ALIYAH 2010 - Home Game: Lakers vs. Israel

Posted by Orit Arfa

Jewish from SoCal making aliyah (the move to Israel) or thinking about making aliyah missed the Lakers Championship (well, sort of), to attend the Aliyah Expo organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel. Find out who won: the Lakers or Aliyah-ers...

As the Lakers battled the Celtics at home for the NBA Championships, about 300 Angelenos missed the game (well, sort of) to play for their real home: Israel. At the Aliyah Fair sponsored and organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel on the night of the Game 7 of the Finals, people making and thinking about making aliyah (the big move to Israel) gathered to find out their options for work, housing, education, and absorption.

Held at the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, the fair was planned months in advance, and John Levey, the shaliach aliyah (emissary) said they had hoped one of the teams (Lakers?) would win earlier, hence the contentious timing.

Sessions were held on the process of making aliyah, shipping and customs, Israeli taxes, and higher education. Vendors representing Israeli real estate, housing, healthcare, education, shipping, and the ever popular IPhone and Blackberry transfers were on hand to show them that making aliyah doesn’t have to be as tough as Game 5, when the Lakers lost by 6 points after trailing in the double-digits throughout. But as the Finals reached the 4th quarter, most people couldn’t concentrate on Zion.

Watch the battle between the Lakers and Aliyahers here, and stay tuned for Orit Arfa’s feature on the growing surge of Angeleno aliyah to Israel.