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Meeting the Mizrachi France mission to Israel: Gael Grunewald, Aliya and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer, Roi Gael Grunewald, Yohan Botbol, Isaac Barchichat and
Abecassis, President of Mizrachi France Isaac Barchichat, KKL-JNF Chairwoman Ifat Ovadia-Luski, Rabbi Chalom Rabbi Avraham Dray, Director of Mizrachi France,
Lellouche and Deputy Director of Mizrachi France Yohan Botbol. visiting Kfar Aza.

was and still is a safe haven for the Jewish doubt that such a step will further burden The seventh of October was a wake-up
people. Jewish life in an already unsympathetic call for the people of Israel to stand up
country. The community is considering to defend themselves. At the same time,
The State of Israel has already experienced its future outside of Africa, in either Israel the Shemini Atzeret pogrom was also a
large waves of increased Aliyah, as we saw
after the Six Day War, the fall of the Iron or Australia. The State of Israel must do wake-up call for the Diaspora Jews to arise
everything it can to be the best option for
and immigrate to Israel.
Curtain and other large Aliyot. Six months
after this war is over, our fighter planes this community and many others that will A million Jews going up to Jerusalem…
follow in its footsteps.
will be replaced by ElAl planes that will
arrive here from all over the world. To allow this blessed wave of immigration
to wash over Israeli cities and towns, the
A challenge is set before us which is a
tremendous opportunity: a million new State of Israel must first and foremost
mark the issue of absorption as a central
Jewish immigrants. This is a national mis-
sion. This will not be an increase in the goal in the years ahead. We must create
different immigration and absorption
number of sporadic families making Aliyah paths that will be adapted to the needs
from a community here and a commu-
nity there. This will be a massive Aliyah of of these communities and families, mod- Gael Grunewald
ular absorption programs that assist
communities, cities and entire countries, is Vice Chairman of the World Zionist
an Aliyah that will strengthen society and with housing, professions and learning Organization, Chairman of the Mizrachi
Hebrew. With a focused and smart plan,
the economy in Israel.
the government can create an absorption faction in the national institutions and
Let us examine the Jewish community basket that will encourage immigrants to head of the education department.
in South Africa, which these days must settle in areas of national priority, provide
recalculate its course. The South African vocational training subsidies, and operate
government is considering severing dip- thousands of ulpanim for Hebrew.
lomatic relations with Israel. There is no

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