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| One of the groups who enjoyed the Israel Encounter experience in Jan 2010 |
The October group Aliyah flight was a great success! This group was made up not only of South Africans, but included nationalities from all over the world. The red carpet was rolled out yet again and olim were met with everyone and everything they needed to begin their journeys.
From Cape Town alone many youngsters, families and elderly people have already left for Israel this year and the Aliyah Department is busy preparing for the 20 December group flight.
This flight is expected to be the biggest and best Aliyah flight yet. It starts with a one-on-one meeting with Yossi Eshed, your shaliach, and continues with a bit of paperwork to confirm certain documents, such as your unabridged birth certificate and proof of Jewishness.
Before you know it, your absorption plan will be tailor-made for your needs and you will be off to Israel to settle into your new home.
You might wonder why so many of the younger generation are choosing Israel as their ideal destination. The answer is simple: the youth have discovered that Israel is the best place to study or take a gap year.
Herzlia High School’s Grade 11 careers evening highlighted this growing interest in Israel.
The Aliyah Department, along with the Jewish youth movements, presented Israel as an option available to the youth of today. Many found it fascinating to learn that they could receive subsidies for their studies and could study in Israel in English (www.meidaat.co.il). Others showed interest in the idea of a gap year in Israel and found the organisation ‘Masa’ (www. masaisrael.org) to have an incredible selection of options for everyone, including volunteering, internships, ulpan classes, independence building and community building.
The Aliya department also has a ‘Build-aprogramme’ option for those not finding exactly what they are looking for.
