Some of the most important stories in Israel are unfolding away from the battlefield. They begin on airport tarmacs, in departure lounges, and aboard flights carrying families who have decided that, against all odds, there is no other place where they would rather build their future.
Every act of aliyah is an act of hope. During times of war and uncertainty, it is also an act of extraordinary courage.
This week, I boarded a flight from Paris to Israel. I accompanied 34 families, including 80 children, from an airport in France through boarding and all the way to their arrival.
On board were 11 infants taking their very first steps in life, but even the oldest passengers were beginning anew. Now, they are all among the more than 6,500 people who have immigrated to Israel from France since October 7.
This move seems almost irrational. At a time when Israel is confronting so many fronts, security challenges, and tensions from within and beyond its borders, there are people who choose to leave behind the lives they have built and begin again, specifically in Israel.
Jews who have chosen to bind their destiny to that of the Israeli people are driven by something stronger, deeper, that serves as a compass.
Israel should never be taken for granted, not by those born here, and not by those who love it from afar, who long for it and wait for the day they can build their lives here. It is difficult to fully grasp the magnitude of this choice: to leave behind your language, your career, your family, and the security of the familiar in order to start from scratch.
But when you sit beside soon-to-be olim (new immigrants) at 30,000 feet, when you see the sparkle in their eyes and hear the songs and joy that fill the cabin, you understand something about who Israelis are and, more importantly, who they aspire to be. You understand what connects them to their country, to one another, and to themselves.
Boldly hurtling toward the unknown
Up there, above the clouds, you realize that courage does not always look the way we imagine it. Sometimes courage is reflected in parents holding their young children in their arms, believing that their family’s future can only be built in one country, despite its challenges.
The moment the plane’s wheels touch Israeli soil and the doors open, the aircraft fills with tears of emotion, and a new spirit enters – the spirit of home, of a dream becoming reality, of an ancient vision that continues to be fulfilled.
Aliyah has always been, and will always remain, the greatest engine of growth for the State of Israel. Every new oleh who arrives brings not only a personal story but also new strength to Israeli society. It is the strength to build, to create, to establish communities, and to add another layer to the shared home that belongs to all the Jewish people. This is a strength that we need now more than ever.
We are not measured only on the battlefield. We are evaluated by our ability to keep building, to keep growing, and to keep believing. Waves of aliyah are the beating heart of Israel’s renewal. They will strengthen the Negev and the Galilee, and serve as a reminder that Zionism is not merely a story of the past but a choice that continues to be written anew every day. Zionism is the future.
To watch these olim descend the airplane stairs, filled with faith and a simple love for this country, is the most powerful answer to anyone who wonders where Israel’s true strength lies.
Above the clouds is where that strength is palpable, found in the courage of olim who are about to call Israel their home.
The writer is the chairman of the executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel.