Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: What betakense aliya for her and what sign De eudachinge in our werk. Daniela, welcome in our show. Thank you for being here.
You were in this same studio more than three years ago, also to talk about your work for the Jewish Agency. That was before October 7, in 2023.
What has changed since then for you and for your work?
[00:00:52] Speaker A: First of all, nobody in Israel is the same after October 7th. And we're all suffering from this feeling of knowing that we will never be the same and that we have to still somehow rebuild our homeland and our people. And the work of the Jewish Agency also dramatically changed in the sense that we always looked at the vulnerable parts of Israeli society and at victims of terror. But after October 7, entire parts of society became vulnerable, became victims of terror. Victims of terror.
And we see this. You know, in previous years, our fund for victims of terror would help about 200 or 300 people a year. And each person is a unto themselves. But it's 200, 300 people.
After October 7th, we found ourselves that within a matter of months, we were already helping 10,000 people.
[00:01:41] Speaker B: So that's a huge change also in the work. So what kind of help does the Jewish Agency give to these people, those victims of terror?
[00:01:49] Speaker A: It's a very holistic and multifaceted support. And it's also important to say that it starts immediately and it continues for at least three years. Meaning we say it's not just a matter of helping you. When everybody, you know, the camera's on, the lights are on you, everybody knows that you just experienced a trauma. It's helping you at that moment, but then also helping you for at least three years to come. And the help has a few stages. The first one is to reach out with an emergency grant of money, of funds that goes out to the person. This might sound pretty basic, but really it means so much. Because when a person all of a sudden loses their home or their property and they're taken to a hospital or to a place of refuge, and they don't have access to documents, sometimes even to their bank account, the fact that they can receive inv immediately an amount of approximately €1,000, no questions asked, no forms to be filled, it means that they have practical assistance that they immediately received. And they also know that this help doesn't come from some government agency or somebody that owes them. It comes from good people around the world, Jewish communities and Christian friends that care and that want, through this immediate support, they want to be able to say, we are with you. You are not Alone.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: So if you could describe to me most important projects that the Jewish Agency has done since last two and a half years, since October 7th happened, what would you say is the most important focus of the Jewish Agency?
[00:03:18] Speaker A: Of course, also the work that we've been doing for the victims of terror from the different kibbutzim. And I would say that probably the most inspiring project is that at this moment we are building up more than 1,000 new homes in the Gaza perimeter area. And the same kibbutzim that were massacred and burned and that homes were destroyed were building a thousand new homes in Ibiim, our village. And CVI is a big part of that and also in the kibbutzim themselves. And this is really to say that not only will you not banish us, but we will also thrive and grow here in our land.
[00:03:54] Speaker B: Also, a large part of the work of the Jewish Agency is assisting in Aliya.
You made aliyah yourself when?
[00:04:03] Speaker A: Actually I was very little, so I hardly remember anything. I was just about 4 years old and it was from United States coming to Israel.
[00:04:12] Speaker B: Yeah. And you came from the United States, but your family roots there are somewhere else in Eastern Europe and Iran even?
[00:04:20] Speaker A: Yes, exactly. My father's family is from Iran. It's a more than 2,000 year old community, one of the eldest exiles of the Jewish people. And my mother's family is from today, Belarus and Ukraine.
[00:04:31] Speaker B: So what does aliyah mean to you personally?
[00:04:35] Speaker A: It means that you are coming to the one place on earth that is truly your homeland. It's not just a matter of physical walls or a home or convenience or, you know, things that are familiar to you. It means that you're coming to the place where you and your people truly belong and where you can be your full self. You don't have to hide the fact that you're Jewish. You don't have to hide anything about your relationship with Judaism or with Israel. You can be your full, full identity and self.
[00:05:08] Speaker B: So why do you feel that you belong there in Israel? Because your family is from all around the world, so you could maybe even feel at home in Eastern Europe or in Iran, so to say, I don't
[00:05:20] Speaker A: know if I would feel at home in Iran.
That would be definitely a dream, to be able to visit Iran, but not to make it a home again. It's because that everything that has to do with being Jewish means that you're living and breathing the land of Israel.
Whether it's the scenery that you know that your history is connected to it, the fact that that you Know that so many generations of your family prayed and dreamt to next year in Jerusalem. It means that you are finally fulfilling this vision, this prophecy, this dream, this prayer that your ancestors could never fulfill. So to come back, it means that you're coming back home and you're fulfilling these dreams of your ancestors.
[00:06:03] Speaker B: Does it feel like a duty to your ancestors, what you did as a little child?
[00:06:08] Speaker A: I don't know if it feels like a duty. I think it feels more like an honor, like a privilege.
[00:06:14] Speaker B: Right. And now you work at the Jewish Agency, who helps Jews from all around the world to make aliyah to Israel.
Why did you choose Jewish Agency to work?
[00:06:26] Speaker A: I don't know if I chose the Jewish Agency or if it was chosen for me, because when I chose to work at the Jewish Agency, I thought that I was only going to be working there for 10 months between being in the army and then going into university.
But after 10 months and heading into university, my boss took. Just wouldn't let me go, and I started working alongside, studying. And then it just became, you know, from this basic choice, or half a choice that became into this mission, into this passion, if you will.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: Yeah. So for how many years do you work there already?
[00:07:01] Speaker A: So it's already 26 years.
[00:07:03] Speaker B: What motivates you to work there?
[00:07:07] Speaker A: You truly feel, Sarah, like you're. Like you're changing people's lives.
You truly feel that you're privileged to be in a physician where you're, on the one hand, you're constantly learning, and there are many areas of work. You're not just doing one thing, but the one thing that you're always doing is that you're helping to build up Israel and the Jewish people. And whether you're doing it in a very small way or sometimes on a large scale, you feel like you're giving people a better chance. Chance and better opportunity.
[00:07:38] Speaker B: Is there a story that comes to your mind when you think about all these 26 years of work that you did there?
Is there a thing you remember that this is the reason I want to keep on working here?
[00:07:52] Speaker A: There are many stories. I can tell you something that's just very recent. Just about two weeks ago, I landed in Israel from a place that I really never thought that I would visit.
It's the state of Mizoram within India. It's the northeastern border of India, right by Myanmar and Bangladesh. It's an area that's kind of disputed. The people there don't even look necessarily ethnically Indian because they come more from areas of Burma, of China and These are tribes that migrated to those areas. And for almost 100 years now it is believed, it is understood that these are people. The term that we use is of the seed of Israel.
And you know, here you have these beautiful olive trees, and we can think about trees and the branches and the fruit, but we can also think about the roots and the seeds. So these are considered the seed of Israel. And actually it is believed that they are the lost tribe of Menasheh, one of the, the.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: So you're talking about the Jewish community in India that you went to visit.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: Yes. So visiting the Jewish community in this remote, remote part of India, it takes you three hours by plane to reach New Delhi.
Very mountainous, very jungle like area.
And meeting over there, a young girl named Ruth who never, never set foot on a plane in her life. She's 15 years old, never set foot on a plane in her life, never even saw a plane.
And yet her dream, for as long as she can remember herself, is to make aliyah to come to Israel. And after she comes to Israel, she wants to become a pilot.
And she says that she wants to come and walk in the streets of Jerusalem and she wants to go to the Old City. And she feels that this is the place where she belongs. And standing there with her in this really very, very simple home, Sarah, in this remote part of India, a girl that never got on a plane. And her two dreams are to make aliya and to become a pilot. And one is connected to the other, right? Because without making Aliya, she could never even have this dream of being a pilot.
[00:09:55] Speaker B: And did she make aliya already?
[00:09:57] Speaker A: So she is making aliya in a few more months, and we will keep track to see how she's doing, how Ruth is doing, and also to see whether she becomes a pilot or maybe she fulfill another dream. But in Israel, she can fulfill dreams
[00:10:11] Speaker B: because the B' Nai Menashe, the story that you told about the Jewish community in India, is one of the examples of Jewish communities from where many Jews make aliyah. They come to Israel. So what are the reasons, according to you, that Jews worldwide want to make aliyah? Is that mainly anti Semitism, or is it mainly to have a better future? Or is it that they want to come to Jerusalem? What is it?
[00:10:37] Speaker A: So they definitely want to come to Jerusalem and eat some good hummus.
But beyond that, when people make aliyah, you typically see that there is something that is pulling them and there is something that is pushing them. I believe this is also quoted in Isaiah because there's a reference to the olim that come either like doves, meaning they're coming because something inside is pulling them, you know, to come into the land where they belong. Like a dove coming back home, or that they're coming on storm clouds, meaning that something is pushing them.
[00:11:09] Speaker B: Pushing them away.
[00:11:10] Speaker A: Yes, exactly.
[00:11:11] Speaker B: So then you're talking about the antisemitism or the hate against Jews.
[00:11:14] Speaker A: Yes. And I want to say something also very clearly, Sarah. Aliyah is a blessing. Aliya is something wonderful.
But antisemitism is always bad. Even if you can say, oh, that antisemitism can also create a push for aliyah.
We always see antisemitism as a horrible, horrible disease, and we never look at it as something positive. But it is true that there are those that make a decision to come on aliyah because they're suffering and they're afraid of the anti Semitism.
And at the same time, it's also people that are coming. You know, typically people have a choice where to go.
So maybe antisemitism is pushing them to leave the place that they are in.
[00:11:58] Speaker B: Maybe from Holland to America, I would say something.
