Page 24 - HaMizrachi #9 Yom HaAtzmaut 5779

ALIYAH BEGETS ALIYAH

The Stories of Three Families

thought they had made up their minds
to stay. Four months after buying their
home, they rented it out and Grace and
Michal’s mother-in-law helped packed
up Michal's things and send them on a
lift to Israel.
Michal’s aliyah set the family aliyah
in motion. Soon after, Grace’s next
daughter moved with her husband and
two children. After that, Grace’s mom
told her gently that she, too, was thinking
of making aliyah. Grace was thrilled
for her mother that she would finally
be joining her siblings in Israel after all
those years. After their grandmother’s
aliyah, another of Grace’s daughters
moved to Jerusalem, followed by the
The Arkings are welcomed by their huge family!
Arkings’ only son. Grandchildren soon
followed, and have even volunteered to
“The typical adult lives only 18 miles he was open to the idea. But, two days serve in the IDF.
from his or her mother,” according to an after their wedding, the Yom Kippur
Upshot analysis of data from a survey War broke out, and their plans were With her family moving to Israel one
of older Americans. “Over the past put on hold indefinitely. They did not by one, Grace decided it was time for
few decades, Americans have become make it back to Israel until their oldest her and Raymond to re-examine their
less mobile, and most adults... do not son Moshe’s Bar Mitzvah. Grace and plan. Raymond said he would like to
venture far from their hometowns.” Raymond took their (at the time) work for as long as possible, and had no
This may be one explanation as to why six kids to Israel for the summer, and plans of retiring, and therefore no plans
so many families follow their loved as Grace put it, “It was a summer to of aliyah. Pesach 2017 changed all that
ones on aliyah. Grace Arking’s family remember.” though. They went to visit their children
is a particularly large and wonderful in Israel, and unbeknownst to them, one
example. Their daughter Michal was the first of their daughters had booked them an
to make aliyah. Right
Some might say that Grace Arking’s before her wedding, THREE MOST POPULAR CITIES FOR OLIM:
aliyah has been in the works since Michal asked her
1957. Her mother was one of seven mother, “What would
siblings, her father one of 11, and all you think if we decided
of her extended family immigrated to to make aliyah?” Grace
Israel with both sets of grandparents. hugged her daughter
Meanwhile, Grace immigrated to the and told her, “You
United States with her parents and would be living my
brothers. dream!”

Throughout her life, Grace dreamed of Time went by, and
joining her extended family in Israel. Michal did not make
When Grace married her husband aliyah right away. When TEL AVIV NETANYA JERUSALEM
Raymond, they discussed aliyah. she and her husband 3,315 | 11.10% 2,613 | 8.70% 2,589 | 8.70%
Raymond had spent time in Israel doing purchased a house
a postdoc at the Weitzman Institute, so in Brooklyn, Grace 2018 FIGURES, THE JEWISH AGENCY

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