Israel is a special country for many reasons, and it’s impossible to cover everything in a short article. But there is one feature that deserves special attention: it is probably the only country in the world where people strive to go during a war. They don’t leave it; they actually go there. We have already seen thousands of Israelis who left everything and flew to the country to stand in line again after the events of October 7th. But it’s not just about Israelis: from January to July, about 20,000 new repatriates arrived in Israel. Yes, despite the war, despite the missile strikes and everything else. From Russia and France, from the USA and Ukraine, from Brazil and Argentina, from England and Belarus. Twenty thousand men and women who have moved the center of their lives to Israel since the beginning of 2024. This doesn’t happen by itself. It is the result of the hard work of several organizations, one of which is the Department for Aliyah Promotion of the World Zionist Organization.

We noticed that since the beginning of the war, many diaspora Jews have rethought their attitude towards Israel. This was perfectly expressed by Hollywood actor Michael Rapaport. He said that many Jews felt something they hadn’t felt before: a deep connection with their brothers and sisters in Israel. And they want to know the truth about Israel. We, in our department, try to bring this truth to them, to show the Israeli reality as it is.

Israel is a country facing a huge number of problems. But Israel is home, where you don’t need to remove kippahs and mezuzahs and hide the Star of David. Here, you will be helped in a difficult moment, and your neighbors will be the first to come to the rescue. The rapidly growing anti-Semitism in the West on one hand and the sense of unity in Israel on the other – again and again prove that we have no other country. Many Jews have now realized this.

How to encourage aliyah during a war? First, we do everything possible to ensure that diaspora Jews can learn about and fall in love with their future home before moving. We organize hundreds of preparatory courses for repatriates around the world every year, where we combine language learning with events to familiarize them with the country – from culture and cuisine to traditions and Zionism. All this helps our brothers and sisters in the diaspora feel a connection with their roots. Gradually, they begin to understand that they are already familiar with Israel, understand the language, and are acquainted with its culture. And when you understand and know the country, especially the opportunities that aliyah opens up – moving no longer seems so scary.

And yes, there are many opportunities. I repeat this over and over again: Israel is a country of limitless opportunities, a country where repatriates have found and realized themselves in various fields, became successful entrepreneurs, engineers, outstanding scientists, doctors, Olympic athletes. We annually send dozens of new repatriates and aliyah veterans to foreign communities to tell them about the opportunities available to potential repatriates. And people seem to see the light. When a combat helicopter pilot or a world-renowned epidemiologist speaks with Jews in France, Argentina, or England, sharing their experience, talking about their feelings – it makes people look at Israel differently.

Even when the guns are firing, it’s important to continue encouraging aliyah. The country needs its people, and it is also full of opportunities – it’s just necessary for Jews around the world to know about it.