Newly organized and with a new name, the North American Aliya Movement (formerly the Association of Americans and Canadians for Aliya) is looking toward playing a major role in helping American Jews to emigrate to Israel.
“We hope that NAAM will become the umbrella organization for aliya in North America, to which all other aliya organizations in the United States, Canada and Mexico come for information and programmatic support which they themselves cannot provide,” Dr. Sam A. Lehman-Wilzig, the newly elected president of NAAM, and its executive director Harvey G. Harth, said in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
They said that the recent annual national convention of their organization, held in Pikesville, Md., was a turning point in the history of the movement, which was founded in 1967, because for the first time a constitution was adopted and an Executive Board was elected. “The convention was a complete uplift for all of us,” Wilzig said. He noted that the changes will enable NAAM to operate more effectively for the promotion of aliya to Israel.
According to Wilzig and Harth, NAAM’s strength is in the fact that American Jews approach other American Jews to go on aliya. “We are the only organization that deals exclusively with aliya,” Wilzig said. “As Americans we have better ability to communicate with Americans who consider aliya.” Harth and Wilzig said that they themselves will be going on aliya “in the next two or three years.” They added that all members of NAAM–about 2000 at present–are committed to aliya.
The two leaders emphasized the non-ideological character of NAAM. “We are firmly committed to ensuring that NAAM will not be a spokesman for any single ideological or political perspective. Of course, this does not mean that we shall remain silent on the issues that directly relate to aliya. In this regard we will try to be more forceful than ever,” Wilzig said.
PLANNING PUBLIC CAMPAIGN
According to Harth, the main activity of NAAM is conducted in 65 chugim (chapters) throughout the country. In the chugim, which meet on a monthly basis, the potential American olim are briefed on issues relating to life in Israel and the process of immigration, including education and job opportunities and packing and shipping from America to Israel, Harth said.
In order to attract more potential olim, NAAM is planning to launch a public relations campaign shortly which will include advertisements in Jewish newspapers, lectures and distribution of posters. Wilzig and Harth also said that a special program will be launched to attract members of Jewish youth groups to the challenge of aliya to Israel.
Contending that the immediate aims of NAAM are to increase their members, to strengthen ties with their sister organization in Israel–the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel–and to attract American Jews who are presently far removed from the issue of aliya, Harth said: “For us, the meaning of Zionism is aliya and aliya means Zionism.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
