As the Executive Director and co-founder of KeepOlim, a year old non-profit organization founded to help Olim during their post Aliyah period, I saw with my own eyes and my personal suffering how difficult it is to be a new immigrant in Israel. I was shocked to see how many new immigrants actually leave Israel. Over 75 of my new Olim friends and acquaintances have left Israel in the two years that I have been here.
After nine months I myself, decided to leave Israel due to lack of a job and return to Los Angeles, although I wasn't going to go quietly. I created a group on Facebook “Keep Olim in Israel Movement” to yell and rant about the problems of new Olim and within five days more than 3,000 people from around the world joined. After the raw negativity was unleashed in a number of languages, we decided to create a non-profit organization to empower Olim and change the situation. The media caught hold of us and in its mere 14 months of existence, KeepOlim has become one of the largest post Aliyah organizations. We provide vital programs and services to Olim from around the world. Programs such as Free Legal Aid, which provides legal help to Olim during the first year in Israel by KeepOlim co-founder native Israeli attorney Tzvika Graiver, Bikur Cholim Program (visiting sick Olim in hospitals or at home, and in some cases bringing them home-cooked meals), self- help therapy and business workshops and a wide variety of social events. We believe that these services are essential for creating a successful Aliyah experience.
KeepOlim's ‘No Oleh Alone’ Program has assured that no Oleh was alone for Rosh HaShanah. It’s challenging enough being a new immigrant to Israel, but for many who have no family support in the country, it is extra tough during the holidays. KeepOlim, the new post Aliyah Organization with presently 28,000 Facebook members made up of Olim from around the world, created a program to match lonely Olim with nowhere to go to celebrate the New Year with host families from around Israel.
Every Oleh was matched with love and care to make lasting friendships and bonds. We matched both religious and non-religious from Katzrin to Eilat. From an 88 year old lonely Russian speaking Holocaust survivor Galina, whom I escorted both nights to two amazing dinners with Russian speakers. There was an American Oleh who was seeking a host able to accommodate him and his service dog in the middle of nowhere. There was also a homebound disabled Brazilian, who so wanted to be at a dinner we paid for his cab to bring him to an Orthodox Brazilian dinner. His religious observant hosts turned the other way supporting our mitzvah. There were three members of the LGBT community including a cross dresser, who wanted an Orthodox dinner experience and got one. No Matter what the Olim needs were, we took care of them without judgements. Over 130 Olim were personally matched for the holidays with adoptive families!
This was a labor of love and the third time that KeepOlim did this. Each time we do this the program grows and flourishes. This year there were more hosts then Olim, which shows just how much love Israelis have for Olim. Many hosts who did not receive an Oleh were disappointed, but we would rather have disappointed hosts then lonely Olim sitting at home isolated from a beautiful holiday experience. We hope that for Pesach we will have Olim to put at every family’s table.
Many Olim leave Israel due to lack of jobs, finances, language and loneliness and by providing vital programs and services we intend to change this. The biggest mitzvah in Judaism is living in the Land of Israel. We intend to keep our Olim from around the world in the new homeland through our support and programs.
KeepOlim's upcoming programs include “Adopt An Oleh” which will personally partner Olim with an Israeli person or family similar to themselves to help them integrate into Israeli society. This program will be a cornerstone to KeepOlim. By pairing Israelis to Olim we want to make Olim feel like they have a friend to count on and to help guide them through Israeli life. Other new programs starting soon include low cost subsidized individual Mental Health Counseling in the Olim's native language. Over 1/3 of all suicides in Israel are Olim. Sadly, services in the native language of Olim are lacking and are desperately needed. Down the road we also intend to set up a hotline, a food bank as well as a National Job Bank where Israelis will call in to offer employment to Olim.
Our social programs and events as well as our Facebook group are also a way for Olim to meet each other and we are happy to announce that KeepOlim will have our first wedding from the group on October 30th. The beautiful bride is from India and the groom is from the United States.
KeepOlim (RA 580613610) is a registered non-profit organization, authorized by the Israeli Corporations Authority and the Ministry of Justice. We rely on private donations. By donating through this Jewcer link your donations are tax-deductible in the USA. https://www.jewcer.org/project/together-we-are-keepolim/
For more info on KeepOlim please visit http://keepOlim.org/
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.