorphosis from one life to another.
Having made Aliyah with my family 14 years ago from London (UK), I can say with absolute certainty that Aliyah has been nothing less than a rebirth. And yet, like every birthing experience, Aliyah is not easy, and it brings its own set of birth pains.
This brings me to ‘Shabbat Aliyah’, which is an initiative being led by Young Israel in Israel and taking place this upcoming Shabbat (Parshat Lech Lecha) in over 40 shuls across Israel.
The concept of ‘Shabbat Aliyah’ is about celebrating the choice of Olim to move to Israel while, at the same time, recognizing that this choice is likely to have involved some form of difficulty - such as leaving behind family, friends, jobs or homes.
While Young Israel in Israel has provided each participating shul with a range of programming ideas and educational resources, each is celebrating ‘Shabbat Aliyah’ in their own way.
Some are having a special kiddush. Some are having a parent-child learning program. While others are also providing a space or Oneg Shabbat events for Olim in their community to speak about their journey. You can see the list of participating communities here: https://yiisrael.com/aliyah/
While Aliyah involves a journey, it isn’t just about moving to Israel. Instead, it is a rebirth. And just as every birthing experience is unique, so too, every Aliyah story is unique.
We are thrilled that so many shuls have registered for ‘Shabbat Aliyah’, and we hope that this initiative will serve as a further way to acknowledge and celebrate the Olim in our communities.
