Fear of War with Iran Impeding Aliyah
Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky said the fear of a war with Iran has caused Jews in the Diaspora to delay their aliyah plans.
Sharansky told Israel Radio on Sunday that potential immigrants who had finalized their plans to move to Israel have delayed their arrival by several months because they are afraid of an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities and an Iranian response.
Public discussions by Israeli politicians and defense officials about an Iran strike “have crossed every red line,” Sharansky said.
Some 350 new immigrants from North America arrived on a charter aliyah flight last week.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
