Go! - The story of David, Olivia, Shalev, Eden and Uriel Serfaty going up for aliya from France

What drives a young family from Strasbourg to leave everything behind and move to Israel? David Serfaty is 32 years old and a psychiatrist from France, husband of Olivia Serfaty, father of Shalev (7 years old), Eden (4 years old) and Uriel (2 years old).

Answering my first question David says:
“We are the third generation of dreamers about Zion. We and our children finally could make this dream come true. My grandmother was a German Jew. Before the Catastrophe she was about to go up for aliyah but her family decided that it was too dangerous. Who could know how many dangers Jews in Europe would encounter… My parents wanted to make aliyah, but their relatives persuaded them that the life in Israel is too expensive. When I declared that we want to move there, all the family said in unison: Go!”

“When we left, the Jewish life in Strasbourg was great, even too great: many religious schools, Torah studies, summer camps, youth clubs et cetera. But we still felt that our real home is over the sea.”

David and Olivia arrived in Israel in October 2014. They have many relatives and friends there, but the young family decided to start their new chapter in life in a kibbutz. Beerot Yitzhak is a religious kibbutz near Petakh Tikva, where about 80 families live. This is a totally classical kibbutz with joint Shabbat celebrations and a communal household. A reality that is totally different from what they were used to in France. Beerot Yitzhak is one of the religious kibbutzim that participates in the program "First Home in the Homeland". It gives to olim families a warm welcome and the feeling of a strong community with religious and Zionistic views. That's why the Serfaty family feels so very much at home here. Now David and Olivia want to become full members of the kibbutz.

"My daughter, now 4 years old, feels so confident here that she rides on her bike all over kibbutz on her own".
Like all participants in the "First Home in the Homeland Program", David started his way in Israel by learning Hebrew. Just after he finished a Hebrew course, David had to start a military service in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). This is a common law for all the doctors in the country. David's service will end in 2017. Olivia Serfaty works as a dentist.

I'm really looking forward to visiting them next year to see again small Uriel's smile, to ask David and Olivia how they are doing, to hug Shalev and Eden… And what about you? Are you coming with me to Beerot Yitzhak?

Orly Wolstein
'First Home in the Homeland'
Projectmanager Jewish Agency for Israel

There is a long waiting list for the 'First Home in Homeland' program of more than 80 Jewish families from the Former Soviet Union. Also Jews from France have indicated that they want to join this program. Assisting a family in the "First Home" program costs € 230 euro / US $ 250 a month.

Please support this 'First Home' program and help the people settle in the land of Israel! Any amount is welcome!

*Donate in €*	*Donate in US $*

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