[00:12:00] Speaker A: Or from Holland to Portugal or, you know, something like that.
But they can always make a choice. And the choice being Israel is because there's something that's pulling them to come home.
[00:12:11] Speaker B: Yeah. So if we are looking to the.
Well, Israel was founded in 1948.
How could you see the trends of Aliyah since 1948 until now?
[00:12:26] Speaker A: So there are definite trends. 1948 till 1950, it was an aliyah that was really an aliyah of refugees. You had two major parts of the world. You had the Holocaust survivors that. Sarah, many people don't know this, but the Holocaust survivors that were in Europe after the Holocaust, mostly in displaced people camps, no country in the world was willing to take them in. In Holland, it's a little bit of a different story because those that were Dutch before the war, they tried sometimes to come back home. But in Poland, Romania, Russia, all these different countries that some of their borders also changed after the war, they were not welcome. And even the United States did not allow them entry. United States only allowed Holocaust Survivors entry after 1948, after the state of Israel was established. And at the same time, you had Jews that were living in Muslim Arab countries that gradually, from the 1930s, 1940s, they became not wanted, they became persecuted in Iraq. Yes. So 1948 to 1950, it's an aliyah of refugees. And in just two years, about half a million Jews came home to Israel.
Then you have years when it went somewhat more down and then it started coming up again in 1968 after really the amazing victory of Israel in 1967, Jews around the world felt that Israel needs them, felt that Israel was something that is an inspiration to them. And then of course, you have the aliyah of the 1990s, when finally, after more than 70 years of communism, the gates of, of the Iron Curtain are Now open and 1 million Jews come home to Israel.
And in the last 10 years, I would say it's a LIA that is reflected both on areas of the growing anti Semitism in Europe, the realization through Covid that it doesn't really necessarily matter where you work, it matters where your heart belongs.
And the Russia, Ukraine war.
[00:14:30] Speaker B: Yeah. So what is holding people back from making aliyah?
[00:14:35] Speaker A: Very often it's fear. It's fear of making a change. You know, making aliyah is very hard, Sarah. It's, you know, immigrating, uprooting your entire life, changing the language, changing maybe the location of your family. It's hard. It's a hard choice. You know, if you ask people what is stressful in their life, they'll say moving an apartment, so let alone moving an entire new country. So I think very often it's fear.
Sometimes it's also where you're convenient, where you're comfortable living in Israel, in A country post October 7th, you realize that you're coming to a country that will offer you so much, but at the same time, you know that it's a country in war. Yes.
[00:15:17] Speaker B: Yeah. But you mentioned already some of the challenges that Jews that emigrate to Israel, they face learning a new language, adopting a new culture, finding a job, etc. Etc.
Jewish agencies also helping out there.
What kind of things are you doing for the New Olim, as they are called?
[00:15:39] Speaker A: So we're doing for the New Olim services that really are meant to focus on these specific areas of challenges.
So first of all, when an oleh comes, they are entitled to free five months of Hebrew studies and what's called the Hebrew Ulpan. We operate Ulpanim all over the country and in our 20 aliyah centers in the sum 30 kibbutzim, where we operate the first home in the homeland program, we provide this Hebrew education at all levels. Somebody that comes not even knowing how to spell their name in Hebrew and those that have already some basic language. Beyond that, we also provide professional training. So whether you come without a profession, whether you need to learn a completely new profession or adapt in some way, we offer professional training. And lastly, we also offer A way to create your own sense of community and belonging with the ol, celebrating holidays, going on trips to know the country. And we do also this work with the support of cvi.
[00:16:38] Speaker B: Yeah, so you mentioned already First Home in the Homeland, which is one of the projects that.
Can you explain why this program is so special?
[00:16:47] Speaker A: According to you, First Home in the Homeland is probably the best program that you can come on if you have young children, especially many people I'm sure that are watching this, Sarah, they have an idea of what a kibbutz is, but maybe it's just an idea.
Kibbutz is this kind of green, pastoral.
It's like a holiday village in a way. Yeah, it's like a holiday village. You might feel that way.
They're probably. It's similar to Holland. You have more bikes than cars.
And the people over there live in a community setting. They each have their own job on the kibbutz AF the kibbutz. Very often the kibbutz will have its own industry, its own factory, but people also work outside. Everybody has their own home, their own way of leading their lives. But everything is very communal and very supported. The education system is considered top level.
And so when First Home in the homeland, these families will come, they will receive an apartment on the kibbutz and within the kibbutz they will study Hebrew, they will work in one of the kibbutz industries. Their children will be integrated into the kibbutz education system. And it is really the softest landing possible on the kibbutz and First Home in the homeland. They have the option of not only studying Hebrew for 5 months, they have the option of studying for 10 months.
