Page 3 - ChicagOlim Chronicles

Chapter 2 Batyah describes telling family

Everyone’s family dynamics are different and certainly how and when you choose to include them in the
process is very individual. First of all, I should say that - similar to any major life event - marriage, having kids
etc… the fact that you’re making aliyah shouldn’t be a surprise to your family. Maybe the timing is, but the fact
that it’s been on your radar (and thus your families’) shouldn’t be. Benji and I have been talking about aliyah
for years. It’s been no secret that it’s been our dream. Once we decided to commit to a time, we told our
families right away. It was about a year in advance to give time for our families to absorb the idea and also to be
able to include them in the process as we were experiencing it.

For my family, the pandemic had a silver lining as far as preparing them for our move abroad. My family is not
local. During corona I began regular FaceTime sessions with my parents and siblings as a way to connect when
we knew in person meetings were far off. It truly made us closer and also made us realize these sessions can
continue no matter where in the world we are. Yes, we may have to adjust for time zones, but we can still stay
connected.

For Benji, whose family is local, our move is significantly more impactful. Even during corona, we were getting
together with his mom and siblings outdoors. While some in the family are thrilled to have an “excuse” to visit
Israel, others have feelings of loss. It’s been important to us to acknowledge all the big feelings involved in this
decision and be able to have conversations about them.

We know when we make aliyah, some of our important people are not coming with us. We know when we
make aliyah, not every simcha may have family representation. These are realities. It is also important for us to
remember that, as tough as these decisions and conversations are for us to be having with our parents and
families, we’re doing this with the hope that our children won’t have to make these challenging choices in the
future.

Helpful Hint #2 Your family is going to want to spend time with you. Don’t wait until the last minute
to schedule times and visits. The closer the date of aliyah comes, the less time you actually have. Make a plan
of how you plan to keep in touch - if you have kids who are digitally connected, great! Email, Zoom, WhatsApp
are all excellent ways for them (and you) to keep in touch. If you have really little ones, or family that is not
digitally savvy, think of alternate ways - getting a US number for instance so calls are less expensive.

Chapter 3 Batyah describes the interactions with Nefesh B’Nefesh and The Jewish Agency

When making Aliyah, you will be dealing with Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN) and the Jewish Agency. While the
Jewish Agency predates the establishment of the State of Israel (in fact, in was instrumental in establishing the
Medina), and NBN is a relative newcomer, they both play an integral role in your making Aliyah.

Starting the process usually begins by filling out an NBN application. The great part about the NBN application
is that it lists the documents you will need and there’s a countdown to tell you how far along you are in the
process. When you’re at 100% (or close to it), they reach out to you to tell you it’s time to schedule your
interview with the local Jewish Agency.

A word to the wise, be very careful when uploading, as you can’t review what you’ve uploaded to see if you did
it correctly. We know this because when we got to our interview, we discovered that our children’s health
declarations were uploaded blank. Baruch HaShem, we were able to fill it out again right there. That should’ve