As rising antisemitism continues to affect Jewish communities worldwide, Israel will find a way to absorb Jewish immigrants regardless of how high aliyah numbers climb, Dov Lipman, founder and CEO of Yad L’Olim, told JNS on Sunday.
“The Knesset Aliyah Committee very often discusses whether the government is ready. I praise the current minister, Ofir Sofer, who has done a lot of things to help aliyah, and we work very well together with the ministry, but if you are asking me as a whole if there is a plan in place, the answer is no,” said Lipman.
“At the same time, I don’t know if we were prepared for it in the 1990s when the former Soviet Union fell, and somehow miraculously things worked out,” he added. “I don’t believe we should rely on that and I’m all for different organizations sharing know-how and advising the government on steps they can take to be better prepared for when an increase inevitably happens, but at the same time I’m optimistic,” he said.
Lipman’s organization recently marked its fifth anniversary after assisting 50,000 new immigrants from more than 40 countries.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog acknowledged in a video statement the work of the organization and the key role it plays, being “a critical voice of advocacy vis-a-vis the Knesset and other government agencies to help put policies in place that ease what is clearly a complex process of aliyah.”
“Clearly, it is not always easy, especially over these difficult years of war and uncertainty, aliyah can be especially challenging. Yad L’Olim has done something beautiful. It has reached into our tradition of mutual responsibility and care for one another to make Aliyah easier,” the president said.
Founded in 2021, the organization initially handled requests related to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping people enter Israel for weddings, births and funerals.
“I never would have imagined that even during non-emergency periods, there would be tens of thousands of Jews who wanted to make Israel their home and would need help for that to happen or have already come to Israel and need assistance getting integrated,” Lipman said.
After the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, the organization increasingly shifted its focus to wartime-related needs.
“We were helping people with bureaucratic issues, getting to Israel or with health and education related matters. Then, I started getting messages from families of new immigrants whose children had unfortunately been killed in the war and who needed help navigating bureaucracy in relation to that,” said Lipman.
“We had people asking for our help with getting duffle bags filled with donations into Israel. A classic example of the work we did was the family of a lone soldier who was killed and wanted him to be buried on Mount Herzl but it couldn’t be done without a signature from the parents, who were in London. We were the liaison with the Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces to make that happen. Our ability to talk to ministries, ministers and staff became important,” he added.
The organization later began receiving requests for mental health support. Through its connections with Jewish communities abroad, Yad L’Olim was able to assist in that area as well. As the war entered periods of reduced intensity, the organization also helped reservists return home and access mental health support related to their service.
Yad L’Olim operates through two primary channels. The first handles requests for assistance submitted through its website, with dedicated staff responding within 24 hours. The organization then works to provide answers directly or advocate with government ministries on behalf of immigrants. Cases range from school placement and driver’s licenses to treatment for serious illnesses.
The second channel focuses on advocacy and government relations, seeking policy changes when necessary.
In addition, Yad L’Olim organizes regular webinars to provide information and answer questions on a wide range of topics, as well as Hebrew conversation clubs in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Zikhron Yaakov and Haifa.
The organization is primarily privately funded, though this year it qualified for government funding for the first time.
Among the many areas in which Yad L’Olim assists immigrants is healthcare, for which it maintains a dedicated department.
“For retirees for example, making an appointment may be overwhelming between the language and the culture, they’re not used to this type of medicine, all the way to people who have children with serious illnesses. Thanks to Yad L’Olim, every new immigrant knows there is a place they can turn to where it will be dealt with,” he said.
“In the past, it would be a reason to leave and go back to their country of origin where they know how the system works, and that would be a shame,” he added.
Another key area is education, Lipman said, particularly ensuring that students, including those with special needs, are properly placed in schools and receive the support they require.
Many new immigrants also struggle with Israel’s National Insurance Institute, known as Bituach Leumi, as they work to establish their center of life in Israel and access benefits.
“It’s overwhelming both when it comes to the language and the culture. They don’t even know who to turn to, they turn to us, we have wonderful relationship with the heads of Bituach Leumi, they listen to what we say, we write letters of advocacy or clarification for new immigrants,” he said.
“I really do believe when you look at numbers that the process of integration for people from anywhere around the world is a lot easier because they know they have an organization they can turn to that will advocate for them or hold their hand through the process and help make things work,” he added.
Under Israeli law, new-immigrant status officially expires after 10 years, but Lipman said he hopes to discuss the issue with the next government following the upcoming elections.
“There is a disparity between what the government views as a new immigrant and the reality, because their assumption is that after 10 years one acclimates, knows the language and the culture, but it is not always the case,” he said.
“Governments function within boxes, and I understand that there needs to be rules and regulations, otherwise it is chaos, but I do want to open that up so that it is not ironclad and so that there is a willingness to hear the situation and understand that there can be exceptions,” he added.
Looking ahead, Lipman said that in an ideal world, Yad L’Olim would no longer be necessary.
“Our staff is very attuned to holding a hand literally through the whole process. That is something that as an NGO we can provide that governments are not equipped to do. My long-term vision is that Israel will provide that service, but until it happens Yad L’Olim needs to be here to help the thousands of new immigrants that reach out to us,” he added.
