There is a story in Ynet today, about a couple making Aliyah. Go figure, it’s not so easy. Who ever said it would be easy? They have student loan debt, no jobs, and don’t speak Hebrew so well. Sounds like a pretty normal case.

The article says, “The financial dilemma of immigrating to a new country creates a catch-22 for many potential olim. On one hand, moving to Israel is a dream fulfilled for many Jews throughout the Diaspora, but that decision can result in dire financial repercussions.”

Okay…

Correct me if I am wrong but don’t people move to Israel because it’s the Jewish homeland? How many people do you know that moved to Israel to get rich?

Maybe the problem lies in the fact that they relied on the Jewish Agency. The article continues, “Zev and Neta’s situation is not unique. Many Jewish professionals are encountering the same dilemma in the immigration process. The Jewish Agency has organized career fairs in central cities throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe to address this issue. But for American Jews living outside New York, these types of programs are difficult to attend. For many potential olim it can take decades to pay off student loans and by the time they are in their thirties, many have families and are less likely to make the move.”

After all the Jewish agency has failed for decades to successfully bring new olim to Israel. Just a thought but maybe this couple should go to some of the seminars put on by Nefesh B’Nefesh. NBN has a fully staffed employment division to assist in finding jobs. They have seminars throughout the US and Canada to speak with potential olim, on a variety of topics, from employment, to taxes, to schooling for children, and even speak about housing and differences among communities.

Not really sure what the point of the article was other than to say that making Aliyah is hard. Well thanks to NBN it’s a lot easier than it was 10 years ago.

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There is a great video over at Aish.com, as part of there ‘Heroes of Israel’ feature. This time Rabbi Yehoshua Fass of the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization is featured. He is truly inspiring as he tells the story of why to make Aliyah to Israel. He tells the story of how his cousin was murdered by a terrorist, and that to fight terrorism, he decided to move to Israel.

For old time Israelis or people living abroad thinking of making the big move, this video is certainly worth the watch.

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Late last night the Likud party signed a coalition deal with the Yisrael Beiteinu party, signaling that the new Netanyahu government is starting to take shape. The deal stipulates that party head Avigdor Lieberman will be the next Israeli Foreign Minister. While that in itself is interesting, they were also given some deputy minister posts, including, rumor has it, deputy foreign minister. Wouldn’t it be interesting if former Ambassador and former Nefesh B’Nefesh co-chairman, Danny Ayalon got that position? He is highly regarded in the US, and may help soften Lieberman’s rough image.

According to Ynet: ” According to the agreement, Stas Misezhnikov will receive the Tourism portfolio, Uzi Landau will be given the National Infrastructure portfolio, Sofa Landver will become immigration absorption minister and Yitzhak Aharonovitch will be appointed national security minister. Yisrael Beiteinu was also promised a deputy minister post at the Foreign Ministry and the chairmanship of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. However, the two parties included a clause in the agreement stressing their support of a unity government, which – should it be formed - could bring about a change in the portfolio distribution.”

Many political pundits predicted that Netanyahu would have to give up more to bring in Lieberman’s party but it looks like he got a decent deal.

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There is no question that the world of Jewish philanthropy has taken a huge hit. From the stock market crash, to a real estate washout to Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme, Jewish organizations are scrambling to find new donors. It appears that a name to watch for is Guma Aguiar. Aguiar, a philanthropist and founder of Leor Energy, gave $8 million to Nefesh B’Nefesh.

NBN has created a new approach to Aliyah and streamlined the entire process since it was founded six years ago to assist Western Jews who choose to move to Israel. The success of the organization has been phenomenal,  facilitating Aliyah out of choice. Instead of Jews turning to Israel as a sanctuary from persecution, NBN  has created a BUZZ for people to come to Israel because they want to. That’s huge! The Aguiar funds are being used to help meet the needs of thousands of recent newcomers.

According to the press release: “This substantial donation demonstrates how the remarkable commitment of Jews who choose to make Israel their home even in these challenging times, is echoed and fortified by the support of generous individuals like Guma,”  said Tony Gelbart, Co-Founder and Chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh, “these vital funds strengthen  Israel’s human resources and ensure its future. The gift has already played a major role in helping Nefesh B’Nefesh bring a record number of newcomers to Israel in 2008.”

With so many worthy charities to pick from, the fact that Aguiar picked Aliyah is noteworthy. People have spoken about brining 100,000 western olim, and until now, it’s been a pipe dream. Now, due to the generosity of Aguiar, it may turn into a reality.

Kudos to Guma Aguiar on stepping in to fill the Jewish philanthropic void.

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