A New Holiday—’Aliyah Day’

August 4, 2016

by: Amichai Atali

The Knesset approved a bill which introduced a new holiday in Israel: Aliyah Day. The bill states that every Nissan, a month in the Jewish calendar which falls around spring time, the State of Israel will express its appreciation for those who immigrate to Israel.

The same day, the Knesset will dedicate a special discussion to the subject while the cabinet will do [the same] during its weekly meeting. Moreover, the occasion will be marked by educational institutions and by the president’s residence.

The bill was the initiative of a group of young people, most of whom have moved to Israel from the US and who now reside in Tel Aviv, and activists from the ‘TLV Internationals’ organization.

“Aliyah Day is an opportunity for the State of Israel to reach out to all Jews across the world, and to say that Israel is more than a place to consider living; Israel is their home,” said Jay Shultz, the founder and director of the organization.

“For us, young immigrants have a lot of strength, and Aliyah is something that we are extremely proud of. We come to Israel in order to give. We choose to be pioneers and we feel a lot of pride about this. It is a good thing that now the State of Israel will dedicate an official holiday to Aliyah,” said Jay.

Source: Excerpt of article, Ynetnews