For the Love of Israel -Q&A with the young people who made Aliyah during Operation Protective Edge

This summer, in the midst of a military operation in Gaza, while rockets whistled over our heads, a group of 300 young North Americans landed in Israel, their eyes lit with excitement. Those young folks, ages 18 to 23, made Aliyah with the purpose of starting a new, independent life in Israel, and serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF.)

They came as part of the “Tzofim (Israeli Scouts) Garin Tzabar” (“Sabra Core”) program, which was founded in 1991 with the purpose of creating a group framework of guidance and support for young Jews and Israelis living abroad, who chose to make Aliyah in order to serve a full and meaningful service in the IDF.

This is being done with a mental and emotional preparation process that starts in their countries of origin and continues with their arrival to Israel and their absorption into the Israeli society. Upon their arrival, the young men and women get to live in a Kibbutz or a city, learn Hebrew, get settled and then go through the process of a military recruitment.  The core of the program is carried out during their military service, where they continue to live as a group and receive constant guidance and support.

Upon joining the army, each “Garin” member follows his/her individual path within the IDF system. The “Garin” continues to exist as a support group, and members continue to meet in the kibbutz or city over weekends, during the holidays and on time off from the army. All Israeli Scounts “Garin” staff – both from the kibbutz or city, continue to work with all members throughout their army service period. Additional seminars and programs are designed and implemented to maintain the framework of the “Garin.”

The program is supported by the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, The Kibbutz Movement and many more meaningful partners.  Amongst the program’s goals: Providing support and advice during the emotional dilemmas that might arise, and structuring the core social foundations of the “Garin,” prior to moving to Israel; Providing a framework for the personal, group, military, educational and bureaucratic aspects during the absorption process; Providing individual and group support, as well as guidance during significant military service; Fostering and maintaining the unique alumni network; which continues to develop and empower “Garin” members.

Hundreds of new immigrants from the U.S and Canada make their way to Israel every summer with the “Tzofim Garin Tzabar.” What made this year’s Olim highly respected by the Israeli public was their decision to land in Israel in the middle of a long-lasting war that took quite a toll on all of us. They got a lot of attention in the media, and the people of Israel showed them more love than they could handle. Naomi Miller, 22, from Georgia, U.S, and Levi Saphir, 20, from Canada talked to Israelife about their decision, their fears and their dreams.

What made you decide to leave everything behind and make Aliyah?

Naomi:  “Honestly, this is the key reason I decided to make Aliyah:
For I will take you from among the nations,
gather you from all the countries,
and return you to your own soil. (Ezekiel 36:24)

I truly believe that this nation is something much bigger and deeper than what we can see with our two eyes, and being a part of it excites me. Additionally, I love this Land for all of its other attributes: its beautiful scenery, its unique atmosphere, its warm people, and the feeling of family. I believe in what this country stands for and I believe that wherever I go, Israel will always be my home.”

Levi: “To be honest, making Aliyah never became a real thought for me until last year during university. It was there where I fell into the same routine as everyone else; finish school, become a doctor, start a family, and live life. With my personality, I need to challenge myself all the time and I realized it was impossible to do this and reach my highest potential in that routine. No one had a real desire to do something special and outside the box. I was doing well in my courses, I had great friends, but I just felt like I was wasting my time. Luckily, in the multiple times that I visited Israel beforehand,  I realized that with all the smart people here, in order to succeed, you need to reach your highest potential.”

How did your friends and family respond to your decision?

Levi: “My parents have always supported and trusted me throughout my life to make my own decisions and this was no different. When I told them I was planning to move to Israel they were ecstatic. I also have two siblings here in Israel so of course they were excited as well! As for my friends, they were all jealous and very proud.”

