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Bonjour à Tel Aviv

How Mizrachi is supporting

French Aliyah in Tel Aviv

Rabbi Aron White

rom Ishay Ribo to the prolifera- supporting these developing communi- who have already made Aliyah,” said Roi
tion of French restaurants all over, ties. World Mizrachi has partnered with Abecassis, Mizrachi’s head of the Depart-
French Aliyah is making its mark Qualita, the French equivalent to Nefesh ment for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora
Fon Israel – and on Tel Aviv most B’Nefesh, providing programming and at the World Zionist Organization. “When
of all. religious leadership for seven French oleh people know that there are strong com-
French Jewry, the third largest Jewish communities throughout Israel through munities to move to, it makes it more
likely that they will come.”
community in the world, has sent a wave the Kehilot Koltot program.
of new olim to Israel over the last decade. Rabbi Seror’s community in Tel Aviv is one
From 2010 to 2019, 38,000 Jews made of those communities. The shul is located
Aliyah from France – more than the total in the heart of the city, right next to Kikar
number of olim from the United States and Rabin, and provides shiurim, activities
Great Britain combined. Many of these and a sense of community for hundreds
olim have settled in Tel Aviv. of French olim. Rabbi Seror and his wife
“French Jews arriving in Israel often expe- Elisheva run events for all ages – from
rience a culture shock,” says Rabbi Yona- communal seder nights hosting over 100
tan Seror, rabbi of the Toldot Yitzchak shul people, to bar and bat mitzvah classes, and
in the heart of Tel Aviv. “They are used to events for French gap year students living
a strong-knit community life, which often in Tel Aviv. French Jewry has a distinctly
does not exist in Israel. Additionally, the Sephardi and Moroccan flavor, and the The Toledot Yitzchak shul, one of the many in Tel Aviv
with a large French community
religious categories used in Israeli society hilula for the Baba Sali and Rav Yitzchak
don’t really fit French Jews. Many French Kaduri are also important events.
Jews are traditional, keeping Shabbat and Mizrachi is also working to connect Jews
kosher, and though they do not outwardly in France to Israel. Each year, World Miz-
look religious, they get a shock when their rachi sends delegations of French rabbis
children go to chiloni (secular) schools with from Israel to France where they support
Israeli children who have no religious the Jewish community and build con-
background at all. My shul is 80% French nections to Israel that encourage Aliyah.
olim, and there is a great need to support “There are two ways to encourage Aliyah
this community.”
– by speaking to Jews in chutz la’aretz and
World Mizrachi’s French Desk, led by Rav encouraging them to move to Israel, and Rav Seror teaching in France as part of a World Mizrachi
Avraham Dery, has been very active in by strengthening communities of Jews delegation in November 2022

Rav Yonatan and Rabbanit Elisheva with young French Jews
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