Special to the JTA New Program Exposes American Families to Life in Israel

The Israel Aliya Center, in cooperation with 30 other American Jewish organizations, introduced a new program this summer aimed at exposing American families to life in Israel.

Mivtza Elef (Project 1000) offered two month-long sessions to bring a total of 1000 families to Israel in a variety of capacities, hoping that the participants would become interested in making aliya.

The program offered several different options. “Come and Explore Kidumim” provided an educational, political and practical look at life in Samaria. Participants did guard duty and development work in the settlement, and attended a crash course in Hebrew, and study sessions and lectures there.

The “JNF Forest” option consisted of pruning trees in the Tiberias vicinity. An exposure to kibbutz living was available at Kibbutz Ein Hashofet. Torah study at several yeshivas or in a West Bank settlement was also offered.

PROVISIONS FOR FAMILIES

Provisions were made for children in each area. Usually they attended summer camp with Israeli children, though older children often accompanied their parents in tree pruning or kibbutz work.

The families were housed in absorption centers, dormitory rooms or prefabricated houses, depending on where they were located. The program’s sponsors tried as much as possible to integrate the families into their surroundings, rather than allow separate American groups to form in the communities. Adopted families were often provided to ensure contact with Israeli families. The program also included touring, hiking, political and historical seminars and discussions.

Reactions of the participants in the first session were mixed. In the Tiberias absorption center, where families came to work in surrounding forests, most were satisfied with the experience. Though the general consensus was that the program was lacking on an organizational level, participants seemed to have clearer ideas of what place Israel could take in their lives.

MORE THAN A TOUR

Dr. Terry Kanefsky of Pennsylvania explained that the appeal of the program was that it was more than a tour. Kanefsky, a father of two, came with his family with the aim of “checking out the lifestyle as an option for permanent settlement.” He said he appreciated the “non-commercialized nature of the project.” He noted that the group was motivated by a consciousness of aliya.

Bonnie Bailis of Pennsylvania, here with her two children, said she felt fortunate to be able to be in Israel for the summer and expose her son and daughter to the country. She praised the program for providing families the opportunity to live abroad at a subsidized rate.

Bailis noted that the program’s sponsorship by 30 organizations was likely the source of the organizational problems. Constant waiting for tours to begin, for bus drivers to show up and for reservations to be straightened out were some of the problems she mentioned.

Bailis mentioned an observation she made during her stay: “I look at the people here, some of whom have dejected looks, people from Russia and Latin America who can’t go home as I can, and I wonder if I had to be here, would I appreciate it as much and want to stay.” She also noticed problems among Jews more acutely now than she had on her four previous trips to Israel. “I arrived with a much more idealistic view of the country than I have now,” she said.

Dr. Gina Morantz, who came with her two daughters from Kansas City, explained that the basic premise of the program, to attract American families to aliya, is a good one. In addition, she noted that working the land reinforced the view that A. D. Gordon tried to implement in the Jewish yeshuv in Palestine–the connection between people and the land.

“It’s a beautiful nation, but the jump from American culture to this idea is difficult,” she said. The affordability of the trip also appealed to Morantz. “This was the only framework I discovered which allowed me to bring my family to Israel, so that I could finally expose my daughters to Israel,” she added.