Page 7 - HaMizrachi Chanukah 5783 USA

GAUCHER

DISEASE

order to survive. Both of these realities are significant disin- IS THE
1 MOST
centives for the rabbinic establishment to make Aliyah and to
promote it from the pulpit.
I was recently a guest at a meal together with a prominent #
rabbi who made Aliyah after leading his community in the
Diaspora for many years. When I asked him about why he
waited until he retired to make Aliyah, he talked about his COMMON
mission in the US. But then he said sadly: “We had a family to
support; we needed the parnossa. Many rabbis in the Diaspora
earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in places like the Five
Towns, Monsey or Boca Raton. You can’t make a living like JEWISH
that as a rabbi in Israel.”
Many people remain in galut for financial reasons. I hope Miz-
rachi will devote a future feature to these financial challenges. GENETIC

Rhona Silverman
Deerfield Beach, Florida, USA DISEASE

GREAT SERMON! INSPIRING! However, it’s easy for me to
come to that conclusion having already made Aliyah and now
living in the same country as my children and grandchildren.
I discovered that when you make Aliyah, your Judaism goes
from black and white to color. The “only in Israel” moments (and you probably
more than make up for any inconveniences. Yes, some prices
may be higher, but healthcare, education and one car (instead were never tested for it)
of two) are all more affordable. I am grateful that I am able
to work here in my profession and that I have made amazing
new friends. With the help of technology, I have succeeded in
maintaining many close relationships abroad.
Would I have made Aliyah had I known in advance about a
global pandemic limiting my trips abroad? Yes! About the
sacrifice of many material luxuries? Yes! About the hurtful Although common, Gaucher disease type 1 isn’t life
loss of a significant relationship in the States? Yes! Any diffi- threatening and is not included in all Jewish genetic
culties I have had do not compare to the experiences of the testing panels. Symptoms of Gaucher disease include
brave pioneers who founded this great Jewish state or to the
sacrifices made by those who lost their lives safeguarding it. enlarged liver and/or spleen, easy bruising, nose
My life is so much more meaningful here. I only wish I had bleeds, and bone pain. Once diagnosed, Gaucher
made Aliyah sooner. disease can be treated with medication.
I have one addition to your sermon. To quote my son, Rafi, in
his article “Why I Could Not Live Anywhere Else” in Yeshiva
University’s Kol Hamevaser magazine: “Centuries from now, If you suspect your loved one has Gaucher disease,
where will my descendants point on their family tree and speak to your doctor and request a simple diagnostic
say, ‘This is where we returned from the exile’?” beta-glucosidase leukocyte (BGL) blood test.
Rachelle Miller
Raanana, Israel
For more information,visit
gaucherdisease.org/mysymptoms