Jonathan:
I saw the letter you wrote to Rachel, in which you asked her to tell you about the burdens
of making Aliyah. I thought that maybe I can tell you a little about my experiences. The
hardest thing about making Aliyah (at least for me) was leaving America. I liked my
school, class and friends in America and I still miss them very much. In order to solve
the problem I try to keep in touch with my friends in America. I often E-Mail them and
once in a while I speak to them. Another hard part of making Aliyah is the sudden change
of scenery. The language is different, the people are different, different attitudes,
lifestyles etc. etc.. I think that the best way to get used to these differences is by,
right when away when you make Aliyah, you should make new friends (especially English
speaking friends). First of all, it will help you learn the languge and secondly it will
help you get used to the different culture. Another thing that can make your Aliyah easier
is family. If you have any family living in Israel then whenever you have a problem you
can ask them for their help and advice. All the other hardships that may befall you will
usually be solved with time. Changes are always hard especially a change as drastic as
moving to Israel, but with time you will get used to it. When my family made Aliyah, we
did it with four other families who made Aliyah at the same time. Of the five, there are
only two families that still live here in Israel. No one will tell you it's not hard to
move to Israel (some people might even tell you that you're crazy for making Aliyah). You
just have to remember why you made Aliyah and why Erezt Yisrael is so important to us, the
Jewish people. It is the land that Hashem gave to our forefathers and it is our homeland,
our only homeland. I wish you a very easy Klita (absorption) in Israel and that you
shouldn't know the hardships that some Olim have had. Shana Tova.
Tzvi
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