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Gabriella Jacobs

Apr 30, 2026, 9:35 AM

Conversational Heblish. Passable?

What qualifies someone as an olah chadasha? Last week I suggested it might involve paperwork, perseverance, and a teudat olah (that still hasn’t materialized). This week, I’d like to propose another Israeliness barometer: whether or not your husband has...

Eliezer Avraham

Apr 26, 2026, 6:04 AM

The Call Home: Not a Test of Loyalty

AI Generated Illustration

Diaspora Jews are not traitors for staying where they are. History shows they move when the world shifts; and Israel must be ready when that moment comes. Hearing the Call in a Changing World Haggai Segal’s recent argument in Makor Rishon;...

Jan 15, 2026, 11:19 PM

Olim Employment: A Winning Public/Private Collaboration

Israel has always relied on immigration not only to grow its population, but to strengthen its economy, leadership, and global reach. Immigrants (Olim) arrive with experience, ambition, and a willingness to contribute. Yet for many, the gap between arrival...

Marissa Nuckels

Nov 5, 2025, 2:46 PM

Post-Mamdani, It’s Time to Redesign Aliyah 2.0

There are moments that don’t just sting — they clarify. Mamdani’s mayoral victory in New York City might look like just another political upset. But to many American Jews, it feels like a canary in a coal mine. The city...

Oct 6, 2025, 11:27 PM

Aliyah 3.0 is coming. Let me explain. In the wake of October 7th, the dangerous conflation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism has shaken Jews around the world. For many, it's the first time they’re seriously questioning the future of their families...

Aug 20, 2025, 8:11 AM

A Reflection: August 17, 2005

Twenty years. Twenty years since the unilateral and complete removal of every Israeli and Jew, both residents and army personnel, from every one of the 21 yishuvim, towns, farms, and communities in the entire Gaza Strip. Twenty years since...

Dec 19, 2024, 5:55 PM

La’alot – My Descendants Will Be Sabras

It's true I woke up on Sunday, Oct 8th, 2023, a profoundly changed woman. I went to sleep one person, and as I processed the shocking, horrific news of Oct 7th, I think my brain chemistry or neurons altered,...

Andy Blumenthal

Sep 8, 2024, 9:46 AM

On The Wings of Eagles

Today at the synagogue, I had the privilege of engaging in a deeply inspiring conversation with a gentleman named Ariyeh, who had journeyed from Israel. Our discussion centered on the vital significance of all Jews making Aliyah to Israel,...

Summer Pitocchelli Schwartzman

May 13, 2024, 4:14 PM

The siren’s call

This year’s Yom HaZikaron feels surreal. Maybe it’s surreal because as I write this, I’m sitting comfortably at home, listening to Taylor Swift while I try to find words sufficiently artistic to penetrate national mourning, and knowing my friends...

Jan 18, 2024, 10:00 PM

Inches to Metric: To be or not to be (an Israeli American)? That is the question #1

Welcome sign as a new Oleh
Photo courtesy Beth Kopin

I have heard from many people since posting on TOI, Becoming an Israeli American (October 26) asking Why my husband and I made our decision to become Israeli citizens and How was the process? It seems there are more...

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