Page 58 - HaMizrachi Yom Yerushalayim - Shavuot 5782 USA

ALIYAH DIARIES

Aliyah with Teenagers

Dr. Yael is Not Impossible!
Wahrhaftig
Miller

Bagrut (high school diploma) with a heard from people that school was

want to address one of the biggest
lot of tutoring and support from her
practical challenges facing the
going to be very hard… but no one
Religious Zionist community
I today: making Aliyah with parents, Tzipporah created a website, warned me that I was going to fail!
Don’t let that dissuade you. With time,
www.teensurvivalguidealiyah.com,
teenagers. I am well aware that most as a resource and a supportive you will start to do better and better.”
people argue against making Aliyah community for olim teens. #6 Get Extra Academic Support: With
with teens and that if your children #2 Understand the Israeli High the growth of Anglo communities in
have finished elementary school, Israel, many olim don’t need to speak
you’ve missed the Aliyah window. But School System: The Israeli high Hebrew to manage their daily lives
school system has very clear
is that the end of the story? Make – which makes it harder for olim to
Aliyah by a certain deadline – or grow requirements, beginning primarily learn the language. People used to say
in 11th grade, for achieving a Teudat
old in the Diaspora?
Bagrut. Understandably, one young “your kids will be fluent in Hebrew by
Hoping to learn more, I interviewed oleh explained that “you can make Chanukah”; for most, unfortunately,
several teenagers who made Aliyah Aliyah up until 10th grade, but that this is simply not true. Be prepared
between the ages of 12 and 18 and also 11th and 12th graders should finish to find tutors for your child, as a good
spoke with parents, teachers, outreach high school in the Diaspora and then tutor can provide both academic and
leaders and school administrators who come to Israel.” Many families make emotional support to your teenager.
work with young olim. I learned that arrangements for their 11th and 12th #7 Consider English Language
Aliyah with teenagers is challenging graders to remain behind and finish Schools and Youth Movements: One
but doable – and there are several school before joining them in Israel. of the most incredible and miraculous
important factors that can increase That being said, if you do come with developments for Aliyah has been the
your teen’s chances for a successful an 11th or 12th grader, there are now advent of English school and youth
Aliyah: several GED and Penn Foster programs movements. Established in 2008,
#1 A Strong Desire to Live in Israel: in Israel which will help your teens Yerushalayim Torah Academy (YTA)
Parents who are passionate about earn their high school diploma. is a religious English language high
living in the land that G-d promised #3 Find a Community with Schools school with separate boys and girls’
us and transmit that desire to their that Support Olim: Know your child’s campuses in Jerusalem. Ulpanat Orly
children will help their teens develop rights as an oleh and make sure their and Ohr Moshe in Beit Shemesh are
the resolve and commitment they need school can accommodate them. also great schools geared towards olim.
to succeed. Otherwise, teens will want Tzipporah’s website is an excellent Rabbi Bezalel Borstein, principal
to push the exit button the minute the resource (see above). of YTA for Boys, explains that
going gets tough. As one mother with transitioning into a fully Hebrew-
four teens said: “Our kids definitely #4 Daven: Ask Hashem for help. He speaking environment is quite
had some rocky periods during our wouldn’t have commanded us to challenging for many teens. He
Aliyah, but we pulled through because come here if he didn’t want to help us stresses the importance of assessing
living in Israel was our goal. We succeed. After making Aliyah I learned a student’s language skills when
were committed to making it work, why Israel is referred to as ן ַע ַנ ְּ כ ץ ֶר ֶא choosing a learning environment
whatever it took.” in the Torah. The definition of ה ָע ָנ ְכ ַה as well as recognizing and honoring
is humility, or submission. Being an
Tzipporah, an inspirational young their emotional and social needs; teens
woman who made Aliyah in 9th grade, immigrant is a daily act of humility, need to be in a school where they feel
described her high school experience and can lead to a stronger relationship happy and can be successful. But while
as “a very challenging 4 years with a with Hashem than one ever imagined. YTA is an English school, the students
lot of tears. But I kept pushing myself #5 Be Prepared to (Academically) take a full Bagrut program and begin
because I wanted to make it work.” Fail: A 12th grade olah who had been to culturally and socially integrate into
After successfully earning her Teudat a strong student in America said: “I Israeli society. Amazingly, almost 100

58 |