At the edge of the Negev Desert, the town of Beersheva is home to a community of Bene-Israel Jews, originally from India.  Sitting on a bench under a sheltering palm, I talk with Sara, who came to Beersheva in 1964, at the age of 20. While we watch her grandchildren...

Theodor meets me at a tree-shaded outdoor café for lunch and to reminisce about his aliyah twenty years ago.  Arriving on an El Al flight to Tel Aviv, he recalls leaving Budapest with equal parts hope and anxiety.  His move, ironically, came on the heels of Hungary’s...

I find Uri in a Nahariya park, where we had earlier agreed to meet.  A sea breeze off Israel’s northern Mediterranean coast gently rattles the leaves of an overhanging tree.  At the age of 67, Uri still has a spring in his step as he leads me to a shaded bench.  He is...

As anti-Semitism has grown over the last few years in France, so has the number of French immigrants in Israel.  In 2005, Israel experienced the largest influx of French Jews in 33 years, and the phenomenon continues.  To better understand the dynamics of modern...

In a Jerusalem office complex, I meet with David, the administrator of a large non-profit organization based here.  Today David plans to share with me the story of his move to Israel 20 years ago. David’s Story At the age of 50, David looks a decade younger.  His gait...

The ancient country of China has a colorful history of Jewish involvement, ironic in a country with almost no practicing Jews today.  Chinese immigration to Israel is therefore a rarity, but not unheard of, to which 25-year-old Yacoov can attest. Yacoov’s Story One of...

Jonathan has very recently arrived in Israel from Canada, where he lived for the first 30 years of his life. I question him in Jerusalem, where he is in the process of completing the absorption process. Jonathan’s Story An Orthodox Jew from Hamilton, Ontario, Jonathan...

Arthur meets with me near the Hebrew University, where he is studying education.  He arrived here from Sao Paolo two years ago, and at the age of 25, he is on his way to a fulfilling life in Israel. Arthur’s Story Growing up in the suburbs of Sao Paolo, Arthur was...

The delicious scent of Jewish Afghan cuisine drifts out onto the sidewalk from the Tel Aviv restaurant where Ofer works.  He invites me in for dinner and to reminisce about his time in Afghanistan and his decision to move to Israel. Ofer’s Story Over a meal of palao...