Posted on: Saturday, June 16, 2001

Faith
American Jews emigrate to Israel for many reasons

Associated Press

MIAMI — A suburban family leaving their comfortable life and home in south Florida might not raise eyebrows — moves happen. But when mom, dad and two little kids are headed for a small nation torn by months of violence, it's another matter.

Leigh and Daniel Bar-Yakov of Coral Springs are about to emigrate to Israel with their son, Noam, 5, and 8-month-old daughter, Penina. Relatives worry about the Bar-Yakovs' safety, but the couple feels compelled to make the move and they aren't alone.

Last year, more than 1,000 Jews from the United States and Canada decided to make aliyah — to pack up and move to Israel, permanently. They are driven by a combination of factors: belief that God ordained Israel as the Jewish homeland, and a desire to support and live in a Jewish nation state, among them.

"We both feel that it's our personal roles to live in Israel," said Leigh Bar-Yakov, who is studying for a doctorate in psychology. "We have some path to complete there in our lives."

Making aliyah is made possible by the "Law of Return," passed by the Israeli parliament in 1950. It grants the right to Israeli citizenship to anyone with a Jewish grandparent. Israel also provides financial assistance after the move.

Over the last half-century, Jews from around the world have taken advantage of the law to go to Israel. American Jews who make aliyah can also keep their U.S. citizenship.

Palestinian-Americans are unable to make a similar move to Israel. To them, the situation is unfair and should change.

"American Jews can move to a settlement in the West Bank. A Palestinian, an American whose family hails from what is today Israel ... cannot go back," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute.

For Jews, the religious basis for their belief in Israel as a sacred homeland comes from Genesis 15:13-20, in which God bequeaths the land to Abraham's descendants.

"Fundamentally in Judaism, just like we believe that there is a God, so too we believe Israel is our homeland. You can't have Judaism without Israel," said Rabbi Mark Cohn, who will head to Israel with his wife, Shira, and their seven children in mid-July.

Today, Jews are doing what they couldn't do for nearly 2,000 years, said Daniel Eisenberg, spokesman for Tehilla, a group that provides social and psychological assistance to future immigrants. And he says their migration should be no surprise.

In "the traditional prayers, Israel is mentioned again and again ... the better question is, why are people staying in America?" added Eisenberg.

To prepare for the move, some families have sold their homes, left their careers, live in temporary housing and have started taking Hebrew classes.

Those who choose to leave recognize they're making a serious commitment.

"Many people have sacrificed themselves in one way or another to ensure the existence of the state of Israel," said Howard Schulman, 40 and a retired deputy sheriff. "I think, for me personally, that now it's my time to do my share and I regret that there aren't more North American Jews that feel that way."

But the events of the last nine months may have made now a particularly difficult time to move. Nearly 500 Palestinians and more than 100 Israelis have died in the violence that began last September.

That includes two Americans who made aliyah, and settled in the disputed West Bank, where some 200,000 Israelis live.

The number of Canadians and Americans emigrating to Israel has dropped from a high in the 1990s of 2,503 in 1995 to 1,401 in 2000, according to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics.

And the U.S. Department of State has issued a statement that "warns U.S. citizens to defer travel to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza."

But the Bar-Yakovs are steadfast in their decision to go, as is Spencer Levine, an attorney who recently left for Israel with his wife, Judith, and their three daughters, ages 1, 3 and 6.

"Some people would think this is the wrong time to go. I think it's the best time to go. I think that Jews are motivated by a call to a challenge," said Spencer Levine,