Page 25 - HaMizrachi #9 Yom HaAtzmaut 5779

appointment to see a home in Modi'in. “This is the right place to raise Jewish Alana Kohn, the second daughter to
They instantly fell in love with the huge children,” says Choritz. “Children grow make aliyah, says she knew she wanted to
mirpeset (balcony) and the breathtaking up here thinking it's normal to be Jewish live in Israel so badly that she wouldn’t
views of the city and surrounding hills. and that this is their homeland. We go date anyone who wasn’t committed to
They knew they had found their home. on trips where we can see and re-enact the Jewish State. When she realized the
parts of the Torah portion – this is not men she was matched with in Brooklyn
Grace watched her aunts, uncles, and something you can do in the United didn’t fit the bill, she spent the summers
grandparents make aliyah back in 1957. States or anywhere else.” of 2012 and 2014 dating in Israel. She
In 2019, she finally joined her extended met her spouse in the second week of
family, as well as her mother, four of her Choritz admits that back in 2002, her second summer and she made aliyah
children, and 23 of her grandchildren. “people thought I was crazy for moving in May 2014.
to Israel.” However, she believes that,
Nefesh B’Nefesh has “normalized North Finally, two years later, in August 2016,
American aliyah” in recent years, making Krausz moved her family to the Jewish
it easier for anyone from the States to State. Now, the daughters live near their
move to Israel. parents in Beit Shemesh. The Goldman's
son lives in Jerusalem.
“Success breeds success,” says Choritz.
Krausz said she and her husband were
No Place Like Israel careful not to opt for aliyah just to
Shari and Joe Goldman would likely be closer to her family. Rather, they
agree with Choritz. weighed what was best for their four
sons. However, when they did make the
The Goldmans made aliyah from decision to immigrate, Krausz says she
Brooklyn in November 2013. At that took full advantage of having family who
time, they had a son and one daughter had been there and done that.
living in Israel. Today, their other two
Noa Choritz daughters and their families are living in
Israel, too. The total Goldman clan now
living in Israel: 13 people.
Success Breeds Success
Noa Choritz moved to Israel on her own The Goldmans fell in love with each
in 2002. Over the past 17 years, she got other and the Land of Israel during
married and had three children. She also a gap-year program. They always
completed her nursing degree. wanted to come back, but life got in
the way. Nonetheless, their children
Choritz says she was not raised in say their parents’ enthusiasm for
a particularly Zionist home – “it the Jewish State was infused in their
just wasn’t part of our family’s household.
conversations.” Within years of her
making aliyah however, two of her sisters The Goldmans sent their children to
and her parents moved to Israel. Her Brooklyn’s only ultra-Orthodox Zionist
parents live in Arnona. The two sisters day school. All its teachers were Israeli, Grace and Raymond Arking
moved across from one another in the according to daughter Amy Krausz.
nearby Armon HaNatziv neighborhood.
“They taught Ivrit b’Ivrit (Hebrew in “I always try to remember that my
“My youngest child is two weeks older Hebrew). We learned historia – I didn’t primary motivation for moving here was
than one cousin and five months even know I was learning history!” spiritual growth,” says Goldman. “There
younger than another,” says Choritz. Krausz says with a laugh, remembering is no place like Israel for a connection
“They play together, share clothes – it is how the school raised the Israeli flag, to the Jewish people, and it has proven
just so nice.” sung Hatikvah at every assembly and itself beyond my wildest expectations.”
celebrated Yom HaAtzmaut.
But even though Choritz loves and was He continues, “In the three years I have
always close with her family, she says she “Do you remember when the teacher been here, I have grown more than in all
was careful not to sugarcoat or overly made us write down the words for Al the previous 30 put together!”
encourage aliyah. Rather, she led by HaMichya and Hatikvah in the same
example and demonstrated the value of test?” says daughter Miriam Podolski, Nefesh B’Nefesh, who have helped
living in a Jewish State until her family smiling at her sisters as they reminisce more than 60,000 people make aliyah,
members came to the decision on their own. about how they came to make aliyah. contributed to the writing of this article.