Locked In Israel By Choice Not Chance

Due to the Iranian war the airport closed! Dear Jews in the diaspora, pay attention! During what’s now being called the 12-Day War, this was the message.

Currently, thousands of people are still stranded abroad, and thousands of others are stuck in Israel, trying to get a flight out.

This reminds me of the days of COVID, as the world scrambled to make sense of a sudden lockdown or rather lockout. I remember watching the news and hearing the words: “The airport is closed.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. The gates to the HolyLand were shut and not just to tourists, but to Israelis and to the Jewish people. That’s when I turned to my husband and said, “We have to go. We have to make Aliyah, now. Because if the airport ever closes again, I want to be locked in, not locked out. It’s not acceptable for a Jew to be locked out of their home.”

We made Aliyah in the middle of the pandemic. People thought we were nuts. But all I could think was: “if Moshiach comes tomorrow, do we want to be living somewhere in the world… or already home?”

If you know me, you know I’m a matchmaker and coach, I guide people through one of the most difficult and important decisions of their lives. And this? This was our time to make a difficult decision. It didn’t come overnight. In fact, 15 years earlier, my dear friend Lisa Mechanick told me that I should just fill out the forms for Nefesh B’Nefesh. “Even if you’re not ready now,” she said, “one day you will be and at least the paperwork will be done.” I nodded politely… and promptly did nothing.

My husband and I had pledged to one another to make Aliyah seven years from when we got married, but life turned out differently. Seventeen years into our marriage we were still in America. I felt stuck. I had done everything I could think of to move to Israel, and still nothing worked. So I threw everything up to God and finally, I filled out the Nefesh B’Nefesh forms quietly, privately. “When Hashem says go, we’ll go,” I whispered to myself. I continued to pray and wait.

Another friend Ira Somers had told me for years to get passports for our kids. I brushed it off saying, “when we need them, we’ll get them.” But when June 2020 rolled around and we made our decision to finally go, the passport offices were closed. COVID had created a backlog of over 200,000 applications. Panic started to rise. But thanks to help from Amudim and David Kushner, we got our passports in two months, a miracle considering the eight-month backlog.

My husband and I heard the call loud and clear. Being locked out of Israel during the pandemic was our sign. It took us 8 months to get approval, paperwork in place and then we packed and left, arriving to Israel March 1st, 2021.

Here’s the truth: since 1948 the world has recognized Israel as the Jewish HomeLand. But have we? Is it just a belief or are we actually coming home? Today, anti-semitism is spinning out of control. Don’t get stuck like they did in Germany. Don’t get stuck like they did in Egypt. If you know our history, you know that one-fifth of the Jews left Egypt. Four-fifths never made it out. My husband and I wanted to make it out.

There is no safer place for a Jew in this world than the HolyLand. This may sound like a crazy statement after just having lived through the 12 Day War, but I believe Israelis abroad understand this better than anyone else. Beloved Israeli friends across the diaspora, the time has come to return home. You’ll never truly be fulfilled anywhere but in Israel. Your dream life doesn’t exist outside of Israel: it never did. It was always an illusion. You know this. It’s time to bring your family home and I know this will be a great challenge.

We’ve got 2 children in the army.

And yet I urge you to come home.

There’s no safe place for a Jew in this world except in the HolyLand. You’ve seen college campuses in the USA. You’ve seen what’s happening in Canada, Europe and Australia. It’s no secret that the world hates us and they are speaking with actions not words. Gone are the days of empty threats. The world is aggressively violent.

The choice is existential. Continue to pretend all is ok until reality hits closer to home or simply come home. Just less than half of world Jewry lives in Israel. A new reality will happen when we exceed 50%. Our power has always been in our unity and we need you. Don’t wait for the moment when you must run. Prepare to go now. It’s time to come and get settled.

You don’t have to sell your house tomorrow or book your flight next week. But you can get your documents in order. Or you can simply start by talking about how you could make plans to come home soon.

Whether you like it or not, whether you believe it or not, you need to be here. It’s time you start walking toward the destiny of the Jewish people.

Because when the airport closes again, and it very well might, you’ll want to be locked in, not locked out.

We’re here.

We’re waiting.

Come home.