Before making aliyah myself, I was chairman of a now-defunct organization that represented the North American aliyah movement. I learned a great deal about living in Israel from that experience, and I�d like to share it with you.
Not much has changed. Perhaps my positive experiences can help some kinderlach of Pnai parents; if so, please do let me know.
A positive attitude helps in many areas and certainly including the chance that your kinderlach will make it in Israel. That doesn�t mean you can�t come with your peckel.
Those who come with a peckel may make it in Israel. It won�t get better, it won�t get worse, it won�t matter. It won�t change anything. However, those who come with a peckel and expect Israel to fix it up for them inevitably discover that Israel is not a Fountain of Youth, miracle drug or psychiatrist. One hundred per cent of those whom I came in contact with since becoming involved in the aliyah movement fall into that category. If they came, on the other hand, wanting Israel to fix up some precondition, such as an unhappy marriage, lack of success with employment or friends, or to run away from financial, social, or family problems, they inevitably failed in their mission.
This doesn�t mean that a positive attitude is a gurantee of success. It does mean that negative motivations are a guarantee for failure.
Who, then, are the ones who were guaranteed success? It depends on the age they arrived. There seem to have been certain criteria. Let�s see if your kinderlach met them.
Those who came with their parents at a young age usually stayed. They typically left only if their parents left.
Those who came as adults stayed if their motivations were correct, as stated above, and their attitude was positive.
Those who came to spend their retirement years in Israel usually stayed no matter what and accepted any difficulties or problems that they may have faced. They were beyond worrying about what they could get from the country, they were usually self-sufficient, and more open about things which happened.
Some ways to prepare other kinderlach for coming to Israel, if they are planning on following in the footsteps of their siblings, are as follows:
Try to develop your own protektzia preferably in advance. Protektzia is good, if you�ve got it, and bnad, if you�re jealous of those others who have it.
Non-scientific study - but if I can be a computer consultant, why not aliyah?
Succeeding in aliyah
per experience in AACA, observations, friends
Running away, fail
Israel fix problems,fail
aliyah counseling
Come with your pekeleh, that�s OK
This article is based on his personal feelings and impressions, and does not claim to reflect empirital research or a balanced survey.
Add Link to special reductions for children with disabilities in the GrossmanEd article - it's the trend to have protektzia, but Israel discovered it first.
mutual link from that article back to grossmanisrael
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Keywords: Attitude, Failure, Research, Success, Yoyo
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