KUMMUNIQUE

Shalom! We are proud to present another issue of Kummunique.

I'm sorry that there has not been a Kummunique in the past two weeks - but due to the hostilities in the north, I was drafted into emegency reserve duty in the IDF. The day after I was released, the landing of three NBN planes took place and I got up early to be there as well! This issue is dedicated to the brave soldiers who fought to protect Israel, and those new Olim who took advantage of their sacrifice to make Israel their home.

In this issue you will find:

1. "Three Planes of Jewish Immigrants From Canada, US & UK Arrive" by Ezra HaLevi
2. "Why Leave The UK For This?" by Dominic Casciani
3. "Soldier Fights For Family's Aliya" by Hilary Leila Kreeger
4. "Aliyah to Carmiel!" by Tony Woodward

Three immigrant flights arrive simultaneously in Israel! Israel National Radio was there to cover it LIVE!!!

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1. "Three Planes of Jewish Immigrants From Canada, US & UK Arrive" by Ezra HaLevi
From Israel National News

Three airplanes filled with Jewish immigrants – from the United States, Canada and England – touched down in Israel Wednesday. The day marked a new record in Aliyah from the West.

The three flights were organized by the Nefesh b'Nefesh Aliyah assistance organization, in conjunction with the Jewish Agency.

The plane from the United Kingdom was the first, and marks an expansion of Nefesh b'Nefesh's operations beyond North America – from where the groups's first 18 flights took off. In his speech to the newcomers, NBN co-founder Rabbi Yehoshua Fass said that the organization would soon be launching its Aliyah assistance programs in Mexico as well.

"You shall inherit the land and you shall settle it," Rabbi Fass told the crowd of new arrivals. "The moment you step off the plane you inherit the product of many years of sacrifice, blood and tears. Now you must settle the land, loving and embracing it."

The Re-Engagement war and the days-old ceasefire were on many arrivals' minds, and the decision to come despite the difficult situation was a prominent theme in the welcome speeches by dignitaries. The president of El Al said that some of the pilots who flew the new immigrants to their new home were flying fighter jets in Lebanon just days ago.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also attended the ceremony, saying Aliyah is the greatest expression of confidence in Israel's future.

A photo essay of the arrival by Arutz-7 photojournalist Josh Shamsi can be viewed here.

Photos of the historic event taken by Jacob Richman can be viewed by clicking here.

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2. "Why Leave The UK For This?" by Dominic Casciani
From the BBC

Emigration is a life-changing experience - but for British Jews who move to Israel it can also fulfil a religious and cultural dream. So how do they feel about moving to what the rest of the world regards as a war zone?

Sharon Saltoun hugs her parents, Shoshi and Ischeskel, and smiles. Shoshi holds back tears - those happy tears tinged with sadness that parents shed as children fly the nest.

"We'll take good care of her," says the rep from Nefesh B'Nefesh, the organisation taking a coach load of British Jews to Heathrow Airport to embark on a new life in Israel.

She is one of 145 Britons to charter an El Al plane to collectively complete a personal journey to "make Aliyah", or emigrate, to Israel.

Their landing at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday will be co-ordinated with two similar flights from Canada and the United States. The 800 passengers make up one of the largest single days of emigration from the West that Israel has experienced in recent years.

Aliyah, which literally means "going up", is not new; Israel has famously brought in a million Russian and 22,000 Ethiopian Jews, with varying degrees of success in terms of their ability to integrate.

But it is only thanks to the lowering of costs - particularly in air travel and resettlement - that a viable market in "returning" to Israel has grown.

And it's the dream of being an Oleh hadach - new immigrant - that Londoner Sharon Saltoun, 25, is following.

"I'm going home," says British-born Sharon. "It's a place that I have wanted to go for many years. My mother is Israeli and our family have survived there for many years in difficult times. But I am also going for the good times."

Homeward bound

So what makes someone want to do it? In Sharon's case, she wants to be part of the Jewish nation, something personally important to her - although she adds that she'll probably miss Britain's diversity.

[We call upon the Jewish people throughout the diaspora to unite with us in our homeland by making aliyah, by building the land, and by taking part in the momentous undertaking of the redemption of the Jewish people, which has been the dream of generations - David Ben Gurion, First Israeli Prime Minister, 1948]

She's been making increasingly longer trips to the country and doing voluntary work in the emergency services. She now feels it's the right time to make the leap, and hopes to work in IT.

Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN) is the Israeli organisation behind this wave of emigrations from the UK. The five-year-old body's name loosely translates as "soul by soul" and it encourages Jews from North America and now the UK to emigrate.

By the end of 2006 it will have helped to create 10,000 new Israeli citizens, something that happens the moment they step onto the soil.

The organisation works closely with the government, and during flights the business class cabin usually turns into a flying bureaucracy as Absorption Ministry officials and others rubber-stamp passengers' papers.

"This is a historic yearning," says Charley Levine, spokesman for NBN and a former Texan.

"These people are already down the road idealistically and we are there to help them.

"Many of them are religiously-natured but others have a different motivation. To say you are a Jew because of your religion is not the whole story. You are part of a people with a shared history and culture. It's the story of a Jewish civilisation to want to return to Israel."

Disputed land

That historic yearning also has a political purpose. Israel needs emigres from the West to strategically strengthen its links with the countries that most support it. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon once said he wanted most of the world's Jews in Israel by 2020.

[This is our country we are going to and that gives us protection - I could get on the Tube here in London and the risks are the same - Rebecca Aminoff]

In contrast, critics of Israel note that the campaign for a "right to return" for Palestinian families who lived inside Israel's borders prior to 1948 is one of the conflict's running sores, and the arrival of emigres has often been associated with the building of controversial settlements in areas claimed by the Palestinians.

Mr Levine says that all emigrants harbour doubts about that conflict - not least in the current crisis. But most regard their movement as a "triumph of history over headlines".

It's a view shared by Londoners Albert and Rebecca Aminoff, whose children Talia, two, and Aaron, three months, comprise the youngest departing family.

"We have always wanted to go," says Rebecca. "We even talked about it on our first date.

"I know we have our Jewish community here but Israel, its environment is much larger. I don't want people to think that I am some kind of religious zealot, because I'm not, but Israel has kedushah - a holiness of the soil - that makes me feel closer to God."

Does she not worry about being caught up in any future conflicts?

"I'm a mother, I worry about my children all the time but we are not stupid, we are not going to live in one of the trouble spots.

"We took a long time to work out that we would be going and talked about it a lot. We believe that this is our country we are going to and that gives us protection. I could get on the Tube tomorrow here in London and the risks are the same."

Is Albert concerned that his baby boy will probably one day be required to pull on an army uniform? "No, I haven't thought about it in those terms," he says. "It's years away and things can change."

Warm welcome

Aaron Bernstein, his wife Nechama and their seven-month-old Yitzchok, have already made the psychological leap past security concerns.

"We've made some long trips and have generally been more there than here so the time is right," says Aaron, who hopes to be a rabbi.

"Nowhere is safe when you think about it. God brings us into this world and will take us from it when he sees the time is right."

As the group's bus readies to depart from a sleepy cul-de-sac in Hendon, the atmosphere palpably lifts to one of overwhelming excitement.

Walter Bingham, who is covering the journey for Israeli National Radio and is a recent emigrant himself, having left the UK two years earlier, says nothing compares to the reception on arrival.

"People are wonderful to you," he says. "You're not a 'bloody immigrant' - none of that talk you get here in England. You're someone coming home who hears: 'Baruch haba! Welcome here!"

Comments:

-Good luck to these brave young people. We live in a free world that allows us to go where we feel comfortable and where we feel there will be a good life for our children. I hope they have happy and peaceful lives.
Carol Collier, London, UK

-They are born in UK and have benefited from everything the UK offers yet they see a foreign country as their home. Perhaps they can repay the British taxpayer with any education costs and social security benefits they have garnered. Hopefully they have a one-way ticket as their loyalty to their country of birth should render any British passports they hold invalid.
Ian Newberry, Winchester UK

-Israel is the one place for the Jewish people by the Jewish people, for thousands of years since the Roman invasion Jews have lived throughout the world at the hand of others' "mood". This is the ancestral and of course the modern home of the Jewish people and I for one which them all the best.
Neil Green, Queens, NY US

-It is unfortunate that their emigration will most likely result in the displacement of local Arabs. Israel is like a cup of water put too many rocks in and the water will spill over.
John, London

-This is just emigration, albeit with an idealistic element not usually the case for other emigrants. I have lived in New Zealand and the USA and would have happily stayed on in both if circumstances had been different. For those criticising these people just remember this - the weather is so much better in Israel, (and in NZ and the US) than it is here.
Grahame Reynolds, Wrexham, UK

