Israel Speaks
The history of the nation of Israel begins in the first pages of the Bible
where God calls Abraham: "Go from your country, -
your people and your father's house- hold to the land I will show you."
Abraham, the forefather of the Jews, left his home and country
and went to the land of Israel.
Even today many Jews follow in Abra- ham's footsteps and move to the land
which was promised to them.
The state of Israel does its best to bring back the dispersed Jews.
Jewish immigration is called "Aliyah" - going up.
Most of the immigrants come to the country through the Jewish Agency.
Ofer Dahan is the marketing manager of the agency's immigration program.
In recent years the Jewish Agency has had an immigration program
called "The Red Carpet".
Through this program people come to the land in one group, on one plane
and undergo a centralized and fast immigration process.
Ariela Laniado, an official in the Jewish Agency, helps immigrants
in their first steps.
This flight came from England with some 100 immigrants.
We have a few immigrants from Australia and the Netherlands
and nearly 50 immigrants from Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela.
There are some 15 events like this in a year - every month.
As a young mother, I found out that it's impossible to concentrate
on filling papers when the kids are running around you.
Therefore, soldiers and volunteers organize activities for the children
while the parents go through the immigration process.
Integrating the immigrants does not end on the day of arrival.
The Jewish Agency has a network of volunteers to help the immigrants
during their first year in the country.
After the first day everyone moves to their own city.
There the volunteers receive and help the immigrants in their first year.
The volunteers are Israelis who want to help the immigrants.
Some are former immigrants who want to help new immigrants
and some are Israelis who were born here and want to
share their knowledge.
The volunteers are locals who give a lot of tips about the city
where the immigrants come to. We don't give that here.
The coordinators are here to meet the new immigrants
and they stay in contact with them during the first year.
They give support in adaptation as well as in employment.
They help in finding the cheapest supermarket, enrolling children
to a kindergarten and in knowing how everything works in the city.
How to find work, write CV's and everything that concerns employment
in Israel.
Lirit Raziani is an immigration volunteer in Tel Aviv.
At the moment I am a second- year student studying translation.
I came here to volunteer through the Jewish Agency.
I enjoy helping the new immigrants very much.
I translate in Spanish and English and help them in everything they need;
in medical centers, hospitals and banks.
We support them and are here for them.
Every month we check if they need any help.
We make sure that everything is okay with them.
Do you stay in contact with them also in the future?
Of course. We stay in contact during their first year in Israel.
They can call me whenever they need anything any time of the day.
We have very good feedback and this can be seen in the number of people
who register for the flights through the "Red Carpet".
It makes it much easier when the immigrants don't have to get
to their city by themselves and start finding themselves there.
Here they receive the service in one day, in an air-conditioned hotel
when it's hot outside in the summer.
I don't think any other country receives immigrants
on a red carpet like this.
John Proctor moved from London to Israel through the Red Carpet program.
Lorelle Shub came to Israel a year ago from South Africa.
Now she receives new immigrants and shares her own experiences with them.
On their first night in Israel the new immigrants go to the
most important place for the Jews - the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.
At the Western Wall in the heart of Jerusalem the new immigrants
receive their Israeli ID's.
New immigrants Rachel and Elad are both 19 years old.
Both left their families in their former home country, the Netherlands.
Also Eli Silas left his home in Spain and moved to Israel.
A great number of Jews still live outside of Israel.
The goal of the Jewish Agency is to bring as many of them
to the country as fast as possible.
There are those who think Jews living outside of Israel are an important
financial and political support for Israel and it is only good that
they stay abroad.
Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; -
your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.
Isaiah 60:3-4
Translation: Sonja Mattayev