Raffi greets me near dusk at the entrance to a Tel Aviv park.  He has only recently completed aliyah, after emigrating to Israel from his native Sweden.  Raffi has agreed to share his story, against the backdrop of the social and political climate today in his native...

In a park in Eilat, I meet Jacob, a young man originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, and now living in this area.  Jacob arrived in Israel five years ago, at the age of 26. Jacob’s  Story Prior to his aliyah, Jacob spent his youth in the Johannesburg suburbs,...

Muriel has agreed to speak to me after negotiations through a mutual acquaintance.  Although somewhat shy, this pleasant-faced woman in her mid-thirties greets me with a broad smile and the pronounced Scottish brogue of her birth country.     Muriel’s Story   Raised...

In the past dozen years, over a million Russians have immigrated to Israel, and changed the face of Israel significantly in the process.  Natalia is one of the more recent immigrants, and she agrees to meet me in Tel Aviv and share her story. Natalia’s Story Natalia,...

Since the State of Israel was established, over 300,000 Romanian Jews have immigrated to their new home.  Today, Andrei joins me at a Tel Aviv café to tell me his own story. Andrei’s Story A university professor here in Tel Aviv, Andrei claims the distinction of being...

Today I meet with Francine, a vibrant and proud woman in her mid-60s.  A successful Jerusalem-area business woman, she tells an immigrant story of both challenge and triumph. Francine’s Story Francine’s family arrived in Israel over 50 years ago, as part of the mass...

In an Eilat city park, Anita joins me to share the story of her recent aliyah.  She arrived from Mexico City two years ago, and has begun to put down roots in this beautiful resort city near the Red Sea. Anita’s Story Anita, who just turned 31, grew up in a suburb of...

I find Zahry in Beit Shemesh, where he is living with relatives after a three-month stay in the Immigration Absorption Center in Beer Sheva.   At first he is hesitant to talk about his experiences as a recent immigrant from Yemen.  Suspicion comes naturally to many of...

Meeting with me in a Tel Aviv café on a sunny morning, Gabriel, who will soon mark his ninth anniversary in Israel, speaks nostalgically about his native Argentina, but seems to have no second thoughts about his decision to become one of the thousands of Argentine...