A new initiative is transforming life in Israel for many single olim chadashim (new immigrants).

The Aliav Foundation has begun confronting the issue of Jewish continuity in an innovative manner, melding Jewish activism with social activity \u2013 and they have picked Jerusalem to be the heart of this endeavor.

Aliav\u2019s first event took place Thursday night at the promenade in Jerusalem\u2019s Armon HaNetziv neighborhood, overlooking the Old City and the Temple Mount. Close to 250 young professionals came together for an evening of wine and Jazz \u2013 with 100% of the proceeds being donated to One Family, an organization offering assistance to victims of Arab terror.

Aliav, short for \u2018Aliyah Bet\u2019 (literally the \u201cSecond Aliyah\u201d), was the alias given to Israel\u2019s first female Mossad agent, Ruth Kluger. The young women behind the initiative sought to honor Kluger\u2019s bravery \u2013 not only for endangering her life on behalf of Israel during her service in the Mossad \u2013 but her arrival in Israel as a single woman, seeking to follow her dreams and be a part of Jewish history as it unfolds.

\u201cWe want to dedicate tonight to this beautiful country we have come home to, and to our always being an active part of it all,\u201d said one organizer, Chana Lieber \u2013 who gave a toast to cries of L\u2019Chaim under the full moon of a balmy Jerusalem night.

A representative of One Family thanked those present, encouraging them to stay involved in \u201cthe holy work of helping rebuild those lives shattered by terrorism.\u201d Since the wine was donated by Efrat Wineries \u2013 the oldest winery in Israel \u2013 and the cheese, pastries and other refreshments were donated by vendors from the Machane Yehuda Shuk (market), all proceeds from the evening went directly to victims of terror attacks and their families.

The organizers behind Aliav \u2013 Shani Falik, Joelle Tollinsky, Chana Lieber, Craig Levy, Bryan Choritz and Rivka Flaumenhaft \u2013 have many more events planned for the future that they hope will help meld \u201csocial interaction with social action\u201d in Tollinsky\u2019s words.

They hope that such events will not only benefit those who attend, but that word will spread to the exile that Aliyah need not always wait until after one has met their mate and married. \u201cI talk to many friends back in America who truly want to come live here,\u201d said Ari Abramowitz \u2013 a new immigrant from Texas, \u201cbut for some reason they are under the impression that there is a shortage of people to marry here, or that Aliyah is somehow more difficult as a single person. Both assumptions are not only false, but lead to people selling short their dreams and ending up living a life of wistful regret.\u201d

Not all attendees were singles and the crowd was quite diverse. Abramowitz pointed out the bilingual chatter, as veteran Israelis and new olim crossed paths and exchanged phone numbers. \u201cThe ingathering of the exiles is still going on \u2013 only now we are not running away from Jew-haters but toward our homeland \u2013 to build it,\u201d said Abramowitz. \u201cThere is an Aliyah revolution afoot, and nights like tonight are a part of that.\u201d

The Aliav Foundation can be contacted at: AliavFoundation@yahoo.com

This entry was posted on Friday, June 4th, 2004 and is filed under news.