Spiritual home is now family's permanent residence 

By Deena Yellin
North New Jersey
December 28, 2005 
http://www.bergen.com/

Life in America has been comfortable for the Mugrabi family. 
They have a spacious split-level on Rutland Avenue in Teaneck. 
They've enjoyed lucrative careers and the reassurance of parents 
and siblings living nearby. 

But they're moving out. The couple have packed up their home and 
will trade in all the familiar comforts of America for an apartment in 
the small Israeli town of Modiin, where they will have to speak a 
new language and acclimate to a different standard of living. 

Jodi and Yaakov Mugrabi are taking their four children - a 3-year-old 
girl and triplet 22-month-old boys - to a country that has been 
plagued by terror attacks for years. 

And that's just fine with them. No matter what hardships they may 
endure in their new home, at least they will be living in their 
homeland surrounded by people whose heritage mirrors their own. 

The couple is making aliyah, which literally means ascent, and 
is the Hebrew word for Jews returning to their homeland. 

"We're going there for a better life for our children," said Jodi, 
a speech therapist. "Our place as a Jewish people is in Israel. 
It's where our culture is, our heritage is and our history is." 

Apparently, she's not the only one who thinks so. The couple 
were joined Tuesday night by 259 other North American Jews 
who flew to their new homes in Israel on an El Al flight from 
JFK Airport. 

It was the seventh specially chartered aliyah flight this year by 
Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN), which means Jewish Souls United. 
The group, which has offices in Jerusalem and Manhattan, 
helps ?migr?s settling in Israel with the acclimation process by 
giving monetary grants, job and housing assistance and moral 
support. 

The Mugrabis' flight last night marked the culmination of a 
record-setting year of immigration to Israel, said Charley Levine, 
NBN's spokesman. "This year, Israel has seen the largest number 
of emigrants since 1984," he said. "Over 3,300 North American Jews 
will have moved in 2005 through our organization. Five years ago, 
there were only 1,200." 

In the four years since NBN's inception, the numbers of emigrants 
on their flights have more than doubled every year. "Approximately 
7,000 people have gone to Israel with us since we started," 
said Levine. "Next year, we hope to have about 12 flights. We're 
excited that there's a trend at work here." 

NBN officials say this trend stems from the fact that their 
organization and others like it have made aliyah more accessible. 

"It's an enduring dream of Jews all over the world to reconnect with 
Israel. It's their physical and spiritual home. We lower the hurdles for 
people who have the dream," said Levine. 

Levine likened the ?migr?s, who are departing to Israel on the 
third night of Hanukkah, to "modern day Maccabees." 
The Maccabees in the Hanukkah story fought for religious freedom 
in Israel roughly 2,200 years ago. Coincidentally, the town where 
the Mugrabis are headed, Modiin, was the hometown of the 
Maccabees, and was where the rebellion they led against 
Greek rule began.

The passengers held a mass candle-lighting ceremony at JFK and 
they will light a menorah today upon their arrival in Tel Aviv. 

The idea of aliyah began to take root for the Mugrabis when they 
went to Israel two years ago to visit Yaakov's relatives. "I saw the 
life they lead there and how they really appreciate it and spend time 
with their family," said Jodi, who has been married for four years. 

She and Yaakov began comparing their life in Teaneck with the 
life they saw in Israel and realized they had a longing for something 
more. "In America, our lives were so busy just with working to 
earn enough to pay the mortgage and keep up with everybody else. 
There, everything is more life oriented. You live for what you are doing." 

Most of their fears center around missing family and friends and 
having to start over. Terrorism, Jodi said, isn't foremost on their 
minds. "Things happen to people everywhere. Look at 9/11, 
look at the hurricanes and tsunamis. If you are afraid of everything, 
then you won't do anything." 

The couple sought help from NBN, which offered to help them put 
their dreams into motion by finding them housing and jobs and 
connecting them with others who left the U.S. for Israel. 

"Nefesh B'Nefesh helped us so much. They made it possible for us 
to feel like we are not doing this alone. There's a whole family on 
the plane waiting for us," she said.

Israeli Deputy Council General Benjamin Krasna, who was at 
JFK to send them off, said the Israeli government is thrilled that 
so many American Jews are going to Israel. "We recognize that 
many of them are giving up a lot to be there. We will receive them 
with open arms."