More than 20,000 new olim arriving from over 100 countries around the world will celebrate their first Rosh Hashanah as Israeli citizens.
According to data released by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the Jewish Agency for Israel, olim arrived this year from North America, Europe, South America, and Australia, from countries such as the UK, Ukraine, Germany, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil, with Russia, France, and the United States leading in the number of olim.
This reflects an ongoing trend of diaspora Jews choosing to move their lives to Israel despite an extremely challenging security reality that has persisted for the past three years, since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the Iron Swords War in Gaza and subsequent rounds of fighting with Iran.
The decision is not confined to any particular sector or age group, but cuts across Israeli society: 35% of the new olim are young adults aged 18–35, while at the other end of the spectrum, two of the oldest olim are no less than 102 years old.
"All my life I knew I had to live in Israel," 19-year-old Eitan Cohen, who recently made Aliyah from New York, said. "My parents are Israeli, and I grew up as a Zionist, but after Oct. 7, I became more religious. I understood that Zionism and religion go hand in hand," he added.
Q: How does it feel to know you'll be celebrating Rosh Hashanah as an Israeli for the first time?
"I'm so excited to celebrate Rosh Hashanah as an Israeli citizen. I can't wait to celebrate it with all my friends at Eli Academy. My Rabbi is on reserve duty, and he'll return to celebrate the holiday with us," Cohen says of his experience as a student at the pre-military academy.
Q: This year feels especially consequential, with Israel preparing for the upcoming elections. What would you like to wish the people of Israel for Rosh Hashanah, and what would you wish for yourself and your family?
"I wish for a good future for us here. I wish for peace, after all those years of stress and war. One day, God willing, we won't have to worry about rockets and running to shelter. May we always have a reason to be happy," he said. "For myself, I wish for a meaningful service in the IDF." He added that he wants his connection to Israel to grow even stronger.
"There were a lot of forces pulling us towards a life in Israel, but perhaps the strongest is a life of deeper meaning, strong community, and a greater sense of freedom to live out our Jewish identities," Amiad Fredman, 33, who made Aliyah with his wife Joelle and their three children, Crew (7), Emmet (6), and Shiloh (2), from St. Louis, Missouri, said. "We wanted to have these things for ourselves, but perhaps even more importantly, to give our children a richer childhood, we believe, is possible only in Israel," he said, adding, "We wanted our children to feel a sense of ownership and belonging in the land of Israel."
Q: How does it feel to know you'll be celebrating Rosh Hashanah as an Israeli for the first time?
"You aren't just observing a holiday – you are celebrating it in rhythm with nearly the entire country," Amiad said. "The first thing I noticed was the grocery stores. Every single one has a Rosh Hashanah display set up right at the entrance, filled with apples, honey, and a new fruit on display – I tried a yellow date, something I've never had before. The other thing I noticed is the language. Just as "Merry Christmas" becomes the default greeting for weeks in the States leading up to Christmas, "Shana Tova" is now the official parting phrase for any conversation leading up to the holiday. These two observations capture exactly what it feels like to celebrate Rosh Hashanah as an Israeli for the first time. It feels like true belonging."
Q: This year feels especially consequential, with Israel preparing for the upcoming elections. What would you like to wish the people of Israel for Rosh Hashanah, and what would you wish for yourself and your family?
"Israel and the people of Israel have endured so much over the past several years. In those times, I think one is reminded of life's fundamental requirements: Safety. Security. Quiet. Peace. Peace of mind. These basic necessities are my deepest wish for the people of Israel, and I know the elections are an important step in securing them.
"For my own family, I wish for a year of continued meaning, integration, and connection. I still occasionally catch myself referring to native-born citizens as 'the Israelis,' as if they are a separate group. But I try to remind myself that we are Israeli now, too. I look forward to walking through this next year side-by-side with my fellow Israelis."
Their Aliyah was facilitated by Nefesh B'Nefesh, in cooperation with Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and Jewish National Fund-USA, as was that of Joseph and Carolyn Goldwasser, 70, who immigrated to Israel from Kansas.
"We always said we wanted to stand with Israel in Israel," Carolyn said. "We had been talking about it for years," Joe added. "Our first trip to Israel was only just seven years ago on a tour. We didn't want to leave. We were here in December 2024 during Hanukkah, and we walked around the city. Merchants in stores wishing you 'Happy Hanukkah,' and you see menorahs everywhere, and that's just the feeling of living in a Jewish culture, as opposed to December in the United States," he explained.
"We wanted to connect with the Jewish people. October 7 certainly gave us a sense of solidarity and belonging," he emphasized.
"Rosh Hashanah is a new beginning," Carolyn said. "We are spending it with people that we met a couple of weeks ago at a new shul that just embraced us the very first day we were there. The community that we're building here will hopefully continue to be our community moving forward."
Q: What would you like to wish the people of Israel for Rosh Hashanah, and what would you wish for yourself and your family?
"For us, I definitely want us both to be healthy now that we're here. I want to make sure that our new life here is long and healthy, and just continuing to grow in the communities that we're building," Carolyn said.
"My hope for the country is that while we have a diversity of opinion, a diversity of lifestyles, and a diversity of observance, and that whatever disagreements or disputes we have, we treat each other with kindness and with respect, and with the knowledge that we are still one people," Joe added.
