From New Jersey to starting anew in Israel's desert: 'The Negev is now'

By Allison Levine Speiser

I actually remember the launch of JNF's Blueprint Negev, which happened while I was still living in New Jersey. It sounded like a nice idea, bringing water supply to Israel's Southern desert and creating infrastructure there, but admittedly, the campaign didn’t mean much to me at the time. 

The Negev was really far away from anything I connected with. I knew it was there, but it was never something I or anyone I knew was focusing on. It wasn't a place I had ever even visited, despite my many previous Israel trips over the years. When my family and I made aliyah in 2009 with Nefesh B’Nefesh, a JNF partner, we knew we wanted to be in the center of the country, nearer to job opportunities and friends. It was a logical move. 

The story behind the scroll: Treasured Brooklyn Torah makes aliyah

Photo: Vivian Grossman

David Hamm deplanes the big flight, cradling the Torah close. 

This summer, Nefesh B'Nefesh, one of JNF's partners in bringing pioneers to Israel's north and south, pulled off another round of successful group flights bringing new Israelis home. A process that a mere few years ago was taxing and grueling, NBN expertly facilitate with ease and skill. And while the olim on those flights share some similar dreams, each carries a unique personal narrative and family history.

One such story, of former JNF employee Yocheved Kolchin's decision to make aliyah, touched on the feeling of fulfilling a legacy started by those who came before you. Kolchin's grandparents made aliyah after the Holocaust, and she details how her move, though different in its ease of transportation and aided by modern technology, hearkens back to her grandparents' struggle to come home to Israel.