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IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT ALIYAH

As everyone knows, the key to success in building a new life in Israel once the enthusiasm of making aliyah dies down is finding and securing economic stability. As new immigrants joke, "How do you make a small fortune in Israel? Bring a large fortune!" Finding employment in Israel usually involves job retraining and being open to kinds of work that one would not have considered before. Compounding the difficulty is the current Israeli economic situation, which has seen a drastic reduction in jobs in the public sector and cuts in social welfare programs.

Therefore, if one wants to help new olim, as Maimonides would say, the key is providing avodah, not tsedakah. But how to provide work for those who live 10,000 miles away? Enter Project Reconnect Israel's "Yellow Pages"!

Project Reconnect Israel, the alumni association for former members of USY, Atid, Koach, Nativ and the Conservative Yeshiva who have made aliyah, aims at providing a supportive network of connections for those already in Israel and a welcoming home base for potential olim from the "Old Country". One way to provide this all-important support is through the group's "Yellow Pages".

Friends and family in North America can now provide tangible backing for Conservative Movement alumni now living in Israel by shopping and doing business via the new directory, http://www.projectreconnect.org/yellow_pages. "Reconnectnicks" listed in the directory include, among others, real estate agents, business consultants, artists, engineers, teachers, website designers, nurses, tour guides, accountants and writers.

Whether one is looking to engage services while visiting Israel or to fill business needs via the Internet, the Project Reconnect "Yellow Pages" is an important tool to help Conservative Movement olim succeed in their new lives in Israel.