PLEASE VOTE FOR MY ALIYAH IDEA

So NBN has this new site called MyAliyahIdea.com, and I'm like: Great! Now I can start posting all my Aliyah ideas and get them out there for folks to see. Trick is, people need to vote on it so that it gets into the big leagues. So here is my first Aliyah idea - if you like it, make it count by clicking the voting icon!

Now for the idea: Aliyah Across America – Shabbat Lech Lecha

Every year Parshat Lech Lecha rolls around, bespeaking of Abraham's journey from Aram to the Land of Canaan. Abraham, the first Jew, the first Oleh, come to the land of Iisrael as a wealthy leader – he was not escaping persecution, but rather ascended to Israel to find spiritual fulfillment. This attitude towards Aliyah is exactly what American Jews need to hear: Aliyah is not running away from America, it is running to Israel to fulfill Jewish destiny.

It is for this reason that Shabbat Aliyah Across America will take place annually on Parshat Lech Lecha. On this Shabbat, Jews all over North America will celebrate the Jewish love for Israel and restate the commitment to our collective destiny.

On AAA, participating communities will host Aliyah speakers and hold events and discussions that call on Jews to strongly consider Aliyah as an option. Youth groups will congregate to spend a Shabbat dedicated to seeing themselves living in and building the Jewish State.

Such a fixed yearly Aliyah focal point will allow educators and professionals to target their audience for Aliyah messaging around that period. Throughout the preceding month ads will appear in magazines, and Aliyah activities will take place in schools. Each year, educators and professionals will get geared up to push the message of Aliyah, in connection with this beloved Torah portion.