Danbury woman leaving for Israel by Brian Saxton New Times Live http://leisure.newstimeslive.com July 5, 2007 Danbury - Despite the daily headlines from the Middle East that mirror the region’s continuing unrest, one Danbury woman is exchanging the leafy calm of Deer Hill Avenue for a new home at one of the hubs of the strife. American-born Giliah Ruth Librach, who was conceived in Israel and grew up always feeling it was her home, is pulling up her roots this month and going there for good. "I think it’s a privilege to live in the United States, but I’ve always dreamed of living in Israel," Librach said Tuesday. "I just feel that Israel is part of my history and that I belong there." Librach, who leaves Monday, will not be going alone. The 24-year-old daughter of Rabbi Clifford Librach, who runs Danbury’s United Jewish Center, is one of more than 2,000 other American Jews who are expected to fly to Israel this summer to build new homes and start new lives. "In Hebrew it’s called ‘making Aliyah’ which means ‘going up,’ " Librach said. "It’s a term used to describe people from other countries who move to Israel." Spokesman Charley Levine, of Nefesh B’Nefesh (Jewish Souls United), a Jerusalem-based organization that helps people make the transition, said nearly 13,000 Americans have relocated to Israel in the past six years alone. "It’s our business to try to remove any bureaucratic barriers for newcomers, as well as provide logistical and financial support," Levine said. Levine said although there are many different reasons Jews living aboard move to Israel, one of the strongest motivations is the need to be reconnected with their homeland. For Giliah Librach, who was born in St. Louis, Mo., feelings for Israel have run deep all her life. When her family lived in Massachusetts, Librach attended a Jewish day school and later a Jewish high school. "My parents instilled a great connection with Israel inside me, and I’ve spent my entire life learning about my Jewish identity and Jewish culture," Librach said. "When I was 10 my parents took me to Israel and we traveled all over the country." Librach said the more she read about Israel when she was in college, the more she wanted to live there. "It’s hard to describe my feelings but I just felt more at home there," Librach said. "I could be myself." Librach, who has a degree in psychological and brain sciences, expects to spend some time at an immigration center in Jerusalem and study Hebrew before going to graduate school and earning a doctorate in clinical psychology. Librach’s brother, Max, 21, is a sophomore at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., and is studying Arabic in Jordan. Giliah Librach, whose Israeli-born boyfriend has served with the Israeli Army, is pragmatic about the ongoing political struggle in the Middle East. "When things get as complicated as they are now, there’s never going to be a clear solution," Librach said. "I believe in Israel’s right to exist and her borders, but I also understand that concessions may have to be made for the sake of peace." "Everyone in the region, and I mean everyone, should be able to live in peace." Librach’s mother, Marian, has mixed emotions about her daughter’s move. "I’m sad she’ll be so far away, but at the same time I’m happy and excited for her," Miriam Librach said. "It’s a place that I love to visit and I hope to be there myself some day."