'I feel safer': Despite war with Hamas, more NJ Jews are moving to Israel

Goldi Mandelbaum was busy planning her move to Israel when Hamas stormed into the country Oct. 7 and killed 1,200 people in the deadliest onslaught in the nation's history.

Her friends and family thought the violence might compel her to cancel her plans. Instead, the 28-year-old from Manchester, in Ocean County, was even more determined to go. Mandelbaum began packing with greater fervor. She boarded her flight from Newark to Tel Aviv on Nov. 28, a month earlier than scheduled.

"I was glad I came when I did, because after the terrorist attack, there were many more applications for aliyah," she said, using the Hebrew word for immigrating to Israel.

In a recent phone interview from her one-bedroom apartment in the bustling Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, she told a reporter, "Honestly, there's nowhere I'd rather be."

Israel's Law of Return allows Jews around the world the right to Israeli citizenship. They have returned throughout history, inspired by religious fervor, Zionist dreams or antisemitism in their homelands.

But Mandelbaum is among the over 800 immigrants who have opted to go during the deadliest violence the region has seen in decades. The Israel-Hamas war has caused death and devastation on a massive scale and stirred emotions around the globe. In addition to the 1,200 Israelis killed on Oct. 7, an estimated 25,000 have died in Israel's bombardments in Gaza aimed at eradicating Hamas, says the Hamas-run health ministry.

The surge of interest during the war was "an important demonstration of Zionism and a beautiful expression of solidarity in the country," said Ofir Sofer, Israel's minister of aliyah and integration, who said the influx has "provided us with a much-needed boost to our morale."

More: What is aliyah? What to know about immigration to Israel and why interest is on the rise

Also spurring interest among some Jews: Reports of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. have reached a record high since Oct. 7, with a 337% increase over the previous year, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish organization that combats harassment and extremism.

Aliyah requests more than double

Just over 3,000 people moved from North America to Israel last year, but after Oct 7, inquiries soared, said Nefesh B'Nefesh, a nonprofit that aids people from the U.S. and Canada in the immigration process. The group received about 4,200 requests to open aliyah files, a 142% increase over the same period the previous year, said Yael Katsman, an NBN spokesperson.

Among the newcomers were 545 families, almost 1,000 single men and women and 432 retirees. The average age of applicants was 34; the oldest was 100. Interest came from all over America, NBN reported.

Roughly 65% of the families are from Orthodox Jewish backgrounds, another 30% are Conservative Jews and the remainder are Reform or unaffiliated, the group said. The singles had the opposite demographic — about 40% were Orthodox and 60% non-Orthodox, Katsman said.

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Katsman, who immigrated from Queens in 1981, said she grew up hearing stories about young, idealistic Jews who flocked to Israel after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. She is witnessing a similar phenomenon after the Hamas attack, she said.

"People are coming here in solidarity with Israel," Katsman said. "They think about where they want to be, and they feel better being here in Israel than in America."

The arrivals — known in Hebrew as "olim," or "immigrants" — come from throughout North America, but they primarily hail from Eastern Seaboard communities with large Jewish populations such as New York City and New Jersey. Most have moved to cities in the center of the country, such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Modiin and Netanya, which are far from the conflicts in Gaza and at the northern border, Katsman said.

"Israel is the heart and soul of our nation," said Dov Lipman of Maryland, a former member of Israel's parliament who founded Yad L'Olim, a nonprofit that helps people emigrate to Israel. "We turn to face Jerusalem whenever we pray. Although Jews have always had a presence in the land of Israel for over 2,000 years, immigration to the world's sole Jewish state has skyrocketed since it was established 75 years ago. It's where we have an army with which to defend ourselves, where we can build our own destiny and have a platform to do good for the world."

Why move to Israel? Fear and solidarity

Lipman said he also has received more requests for information about aliyah from Jews around the world since Oct. 7. "They see the rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric and want to live in a Jewish state, which can defend the Jewish people."

About 7.2 million of the world's 15.7 million Jews reside in Israel, says the Jewish Agency for Israel, another nonprofit that encourages immigration to the nation.

Eve Baliff, 24, grew up in Houston. She always identified strongly as Jewish but was not particularly religious, she said. But she went to Israel on a gap-year program after high school, and "it resonated with me on an emotional and spiritual level," she recalled. When she returned home, Israel remained on her mind, although she attended Texas A&M and felt comfortable living in Houston.

After the Hamas attack, that changed.

"I saw the reaction in American politics, and what was happening on college campuses," she said. "My non-Jewish friends here were silent," she said. "I was like, 'I'm outta here.' I realized this is not where I'm meant to be." She called the NBN and launched her aliyah process. On Jan. 16, she arrived in Israel as a new immigrant. She is living in Jerusalem, learning Hebrew, and plans eventually to obtain a master's degree in psychology.

Amid Israel-Hamas war, 'a sense of unity'

"There's a sense of unity here, which is very uplifting. I feel lucky to be here," Baliff said. "There’s a common understanding of the impact of Oct. 7 on not only a nation, but the Jewish people as a whole. I am grateful for Israel's existence and I'm glad to be able to start my life here."

Mandelbaum, the South Jersey emigree, grew up in an Orthodox Jewish community and attended a modern Orthodox day school. Though her parents took their three children to Israel for vacation, they never imagined their only daughter would one day move there.

She grew up feeling connected to Israel as a Jew. But her ties were strengthened about a year ago when she went on a monthlong trip in which she worked in the country and experienced daily life there. When she returned to New Jersey, she began planning her future in Israel.

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A social worker by training, Mandelbaum spends her days trying to quell clients' anxieties. Moving to a war-torn country, she admits, was anxiety-provoking. Yet she could not have remained in America, she said. The rise in antisemitism around the world terrified her. In Manhattan, she encountered protests against Jews, and online, she found antisemitic rants making her "feel like everyone is hating on us."

NBN helped subsidize her flight to Israel and covered her taxi drive from the airport. It also offered Mandelbaum free online Hebrew courses and help finding an apartment, though she pays for the rent herself, she said.

Family and friends in America worry about her safety, she said, particularly when they hear about "all of the missiles and attacks." But amid reports of rising anti-Jewish harassment elsewhere, Mandelbaum said, "I feel safer in Israel."

She immediately made friends in her new country, at the airport, at the bank and at a jam session in Jaffa, where she met her new Israeli boyfriend. She spied the software engineer and guitarist singing in the crowd and chatted him up. The pair have been inseparable ever since, she said.

"There's a feeling here of unity and camaraderie," Mandelbaum said. "This is our home, and we are all looking out for each other. I never feel alone here."

Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: yellin@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: More NJ Jews making aliyah, or moving to Israel, despite Hamas war.