So, you want to make Aliyah? As your first step, you might want to set a clear deadline. It may be as much as five years from now, but you must have a real date that can serve as your target. Select a Jewish date, so that it will stand out.
From now until your deadline, you should finalize your business and personal arrangements abroad, and look into the possibilities of living in Israel. No, don't burn your bridges. However, you do need to make a commitment.
Circle that selected date on your calendar. If it�s five years from now, then get a calendar that extends at least that far into the future – and circle that date. Don't think of it as merely a hopeful target date. Your circled date is a real plan for aliyah. You may make aliyah before that date, but not after it.
Tell everybody about your date. Tell them that this is when you will move to Israel, if not before.
You will need that social pressure. You will need to talk to people about your plan more and more as the date draws closer.
They will tell you that you are
or a range of other responses. Most importantly - everybody will have an opinion, and most people will have advice: for better or for worse.
People will talk to you incessantly about your impending move. It will make the concept and the transition more real, and the move itself will be a natural culmination of an event that everybody knew about all along. It will not come as a surprise to anybody.
This method will also put you in touch with people who are involved in Israeli life. They�ll find you, because people will be talking about "that person who is making Aliyah". People may be referred to you as an expert on Israel. That will increase your self-image as a future Israeli.
Of course, the fact that you are making Aliyah does not mean that you are suddenly more knowledgeable about the issues. Strangely, many people will not seem to realize that obvious fact.
The social pressure that is created by your deadline will provide a very strong impetus, and it will ultimately guarantee the success of your plan.
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