Although the title of this article suggests two separate and discrete reasons for making Aliya to Israel, upon close examination, they are not totally mutually exclusive.

Fulfilling the dream and mitzvah of yishuv eretz yisrael has always been a reality for achienu bnai yisrael since time immemorial. But making Aliya to protect our safety in the United States and to ensure our future physical wellbeing as a Jewish community is a relatively new and recent 21st century communal concern and phenomena.

As a child, I cannot recall a time when a conversation about Aliya to Israel was not front and center in our household. In fact, it was so central to our daily lives that it was second nature to talk about Aliya to Israel and about imagining the beauty and splendor of relocating and living in Israel.

Making Aliya not only fulfills a tremendous mitzvah in the Torah but inherently provides acheinu bnai yisrael with a physical and emotional safety-net in a global environment that is saturated and metastasizing with antisemitism, anti-israel anger and Jew-hatred.

Whether it was the topic of conversation over the Shabbat table, on vacation, or on a walk to the park or playground with my parents, the hope, dream and promise of making Aliya was ever so central and prevalent in our lives. It was always the central topic of our conversations.

Today, when we talk about Aliya it is discussed within a totally different context than when I was a child. For many, it takes on a different meaning and tone and its contexts appears to be more anchored or embedded in concern or fear of antisemitism and Jew hatred than fulfilling the mitzvah of yishuv eretz yisrael.

Having visited Israel on many occasions, my family and I continuously discuss the prospects of making Aliya as a serious future aspiration and eventuality.

But, the question I continuously ask myself is if not now, when? And when is the “right time”?

These........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)