"Bait" it is more than a word you look up in the dictionary. Although a little word and so simple it is hard to explain. This is what 25 families from Latin America were looking for and this is the reason they are now living in Arad.

It all started 6-month ago, when the Jewish Agency emissaries in Argentina reported that a large group of Jewish families are willing to make aliyah and relocate. The are looking for a place that they can call home, a place that offers quality of life with job opportunities, a place that can provide decent education and is willing to absorb young families. The mayor of Arad quickly responded to the challenge. He agreed to take part in a Jewish Agency delegation that traveled all the way to South America to meet the potential Olim. Two weeks later he returned with a list of 70 families in his pocket after interviewing over 350 families.

The new citizens of Arad are extremely happy to be here. Many are starting their life in Israel by studying Hebrew. All the children are enrolled in the educational system trying to make new friends and using their little Hebrew to communicate other immigrants from other parts of the world.

Arad is a city that absorbs Aliyah that loves the Olim and knows who to treat them with respect this is may be the reason that over 40% of its residents are Olim.

Shvat 5760 - January 2000