New Olim

As soon as planes were allowed to land, over 100 new olim landed in Israel from UK, Spain, France, and the Netherlands.

After everything we’ve been through-

Why do they come?

They come when the world is unstable

When the sirens wail in the distance

And parents hesitate before sending their children to school—

When the land quakes.

Why do they come?

They come with duffel bags and dreams

Boxes marked “kitchen” and “hope”

Hearts full of trembling certainty

That this is the place

Where the story continues.

They come

Is it because in all the madness it still feels safe?

Or perhaps because it’s always been theirs.

Because exile has always been a question

And Israel is the answer

Because even when the borders shake,

The soil speaks in the language of home.

They come

While missiles arc across the sky

While neighbors warn them to wait

While logic says

Not now.

Not this year.

Not like this.

But they would rather be here, together, than anywhere else.

Something deeper calls.

A thread pulled through generations

A whisper heard in ancient texts

A longing that has never quieted

Not in Warsaw

Not in Baghdad

Not in London

Not in Paris

Not in Ethiopia

Not in New York City.

They come with fear

But also with faith

With grief

But also with grace.

Because sometimes, the only way to survive the madness

Is to run straight into the core

Carrying your people’s future in your hands

And say—

We are still here.

We are home.

Photo: Avshalom Sassoni