Rabbi Yehoshua Felberg is the Rabbi of Kehillat Derech Eretz in Harish and teaches at Midreshet Torat Chessed. His community is one of 42 celebrating Shabbat Aliyah this week. Find your nearest participating community at https://yiisrael.com/aliyah/
Making Aliyah is a momentous decision. Feeling at home in Israel often happens through much smaller moments: finding someone to sit beside in shul, having a friend to call when a child is struggling at school, or being asked to contribute something to the community. Alongside the great ideals that bring us here, these everyday relationships help us put down roots.
At Kehillat Derech Eretz in Harish, this is central to our purpose. Our community brings together English-speaking olim and native Israelis, with a shared commitment to Torah, Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Derech Eretz. We want to help people build friendships, grow in their Jewish lives and participate fully in Israeli society. A familiar language and a welcoming community can give people the confidence to take those next steps.
As an Oleh from Britain myself, I feel deeply the privilege of building a Jewish home in Israel. That privilege sits alongside the very real demands of Aliyah: learning a language, finding work, supporting children through unfamiliar schools and missing family overseas. Celebrating Aliyah means recognizing the faith and determination involved, including the quiet perseverance that continues years after arrival.
It also means appreciating what Olim bring. Each person arrives with experiences, abilities and traditions that can enrich our shared life. A community grows when people have opportunities to teach, volunteer, take responsibility and help shape its future. Someone who arrives needing support may soon be the person offering it to the next family.
Our Shabbat Aliyah program reflects this understanding. We will begin with a special Friday-night Oneg at the shul at 9pm, making time to enjoy Shabbat together and deepen the friendships on which community depends. Our special Shabbat Dvar Torah will focus on Aliyah and Olim, reflecting on the significance of making our home in Israel and our responsibility towards those who join us here.
Then, at 3.30pm, we will gather for a “Sweet Aliyah" celebration: Aliyah-inspired desserts and an opportunity to mingle. We hope it will help people get to know someone new and appreciate a little more of the journeys that have brought us together.
Shabbat Aliyah also gives us an opportunity to say thank you. Thank you to those who have chosen to build their lives here, and to those who help make that choice sustainable through friendship, practical help and patience.
For us, the celebration carries a responsibility into the weeks that follow: to notice the unfamiliar face, extend the invitation and make room for another person’s contribution. Our hope is that every oleh in our community feels the same clear message: we are glad you are here, your presence matters, and you have a part in building our shared home.
