Comments on: Not everyone happy about NBN’s move to the UK

By: Levi Amir

Levi Amir — Mon, 29 May 2006 07:00:17 +0000

So why, and for what we need, now the Jewish Agency in London?

By: Jameel @ The Muqata

Jameel @ The Muqata — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 19:42:32 +0000

Yaakov: The worst is when I get calls from Israeli government officials complaining over my pro-settler bias.

:-)

Moadim L’simcha!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 12:33:42 +0000

Points taken, however it was you yourself who made the inital negative comments about the British reaction.
I think the ratios I put forward are fair. Just as 5 Million U.S Jews is not the true ‘target’ audience for Aliyah, neither is the 290,000 – 300,000 for British Jews.
I do agree that N’B'N has revitalised American Aliyah and created a ‘brand’ about the concept of Aliyah, and there are certainly ways in which it could help the UJIA way. Nevertheless, as stated before there are vast differences between the two communities, one of the major ones being size. N’B'N from what I understand has performed a kind or outreach to Jews in smaller communties who want to move to Israel but didn’t know who to ask or where to go.
British Jewry is essentially London now, and to a much lesser extent Manchester. Everybody who wants to make Aliyah knows who to ask and where to go. Similarly N’B'N if not a ‘religious’ organisation is certainly ‘religiously inspired’, and knowing the cultual differences between Brits and Americans I feel that many British Jews who aren’t religous but who still wish to make Aliyah could feel uncomfortable working with such an organisation. There are further cultural issues as stated prior. I know I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with an N’B'N arrival ceremony…I think that is an ‘American thing’.

Surely the best course of action would have been for N’B'N to approach the UJIA and say ‘we’ve got some good ideas as to how to improve your programme and increase Aliyah, we really feel you can benefit’. Its not a business, an issue of market share, but by steamrolling in there without ‘real’ consultation with the main UK bodies N’B'N have acted like it is.

By: Yaakov

Yaakov — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 09:25:03 +0000

Ryan – My post above was commenting on the negative press releases made by the UJIA and Jewish agency. As far as their “effective yet unassuming service” – I have no personal knowledge of this. However, some of the commentors above have experienced this service and have found it to be lacking. Do you have personal experience working with them?

Re: figures and percentages – I do not think that the target population in the US is 5 million people. That number itself is a very generous number for the total Jewish population and includes many who feel absolutely no connection to Judaism or Israel (something I think is a prerequisite for anyone who might consider moving to Israel). But I don’t think it matters either way. The most impressive thing about the numbers is the affect that NBN has had on the growth of aliyah from the US (and worldwide).

As for your other comments and attacks (which I have edited out of your comment as they had nothing to do with the topic at hand), I do not appreciate them. Please do not make any more comments of that nature. You are welcome to comment here as long as you stay on topic. If you stray again, the comment and all future comments will be deleted. Last warning.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 21:06:46 +0000

I welcome myself back to the ‘aliyah blog’. The UJIA is an excellent organisation which goes about its business in very effective but yet unassuming way, yes how very British. No huge fanfare, and triumphalist and actually highly embarassing welcome ceremonies at Ben Gurion. If people want to move to the “West Bank” after moving here then so be it, according to the UJIA, but as far I remember they don’t actually go about promoting it.

Lets also look at the figures, 3,000 or so + from a 5 million strong community, 468 from a community of 290,000. Work out the ratios for yourselves.
If N’B'N came along and said ‘we’ve got some good ideas we want to share them with you’ then fair enough, but they didn’t they just charged in, and yes the two organisations do do the same work – the promoting and logistical work of Aliyah, its an affront. Furthermore besides the very different cultural outlook of Brits vis a vis Americans, there is a very very different relationship between the British Jewish Community and the United Kingdom and the American Jewish Community and the U.S.A. Something which N’B'N doesn’t understand.

By: Yaakov

Yaakov — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 11:33:59 +0000

Jameel – Regardless of whether NBN was “coordinated” or not (whatever that means), UJIA and the British branch of the Jewish Agency made themselves look like a bunch of whining babies with their press release about territory and British pride.

And you actually get nasty phone calls over blog posts? Cool!

And as far as being unannounced, there was an article in the JPost nearly three weeks ago about how NBN is planning on expanding to the UK. In it, the article details how they met with Rabbi Sacks (who was supportive of the idea) and that they were already in negotiations with the Jewish Agency about cooperation.

By: Jameel @ The Muqata

Jameel @ The Muqata — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 11:25:26 +0000

Yaakov –

http://muqata.blogspot.com/2006/04/pesach-and-jewish-agency-uk.html

I linked to your posting…and I’ve already gotten a nasty phone call from someone who claims to “be in the know” and says the NBN came in totally uncoordinated.

We’ll see how this pans out…while I’m a big supproter of NBN, I certainly hope they didn’t come in unannounced.

Jameel
The Muqata, Inc.

By: scottage

scottage — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 05:16:02 +0000

Great post! When I made Aliyah, my gf was a British aliyah, and I was continuously impressed by how much harder she had it than I did; there just is not as much support fro the British Aliyot than for the American Aliyot. I am forwarding this post to some of those people, they will definitely be appreciative.

BTW, I love your blog, and blogrolled you a few weeks ago. It would be great if you woudl consider blogrolling me as well.

By: aliyah06

aliyah06 — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 16:01:14 +0000

Hmmm….this isn’t an “American” venture–it is a JEWISH venture, albeit it started in North America (that’s the US AND Canada). Like Emma S., my family is waiting for their NBN letter; our oldest adult daughter has already made aliyah with NBN assistance. NBN makes it easier to make aliyah because of the financial and moral support, and its determination to cut through the red-tape that so often impedes aliyah. Mr. Krikler needs to get off his high horse and see NBN as an ally, not a foreign invasion designed to undermine his ego.

By: David (UK)

David (UK) — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 11:06:51 +0000

Well said! As a teenage UK Jew, I am constantly reminded by stories like these quite how pathetic Anglo-Jewry is. One day, b’ez.H’, i will benefit from NBN’s prescence here…