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PROFILE IN ALIYAH

Hi, I'm Gabe Avner.

I'm an Oleh from the U.S., living in Israel for the last couple of years and it has become my home. I am twenty two. Right now, I am finishing up with my military service and preparing for the challenges that lie ahead for me.

My relationship to Israel was never anything special. I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and had your average Conservative upbringing. I went to a Jewish day school up until fourth grade, making the switch to public school. I continued with my Jewish education outside of school in after-school classes and Sunday School. I had a good connection to my Judaism. It was all well and good, but to be honest, the real highlight of my year was the summer. That was when I could finally see my camp friends that I'd been waiting to see all year.

I was at Camp Ramah Palmer for about ten years. It was the place that I formed the strongest bonds to friends that were closer to me than family. I only wished that I could stay with them throughout the year. In the eleventh grade, I finally got my chance.

I had heard about the Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY) program. It was pretty much a chance to study for a semester in Israel with my friends and to break out of the mold of your typical American high school experience.

I was bored in the States and I wanted to get out and see something new. Even though I had grown up Jewish, I had never been particularly interested in Israel. It was some desert country where a lot of stuff happened a long time ago, as far as I was concerned. The Israelis from Camp were pretty much the only exposure that I had to Israel and I thought that they were kind of weird.

They spoke Hebrew really quickly and dressed funny. I thought, "Are these people really the soldiers that I'd heard won the Six Day War and did all the amazing things that I'd always heard about at IDF?"

But after a week of one of my best friends, who was going on the program, calling me every night, I sent in an application, packed my bags and left for Israel.

This was the move that changed my life forever.

The next four months were more incredible than I could have imagined. It was a mixture of the independence of living away from home, that I had always liked about being at camp, as well as many new experiences. Everything was new to me — from the food to the electric sockets to everything else. It was strange to see so many people walking around with guns and having my bags checked whenever I went into a building.

I was captivated by the scenery that I saw around me; I had never been in a place so beautiful. If it was the mountains around Jerusalem, the starkness of the desert or the green of the north, I don't know. I was bit. After a while everything just became normal to me. I just got used to it; it was how life was. I made new friends with the people on my program and new people I met along the way, including my adopted family.

My time in Israel was not an easy one. This was the height of the Second Intifada and we had to deal with it. We were restricted to where we could go and while this might have taken away from a lot of the fun things that everybody does when they come to Israel, I feel that it gave us an experience unlike any other. It made us face many of the issues that Israel faces and, I believe, strengthened our commitment to being there.

Throughout the trip, I never really considered the idea of Aliyah. This was just another program until our last trip to the Golan Heights. I can still remember looking out from the Golan on the Jordan Valley and the Kinneret and thinking to myself, "Wow, this could really work for me". With that, the program ended and I was on a flight back to the States.

When I returned to America, I had this nagging feeling that something was missing from my life. It was great to see my parents again. I had missed my friends and my car.

After about a month of playing around with the idea, I went to the local shaliach and asked about the process of making Aliyah. He recommended that I attend another program — this time through Young Judaea. The shaliach said that it would give me a chance to really see if this was the right move for me. This was a ten month program that consisted of classes, volunteer work, and an army program. I signed up for the program through Young Judaea and went about finishing up high school.

I found that it was really hard for me to connect with the people around me in high school. My time in Israel had changed my entire perspective on the world around me. It was hard to relate. I knew that the only people that could really understand me were my friends in TRY. I am still in close contact with many of them.

After high school graduation, I had one last summer at home and then went back to Isael. I grew a lot, on that program. I was given more freedom and really got a taste for Israel as a whole. I felt that "thing" that was missing for me when I had returned to America — I knew that I was where I belonged. I spoke with my parents about how I felt and they told me to do what was right for me. After three months on the program, I went to the Jewish Agency and started my Aliyah process.

I was put in touch with a program called Nefesh B'Nefesh, which helped me with making my move. They gave me a financial grant to make life a little easier for when I arrived. I sent in my application, was accepted, and requested a flight for July. I finished my program and returned home, anxious to return and finally become a citizen of Israel.

Leaving home wasn't that big of a deal for me. I'd been so used to doing it over the previous number of years, that I was fine with it. On the flight, as soon as we were in the air, the Nefesh people started to process us for arrival. I was able to take care of red tape while never leaving my seat. That's what I call in-flight service. I met a family friend, with whom I would later join in the army. By the time I landed, all that I had to do was sign off that I was here to make Aliyah and then I headed to Jerusalem to crash. My friend from my adopted family of TRY, was there to help me with my new adjustments. From there I left for Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael for my Ulpan.

I can't say that doing an ulpan is the best way to learn Hebrew but if you're looking for half a year on the beach in paradise, then this is it. I learned what I could and pretty much enjoyed my self while making new friends. I had stayed in touch with my friend from the flight who was in what's known as a garin. This is a group of people that live together before the army and then go into their service together. He was able to pull me into the garin and I went into the army with them. I moved to Kibbutz Degania A to be with them and then went into the army with the boys of my garin. It was great, I was in the army with people that were in the same situation that I was but also had better Hebrew than I did so they were there to be my translaters. It made for a lot of funny stories but after a while, my Hebrew improved to a high level of fluency that often takes new Olim years to achieve. They say that the best way to learn Hebrew is to have an Israeli girlfriend or join the army. I like an idiot chose the latter. It was the smartest thing that I could have done. The friends and experiences that I have from the army strengthened me and have made me both better prepared for life in Israel and as a person. The concepts of perseverance and pride in what you are doing because it is the right thing to do are things that can only be earned through hard work and for that I thank the army. I was given the chance to see many different parts of the country, serve my country and prove to myself that nothing is impossible. Through my time in the army, I feel that I became truly Israeli. The shared trial of the army is something that Israelis go through and by being a part of it, I bonded myself to them.

I am very much in contact with the people that I have met along the way. My friends from the States are always coming to visit and I am able to see them when they're here. It's funny how I see them more here than when I was back in the States. When you move to a new place, your friends become your family. I am in touch with my parents and they are supportive of me. While I don't expect them to make Aliyah, I know that they will always be there for me if I need them. They respect my decision and for that I thank them.

So now I am closing this chapter of my life and am preparing for the next stage of things to come. It's a little scary. Kind of like how my friends who have stayed in the States and went to college and are now graduating, you ask yourself, "Ok, what now?". Despite this feeling of "what nows", I am still confident in my decision to come here. I believe in living life without regrets. If you feel something in your heart and you know it's right for you, then go with it. I had always been searching for my place in this world, wondering what and where I'm supposed to be. I have built a life here for myself and I know that I have found my place.