The fact that the Jewish Agency has been responsible for these tasks has made it an integral partner in the nation building of the State of Israel. What sets the Jewish Agency apart is that it has undertaken this central endeavor as its first priority and duty. For that reason, it should not be placed in the same category as other Jewish philanthropic organizations that deal with other areas of activities.
In the State of Israel, with a population of over 5.2 million Jews, the influx of another one million olim is critical to the sustained development of every sector of society. How to reach the goal of the "next" million olim is precisely the challenge that the Aliyah and Klitah Strategic Taskforce is grappling with. Reflective of the Board of Governor's resolution passed at the November BOG, we will focus our efforts especially in western communities, or what we call aliyah-of-choice .
To achieve this goal, we will develop in the coming year a long-range plan, together with our partners in the Ministry of Absorption, the National Security Council and the Jewish Agency Jewish-Zionist Education Department. For example, we will expand and strengthen the aliyah-in-stages approach. We envision that a greater number of Jews, especially young adults, will experience life in Israel in six to 12-month programs. This will contribute to the entire Jewish people because, as has been proven by past experience, a significant percent of those young adults ultimately make aliyah, and those who return to their communities fill the ranks of communal leadership, activism and fund raising. Long-term programs create living bridges between individuals, communities and the State of Israel.
It is contingent upon all of us to approach the strategic planning process with an open and creative mind. We must do so remembering that the Jewish Agency's true mandate is to be a partner in the building of the State of Israel - continued aliyah and successful klitah being critical to its accomplishment. We are looking forward to engaging in serious discussion and helping focus the Jewish Agency's resources and energies in ways which will best secure the future of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
Sincerely,
Arieh Azoulay Daniel Liwerant
Co-Chair Co-Chair
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Foreword
February 2004
In welcoming you to the Board of Governor's meetings, we are pleased to provide you with our Aliyah and Klitah Committee up-date. As you will notice in the coming pages, the format of this report is very different from its predecessors. It provides you with a concise summary and overview of 2003, in a format which we hope all of our advocates in the communities will find of use in their work. As noted on the last page of this booklet, a full color presentation is available on our website.
The year 2003 closed with the arrival of some 24,500 olim. While this is disappointing by all accounts, it is important to point out that for the second consecutive year, aliyah has increased from almost every major western country, including the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Uruguay, Brazil, and aliyah from France has remained strong (although not surpassing 2002's rate of aliyah). Conversely, the economic and political stability in the FSU coupled with the ongoing security and economic situation in Israel has resulted in the continued decline in aliyah from that region. Nonetheless, this area remains the single largest source of aliyah, and we continue to try and develop more effective ways to reach out to the Jewish population in the FSU.
However, as we look ahead, we can do so with real optimism due to several notable developments which took place in 2003. In addition to aliyah being on the rise from North America - even during years in which Israel's most objective "pull" factors (security and the economy) were not particularly strong - participation in all of our long-term programs also increased. We believe that these two trends are directly related and that there exists a swelling of interest in Israel and aliyah in that part of the world.
As we all know, aliyah numbers continue to decrease in conjunction with the ongoing intifada and economic recession. What not everyone is aware of is that for a second consecutive year, the analysis of those numbers reflects interesting trends. Most outstanding is that aliyah from the United States has risen by more than 20 percent in addition to the 22 percent increase in 2002! Aliyah from Canada has increased by 25 percent, and aliyah from nearly every South American country outside of Argentina will exceed the numbers from the previous year - most outstanding being Uruguay which has almost doubled.
One of the most outstanding developments in 2003 has been the work of the Aliyah and Klitah Strategic Taskforce, which is currently preparing the groundwork for the development of a long-term strategic program designed to bring about a turnaround in the rate of aliyah. The Ministry of Absorption, the National Security Council, and the Jewish Agency Jewish-Zionist Education Department have all become full working partners with us in the Taskforce, constituting a major step forward. We are well aware that it will take a good six to nine months to formulate a well thought out, well planned, well organized, bold and innovative program. So as not to not lose precious time, we initiated several new programs in 2003 which we hope will already start to bear fruit in 2004.
What we already consider to be a pilot program in the spirit of the Taskforce, is the "Community Absorption Program", which we have developed hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Absorption. This program takes the concept of the aliyah continuum, and translates it into one comprehensive aliyah and klitah package for olim. It involves targeting specific groups in the country of origin, creating tailor-made absorption programs in cooperation with specifically chosen local municipalities in Israel, and initiating ties with veteran Israelis or olim via the "At Home - Together" program at the pre-aliyah stage. We will further strengthen the social support network through the establishment of a group or garin of olim, based on a specific commonality, who will experience the pre and post-aliyah experience together. The program includes several additional elements such as providing support regarding education, employment, and housing. With the full cooperation and support of the Ministry of Absorption and the participating local municipalities, we anticipate that the first groups of olim will arrive in the second half of 2004.
In 2003, we launched the "At Home - Together" program, and the results exceeded all expectations. As we have reported in the past, the response on behalf of the veteran Israeli population - their willingness to be partnered or "connected" with new olim families and give of their time, experience and warmth - has been phenomenal. Our goal for the coming year is to create 4,000 such "connections". This program is already making a tremendously important contribution to successful klitah, the strengthening of Israel's civic society, and thus helping to spur additional aliyah.
In the United States, our work with FSU émigrés is growing, and we believe that this population of more than 500,000 - 85 percent of whom have close relatives residing in Israel - constitutes a significant source of potential olim. In one year's time, our special efforts in this area have succeeded in raising the interest of this population, reflected in the three unprecedented solidarity missions that brought more than 300 members of this community to Israel. Several more missions are already scheduled for 2004. FSU émigrés have a strong connection and interest in Israel - and we believe that we will be witness to additional interesting developments.
Recognizing the need to further translate our "aliyah-in-stages" theory to practical programming, we have recruited 90 of our most talented and dedicated long-term program graduates to be marketing extensions of our North American shlichim. These young adults were brought to Israel for a week-long training program in order to prepare them and teach them how to best market our long-term programs to their peers on university campuses and other relevant locales. They are working under the supervision of our local emissaries, who provide them with the necessary materials and professional support. Aliyah "ambassadors" are also working in Eastern Europe and South America.
We are also witnessing new aliyah patterns from France. An increasing number of families are making aliyah, but in the meantime, the husband continues to work in France, joining his family in Israel for Shabbat. In addition, a growing number of French families are purchasing homes in Israel prior to what we hope will be their actual date of aliyah. We believe that programs similar to the Community Absorption Program described above will help the many thousands of French Jews who are seriously contemplating their future, make Israel their preferred destination.
In the coming month, we will officially launch a newly developed "Aliyah-in-Stages" computer program which provides a user-friendly tool designed to enable shlichim to more effectively maintain contact with the thousands of individuals currently in the aliyah-in-stages spiral.
Between the work of the Aliyah and Klitah Strategic Taskforce and the ongoing work of our innovative and dedicated staff, we believe that we will be seeing a positive change in aliyah trends. And we are looking forward to you, the members and supporters of the Aliyah and Klitah Committee, being full partners in this sea change in the wave of aliyah.
Sincerely,
Mike Rosenberg
Director General
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Aliyah & Klitah Update (PowerPoint 157KB)
Last updated: Sunday, February 22, 2004