And believe me in this, that helps. More is more. Yes, it really helps.
[00:18:06] Speaker B: Yeah. If we're talking about until now, we're talking about aliyah, but Jewish people coming to Israel. But interestingly, last year, according to some figures, more people moved away from Israel than the amount of people that migrated to Israel.
So is that something that worries Israel that this is happening?
[00:18:30] Speaker A: It's very worrying actually to Israel. And what's interesting also about these statistics is that we don't really have a way of knowing what are the long term intentions of these people.
How many of them will come back after maybe a year or two years and how many maybe are not planning and will not come back.
And the people that are leaving, some of them, it's truly very sad. Some of them are people that are leaving because of their trauma, because of the war. Because of the war. And because that specifically they went through acute trauma. And one of the things that is known in trauma care is that it's important to remove yourself very often from the source of the trauma as much as you can. And some people for that, it means that they're actually leaving the country, and our hearts go out to them. It's very sad, and it's very painful.
[00:19:23] Speaker B: Is this also something that Jewish Agency is investing in, to also be there for the Jewish people in the Diaspora?
[00:19:32] Speaker A: Yes. So we work in 65 countries around the world, except for Israel, so 66, including Israel. And in all these countries, we work with the local Jewish community, whether they are Jews that were born and lived there for many years and whether they are people that just newly moved.
And the focus of our work is always about how can you be more strongly connected to Israel and to your Jewish identity. So we'll send out educators, emissaries. We'll bring different kinds of content to them so that they can celebrate holidays together and do different events together. And we will also bring them on different trips and experiences in Israel.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: Is that hard to do? Because I can imagine that there is also a culture gap between the different nationalities. And Israeli is not the same as Dutch Jew.
[00:20:20] Speaker A: That's very true. And we try with the emissaries that we send out, we try that they be people that are somehow connected to this culture. But bottom line, we understand that the training that we give is always to say that you should never assume, you should always ask.
And you come there not only to teach, but you come also to learn.
And one of the beautiful things is that we're all connected by the fact of being Jewish. So we can argue together, but we can also connect to one another.
[00:20:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So lately, also here in the Netherlands, there was some media reporting about aliyah and about Jews that emigrate to Israel. And sometimes the criticism is heard or written down that Israel wants the Jews to emigrate to Israel to create a Jewish superiority in Israel. So what would be your response to this kind of criticism?
[00:21:21] Speaker A: I would say that that's nonsense.
I would say that Israel today is a state with about 10 million citizens. Of them, about 8 million are considered Jewish. Two million are of other denominations.
Mostly are Muslim Arabs, but also, of course, Christians and Druze and Shilqassim and Bedouins and different populations. The work of the Jewish Agency, for example, reaches all of these groups. We might be called the Jewish Agency, but we are for Israel. And therefore we work with all parts of Israeli society. Not only the Jews, not only the Jews. Also the Christians and the Muslims and the Bedouins, really, all of the populations.
And when Israel is encouraging aliyah, it's encouraging aliyah because we know that aliyah strengthens Israel as a whole. It does not strengthen Israel in a Jewish sense. It strengthens Israel as a country, as an economy.
And we believe also that this is the homeland of the Jewish people, but at the same time, it is a democracy for all of its citizens.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: So if we look to the future, because the past two and a half years have been very hard years for Israel, also, it gives challenges also. In the work that you are doing, how do you look to the future?
Do you expect a large wave of aliyah?
[00:22:43] Speaker A: We do.
We also conducted recently a massive survey that is representative of the entirety of the Jewish people and what we see over there. And maybe this is surprising or not surprising, we see that young Jewish people around the world are full of hope.
We find that about 77% of them believe that the reality can change for the better and that they want to be part of changing the reality for the better.
And we know that there is a term called the October 8th Jew, I don't know if you're familiar with it, which basically means that after October 7, within a day, many young Jewish people around the world realized that people that they thought are their friends are not their friends, realize that truth that they held about liberal thought and about freedoms in the world are not to be taken for granted, and realize that a connection with Israel is something that can be very meaningful for who they are as people, as human beings, and as important to them. Yes, definitely. So we believe that especially once the perception of the war eases up, that we will see large aliyah.
[00:23:51] Speaker B: Yeah. Last question, Daniela. Because many Christians who are watching this show worldwide, they pray for Israel. What can we pray for?
[00:24:01] Speaker A: Pray for peace in Jerusalem.
Pray for Jewish people to have a hope and a future and to prosper in their land.
Pray that their Jewish neighbors, people that maybe are in their work surroundings or in their schools or in their neighborhoods, that they will feel safe and that they will know that nobody is asking them to leave. People are only praying for them to come.
[00:24:31] Speaker B: Thank you very much, Daniela.
[00:24:33] Speaker A: Thank you.
