WHO ACTUALLY MAKES ALIYAH? How AND WHY?
OLIM FROM DETROIT REVEAL WHETHER THE PROMISED LAND
HAS LIVED UP TO THEIR GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
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nlike a dream, it's predictable.
Hundreds of metro Detroit adults travel on a
10-day mission to Israel this May and a hand-
ful arrive back in the States pledging a perma-
nent return to Zion.
On their heels is a group of 31 exuberant
young people from Michigan universities. Ten
days of adventure and they are hooked. This
place is home. They'll be back someday. Some-
day soon. Probably they'll stay forever.
Dreams of aliyah abound, but how many come
true? Moving to Israel involves more than pack-
ing a suitcase, learning Hebrew and bracing oneself for politi-
cal uncertainties in the Middle East.
Rather, aliyah is a process, one that often begins with a brief
fling through Israel and the afterglow radiating from many a
bedazzled tourist.
The road of return might continue with an extended period
of study in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, or with temporary employ-
ment there. Some Jews opt for time on a kibbutz. Others ven-
ture far enough to reach that mind-boggling moment when they
ask themselves: Should I relocate here for good?
Last year, 2,347 North Americans said yes. Nineteen hailed
from the Great Lakes state.
But what does it take to make a successful aliyah? Jeff Kaye,
director of the Michigan-Israel Connection, stresses the impor-
tance of stepping beyond fantasy into a reality that demands
street smarts and lots of money or, at the very least, steady em-
ployment.
"When it comes to making aliyah, economics plays a large
role in the decision-making process on both sides of the ocean,"
he says. "We're not about the numbers going to Israel. We're
about the numbers staying."
For most Americans, the cost of living in Israel seems high.
In fact, there's a joke about it: How does an American Jew make
a small fortune in Israel? Answer: He comes with a large one.
Food sells for about the same price in both countries, but cloth-
ing is more expensive overseas and so are cars. The popular,
but small (like a Toyota Tercel), Peugeot 205 carries a price tag
of $20,000.
Financing an automobile is a very recent phenomenon there.
On average, rent for a two-bedroom apartment in a fairly good
Tel Aviv neighborhood is about $600 monthly. That's compa-
rable to metro Detroit, if not cheaper. Buy-
ing real estate, however, shocks the bank
account. Small homes in Jerusalem sell
for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Despite the expenses, salaries are rela-
tively low. In Israel, the average family in-
come is equivalent to $27,500 a year (before
taxes). That compares to $36,959 in the
States, according to the 1993 U.S. Census.
Professionals and middle management
earn upwards of $20,000 a year in Israel.
The self-employed generally make the best
living, but income taxes remain the great
equalizer, starting at 40 percent. Unem-
ployment hovers around 8 percent today,
a decrease from 11.2 percent in 1992.
Professionals who fare best in Israel's
accelerating, ever-changing marketplace
excel in high-tech fields, like electronics
and computers, but competition is stiff,
partly due to the resettlement of skilled
olim from the former Soviet Union.
Despite challenges, dropout rates have
shrunk dramatically since the 1970s and
1980s, when about 35 percent of Ameri-
cans who moved to Israel returned to the
United States. Most were young, single
people who encountered financial difficulties.
During the past three years, 500 individuals from Greater
Chicago — a Jewish community of almost 300,000 — have made
aliyah. Only one has come back. Ephraim Bluth, director of the
Israel Aliyah Center based in the Windy City, attributes this
success to education.
RUTH LITTMANN
STAFF WRITER
Opposite: Burt, Elizabeth,
Jenny, Mickey and Avi Levy
in Mevassaret.
Above: In the busy streets of
Jerusalem, don't expect
leisure and daily celebration.