Naomi: “When I first shared with my mom my vision of moving to Israel, she didn't say a word for about 20 minutes. My initial thoughts were, “Am I being selfish? Maybe this was a horrible idea. Everyone is going to worry too much…This is awful!”
Then, she took my hands and said, “Naomi, no parent wants their children to move far away, but every parent wants their child to have a better life than they had. So if this is what it takes for you, then you need to do it. You need to live your own life and follow your own passions.” I couldn't believe this response, and although my mom has struggled a lot with missing me and worrying about me – as any mother would – she has shown a tremendous amount of support.
Initially, my dad did not respond in such an emotional way, but he asked me practical questions like, “What will you do for work?” He has shown me great support as well, for which I am so thankful. As far as my brother and friends- I know they all miss me, but more than anything they are excited to see me follow my dream, step outside of my comfort zone, and do something “big.” I am hoping that my moving here will push and inspire some of them to come in the future, or at least to pursue dreams of their own.”

Why join the army?

Naomi: “I decided to join the army for many reasons. Firstly, I care about Israel deeply and I want to defend and serve the country in this way. Secondly, I figured that after making Aliyah, joining the army would be an excellent way to truly integrate here, in Israel. It will aid in improving my Hebrew, it will give me a much clearer understanding of the Israeli mentality and society, it will give me training in a new skill set, and it will give me a financial cushion as I begin a life here. Also, I feel that experiencing the army will somehow make me into more of a “real” Israeli, which I think will help me later on with relating to people here, working here, and having some credibility here. I don't want to be viewed as an American tourist with mediocre Hebrew forever, and I feel that joining the army is the best way to overcome this.”

Levi:  “Israel is a land of connections. For every Israeli those connections start in the army. Because of this, I feel that if I were to live in Israel at any point in my life, the army is a must. For the language, for the friends, and of course, for the challenge. The army is a place where I feel I will be able to take advantage of my drive and try to reach my highest potential. Since I was a child, my dream has been to fly planes, so with this dream, and my desire for challenges, I am also trying to become a pilot in the Israeli Air Force.”

What are you excited about the most in living in Israel?
Naomi: What am I not excited about? I can't think of many things more exciting than diving into a new culture with a new language to learn, new sights, and endless new things to experience. I can't wait until my Hebrew improves to the point that I can joke and laugh with people. I can't wait to explore every corner of this place; because of its small size, compared to moving from the United States, it feels so accessible to me, which I find especially exciting. I'm excited about being in Israel for spiritual reasons as well, as I believe that G-d has good, special plans and purposes for Israel. Lastly, I'm excited for when other people come to Israel to visit me, because I love it when people get to experience for themselves the place I hold so dear.”

Levi: “I am most excited to see where my motivation and love for this country will lead me in the next couple years. Along with this, I'm excited to meet great people and to continue to grow with my “Garin” family.”

Anything you're afraid of in making such a big change in your life?

Levi: “It would be crazy to not fear everything after leaving my whole life behind exactly half way across the world, but that's part of the adventure. I know I made the right choice in coming here, so I'm excited to step out of that safe routine life and face my fears.”

Naomi: “Of course, everyone has fears. I'm afraid that one of my family members will get sick or pass away while I'm here and I won't be able to be there with them. I'm afraid that friendships will weaken or that I'll miss out on something incredible. Sometimes I'm afraid that I'll wake up one day with the chilling sense that I made the wrong decision. I fear sometimes that I won't be able to support myself here. But what can I do? If we let our fears control us, we would never do anything worthwhile.”

Did the current military operation in Gaza make you rethink your decision to live in Israel?

Naomi: “Not at all. I did not come to Israel expecting a perfectly peaceful life. I know these kinds of things happen here – in fact, they always have, and I believe they will until the end of time. Plus, I started settling in Israel months before things heated up in Gaza, so I had already been here for a while when things got bad. At this point I feel that it's a very sobering and interesting time to have moved to Israel and be joining the army, and I would much rather experience the reality of life here than merely living in a bubble expecting nothing to ever happen. Danger is everywhere – it just appears in different ways, through different types of people, different types of weapons. I do not want to run away because of perceived dangers; again, if we let fear control us, we'd never truly live or do anything worthwhile.”

Levi: “It definitely did not make me rethink my decision, it helped my decision. This was the first Israeli operation where I have been in the country. Being here during this time, I felt a deeper connection to the country than ever before. Everyone here has someone close that they know in the army. Because of this, everyone feels like your family and the whole country is worried about every person involved. I remember during this operation I was checking my news almost every 10 minutes and worrying about all the soldiers, not just the people I knew.”