Immigrants sometimes refer to Israelis as "they," and to people who still live in their own country of origin as "we." Many of them continue to talk in this way for a long time after having moved to Israel.
It is important to change this way of thinking well before making Aliyah.
While still in their country of origin, potential Olim should refer to themselves, as well as Israelis, in terms of "we." They don't have to say "I am an Israeli." They aren't. However, this small change in the way that they address themselves can improve the way they see the world, and it may make it easier to become involved.
Those who refer to a newsworthy event in Israel as "we" already feel that it is affecting them, for good or for bad. This is more than "just" a psychological issue. It makes a significant difference in the way the person perceives his connection with his adoptive world.
More about getting involved
Read about the Olim forum
Read about Israeli forums
Read about Jewish and Hebrew forums
Are you required to read this webpage for a course? Do NOT print out the article. It is copyrighted.
Your exercise for this article is as follows:
Copyright © David Grossman. World rights reserved. This article may not be printed, forwarded, reproduced, or copied in any way or in any medium without written permission from David Grossman.
Keywords: Aliyah, Psychology
/GrossmanIsrael/Articles/Involved/WeThey