We must be careful not to take the achievements of our young State for granted - the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language, the development of a democratic and civic society, internationally-recognized advances in science, technology, education and culture. Israel’s success is not due to its military strength. Its success is due to the fact that a critical mass of Jews, each individual bringing his or her own talents and visions, chose to live here. Without aliyah, Israel would never have been reborn and prospered. Without aliyah and constant support from Jews around the world, it would have never survived. Why Israel? Why Now? We hope the pages before you will help answer those questions.

Sincerely,
Mike Rosenberg , Director-General of the Immigration and Absorption Department of the Jewish Agency

"Many people sit and wait for the great leaders and pioneers of the past to come back.
But they are gone. We are it. It is up to us."

In the pages before us, we reflect, celebrate and conjure up individual and collective visions for our future. For the atheist, the observant, or any shade of Jew in between, the creative vibrancy in Israel is compelling - from hi-tech start-ups to Jewish learning, from Hebrew literature to medical innovation - Israel is home to it all.

Many Jews have an ambiguous relationship with this country that can one day move them to tears of joy and pride, and the next, make them angry or apologetic. The many layers of parallel truths condensed into one small place are difficult to grasp. Yet, as Professor Arnie Eisen says. "We are at a moment which will not soon come again. We are called upon to do work which we alone can perform. The very least we can do is honestly face the questions which the facts so urgently pose before us."

For any Jew, Israel remains a test of us as a people. Whatever happens here reflects upon us all. As David Hartman says in his article "A society can be no more then the people who live in it."

Those before us forged a path to a dream, the realization of which is a constant struggle. We welcome you to this edition of the The New Aliyon to  feel the pride in the human-wrought miracles of the past fifty years, and to enter into a discussion as to where we will take the next fifty.

The Editors

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