-Isn't this some kind of ethnic distilling? All around the world we are encouraged to diversify and have multicultural values and yet here is a country that is actively encouraging cultural isolation. How is that any different to countries that wish to become Muslim states that we all seem to fear so much?
Rob, Stafford

-I find it incomprehensible that Palestinians are still waiting in refugee camps for a chance to return to the land they once owned. How is this possible?
Anna, Hastings, England

-I am confused. I thought Judaism was a religion, now it seems it is a nationality? Do these people refuse to integrate in their national community and feel that they are British Jews? Should all Roman Catholics have to go and live in Italy? I think this mentality creates most of the friction in the modern world.
Stephen Nately, London

-Stephen, Mordechai Kaplan called it a "religious civilization". Alternatively, its a religion in which the peoplehood of the Jews is a key religious concept. If you really want to learn more, there are many good books Judaism you could read.
Ken, Alexandria, Virginia

-Very touching. Makes you want to be a part of it.
R K Jaggi, Houston, Texas, USA

-As British born and bred, how can anyone call another country 'my country'. Fundamentalism is prevalent on both sides of this issue and political emigrants such as these can only make things worse.
John Wyer, Bangor, North Wales UK

-This is an example of why there is so much political unrest in the Middle East. Just because you are of Jewish decent does not give you the right to go back home to the 'Motherland'. Do these people seriously think they have more right to move back to a country they may have never been to without considering the rights of native Israelis or Palestinians - to not consider this is both ignorant and selfish.
Paul, Manchester UK

-Although I am not Jewish, it saddens me somewhat to see so many young families departing the UK, but as a mother I can understand their reasons, obviously to the country of their choice. I have always found that the majority of Jewish people have never imposed their religion, their views, or demanded any preferential treatment (whether British born or not), and they have and do suffer a great deal by bigots in Britain. I wish them all the luck in the world and every success in their exciting new life
R Laurie-Kelly, Wandsworth, London

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3. "Soldier Fights For Family's Aliya" by Hilary Leila Kreeger
From Jerusalem Post

During a clash with Hizbullah gunmen in Lebanon, St.-Sgt. Avi Hangshing heard a large explosion and hit the dirt for cover. As the two sides traded heavy fire, he gradually lost his hearing and his balance.

Released from the army for medical treatment last week, Hangshing said he still walked "like a drunk person."

The Lebanon skirmish might have been the most debilitating battle Hangshing has fought, but it was hardly his first. Before Hangshing could even join the IDF, he had to battle to be allowed into the country.

"I had to fight to come to Israel. Now I have to fight for the country," said the 22-year-old paratrooper, who was born in India.

Hangshing is one of a dozen or so combat soldiers of Bnei Menashe heritage who are currently serving in Lebanon and Gaza. They all have relatives - some have immediate family members - who are still in India and can't come to Israel because the government isn't giving them visas.

Some 7,000 Bnei Menashe live in India and claim they are a "Lost Tribe" with Jewish roots. In recent years they have returned to Judaism and are studying for conversion. Some 1,000 have already converted and been allowed to come here, but the government put a stay on converting the others until it has reviewed its policy toward the group.
Hangshing has four uncles, plus cousins, who have been waiting to make aliya ever since his immediate family did in 2000. Despite the fact that his relatives observe Halacha, Hangshing said, "As long as they are there, they're still lost."

Hangshing described himself as "angry" at their situation and questioned why the government would keep them out of the country despite the contributions being made by his community.

Those opposed to their coming claim that they are only coming for economic reasons, at the urging of right-wing advocacy groups who want to populate the territories.

Hangshing, like most of the Bnei Menashe in Israel, lives over the Green Line, but the groups' supporters strenuously reject those criticisms.
"People are only looking skin-deep," countered Tzvi Kaute, who charged that the government's policy stems from the fact that he and his fellow Bnei Menashe look like Filipinos. "They are judging us on our appearance."

Kaute, who works for Shavei Israel, a group pushing for the Bnei Menashe to be allowed to come here, said, "We're part of the people of Israel, part of the ingathering. We don't want to be in exile."

And being part of the Jewish people means joining the IDF, he said. "It is our duty as full citizens to serve the country... it's part of the Jewish nation, part of the Jewish family."

Hangshing, who hopes to make a career in the army, said that he had considered signing up for the Indian army as a child, because he was attracted to the military experience.
"Here I don't experience," he said. "Here it's for my country, for something I care about."

