The Personal Perspective of Making Aliya

Hannah Estrin
Interviewed by Ruth Ritterband

Hannah Estrin made aliya on August 17, 2005 under the sponsorship of Nefesh B'Nefesh.

Her first trip to Israel was in 1992-3 when she spent a year as a University of California student at the Hebrew University. Her second full year in Israel occurred in 2001-2 when, as a UJ Rabbinical student, she spent a year at Machon Schechter in Jerusalem. Other visits included vacations and several trips as a staff member of KOACH and birthright Israel groups. The last trip she made before coming on aliya took place in January 2005 when she accompanied a group of birthright Israel as a staff member.

She has a few close friends in Israel; she has no family here.

Her affiliations with Conservative Judaism in the United States included work as the youth program director of Congregation Beth Am in San Diego, summer camp director and kinnus co-ordinator at Congregation Beth Am in Los Angeles and for three years, preceding aliya, serving as KOACH field worker in Los Angeles for the Western States.

It was after her year at university here that she began to think about "making aliya" and the decision was made concretely in May 2004 when she came with a birthright Israel group.

In planning for Aliya, she worked with Nefesh B'Nefesh, with the LA Schlicha and with her friend, Devora Greenberg, who is the Shlicha with USCJ and KOACH in New York.

She is enrolled currently in an Ulpan at Beit HaNoar and rates her comprehension of Hebrew as "decent."

She chose to live in Jerusalem - in the Talpiot section because "there are two Conservative Shuls in the neighborhood" -and Talpiot is in close proximity with the German Colony (Emek Refaim Street) and a good walking distance from "downtown."

When asked about now holding TWO citizenships-American and Israeli-she responded: What could be better!

In the category of dreams, expectations, hopes and prayers, Hannah said:

I hope to take my Jewish educational background and to combine it with tourism. I will enroll in the certification course that begins in November and work in the field of educational tourism.

Ian Gralnek
Interviewed by Ruth Ritterband

Dr. Ian Gralnek made Aliya with his wife, Mazal, their three children (daughter Yuval, age 12, son Yoni, age 9 and son Ariel, age 7 on August 3, 2005 under the sponsorship of Nefesh B'Nefesh.

He is no stranger to Israel. His first trip, as a member of a USY chapter at Temple of Aaron in St. Paul, Minnesota, took place in 1980. There have been between 15 and 20 subsequent trips. He came as a Madrich for USY Pilgrimage, spent a year (1984-5) with Sherut La'am and married Mazal, an Israeli, in 1988; many additional trips to visit family and friends followed.

He married Mazal 17 years ago after she had completed her army service.

"I have wanted to make aliya since the first time I experienced Israel in the summer of 1980; it just took me 25 years to do it."

Mazal's family is in Israel; Ian has no immediate family of his own here; they do have good friends whom they consider as close as family.

In the United States, Ian went through medical school, residency, fellowship training and then the early years of an academic medical career. A gastroenterologist, most recently he served as an associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

They were members of Kehillat Maarav Synagogue in Santa Monica prior to making Aliya.

In planning for aliya, the family worked with the LA Aliya Center and a Shaliach and received immense support from Nefesh B’Nefesh.

As for ulpan training, Ian may enter a medical profession ulpan; his spoken Hebrew is fluent (thanks to his teacher, Mazal of 18 years) but he wants to work on his reading and writing skills.

They have chosen to live in Haifa as he has accepted a position at Rambam Medical Center in the department of gastroenterology. He will have an academic appointment at the Technion Medical School. Ian will work part-time as a medical director of disease management and outcomes for GIVEN Imaging which is located in Yoqneam (a medical device company which markets Pillcam; see www.givenimaging.com).

In response to a question about how “settled” he is feeling or may feel, Ian said:

"Feeling settled is very subjective; my wife is an Israeli and I have known her and her family for 21 years so I felt very at home immediately upon arrival. I think that to truly feel settled in a home, work, school for kids, our new community of Haifa- will take 1-2 years."

In the category of dreams, expectations, hopes and prayers, here is his response:

We hope and pray that our family, friends, and the entire Jewish people will be safe and secure whether they are living here in Israel or elsewhere in the world.

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