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4. "Aliyah to Carmiel!" by Tony Woodward
From the Jewish Agency

Interestingly enough, the aliyah to Israel continues, even in times such as these. The following was written by the Woodward family who has recently moved to Karmiel from their home in South Africa. The following is a recounting of their most recent experiences in their new home.

"We flew out from South Africa on 8 July 2006 on an overnight flight to Israel. We landed at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv at about 5AM SA time which is six in the morning Israeli time. We were taken through to the immigration department where they loaded all the relevant information they needed from us straight into the computer. Much to our surprise, we were issued a joint temporary ID document and our first lot of money straight away. From there they took us to collect our luggage and through customs. Once that was all complete they organized us a taxi and we left on our first trip in Israel. All this took only about 2 hours as we were on our way just before 08h00 Israeli time.

The taxi trip was both exciting and a bit of a nightmare, as we were seeing a new country for the first time as well as experiencing a new style of driving, i.e. driving on the right side of the road and drivers that are a lot worse than you find in the good old SA. The traffic in Tel Aviv is just as you might find in Johannesburg, and we were stuck in it. When we did eventually get to leaving Tel Aviv (we had to pick up a young lady in the centre and drop her off at a kibbutz just outside Tel Aviv), we would settle down to a lot of traffic, but with a changing scenery as we traveled.

Even though Karmiel is only about 160 km's from Tel Aviv we only arrived at around 11h30.We were shown to our new home (1 bedroom flatlet ) and with the help of a couple of youngsters that were outside we got all our luggage up to our flat on the 2nd floor. When Brenda took one look at all this, she just sat down and cried. This was due to a combination of the size of the flat, tiredness as we had not been able to sleep on the plane, and the heat we endured from Tel Aviv to Karmiel. It is a lot cooler in Karmiel.

After she had had a short nap we went down to meet Ziona who is the director of the absorption centre in Karmiel. From the time we landed in Israel, we have come across people who care. It does not matter where you go; the Jewish people stick together and always care about each other.

We had only 3 days to discover our city, which we have not fully discovered. We walked everywhere and we were truly amazed at the little shops and all the things that you can buy here.

We could not wait; we had our first Falafel with the wonderful tasty radishes that are served here. We are totally hooked on the radishes. The hummus is fantastic, and we cannot go a day without eating it with something.

Well our first experience was on Wednesday, 12 July, when after 2 days of paperwork and government departments we decided we were now able to catch the bus to the shopping centre ourselves. We had hardly arrived at the shopping centre when the first Katyushas hit. Coming from South Africa, we are really green, and had no idea what happened. Everyone was running and shouting, and when you are in new country you don't speak the language, worse you had no idea the danger you were in. Well finally, someone told us to evacuate. We then heard that a bomb had fallen in the shopping centre 1 minute away. That was really nerve wrecking. Well we got a bus to stop and pick us up to go, which felt like the longest bus trip of my life for about 1 km only.

Since the 12 July, all we have basically known is the Mercaz Klita, and the bomb shelter. We spend a lot of time in the latter. On the 22 July, we experienced something horrific. At about 16h30, we were sitting and watching TV like normal in our flatlet, and Brenda heard a Katyusha land, she immediately commented we must move and before we all had the chance the second one landed. I just shouted at them to lie down and pushed them into the bedroom. The third Katyusha landed 10m from our bedroom window, the emotional anxiety, stress and fear cannot be described. The blast was extremely loud, and landed in the road, hurting people in two cars and destroying the cars. Our building on the side of the road did not have a window that was not broken. The security guard's car was parked on the side of the building lost it's back window. We only thank G-d that no one in our building was hurt.

The next day friends of ours phoned from Ra'anana and asked us to come and spend time there. We went for a week. Ra'anana is incredibly hot and if you don't enjoy the heat then you will be very uncomfortable there, and will find yourself in an air-conditioned building or room most of the time.

We got back to Karmiel on 28 July, and we were hardly back 30 minutes and we were back in the bomb shelters periodically. Our experience here can truly be described as a baptism of fire.

We are looking forward to this war ending so that our life can start and our daughter Kaeleigh who is 14 can start school. She has been very bored and the centre that we are at and does not have anyone who speaks English, so she has been very lonely. She is dying to start school and make new friends.

Although this has been quite an unstable start for us, we are still determined to stay in Israel and make it our home."