From Iran to New York, and now to Ra'anana: Why did the affluent community leave everything just now?

Yosef and Tracy grew up in the Persian-Jewish Mashhadi community in New York, built careers and comfortable lives alongside their extended family. It was precisely from this good life that they decided to leave everything and make Aliyah to Israel with their three children. After October 7th, and in light of the antisemitism they saw in the USA, "someday" became "now". "We were not fearless. We worried about money, work, and the children, but we believed enough in the decision to take the risk," they told in an interview with Walla.

In the United States, the couple started a family and built a stable life: Tracy worked as a math teacher, and Yosef held a management position in the jewelry industry for years. "We didn't leave because we weren't happy," they say. "In fact, we had a really good life, and that made the decision even harder. We left something comfortable because we felt we wanted something else for our family."

For them, the Mashhadi and Jewish identity was a central part of the decision. They grew up in an environment where Shabbat and holidays were celebrated alongside extended family. Alongside the desire to pass on the heritage to their children, they wanted them to grow up in a place where Jewish identity is not a minority identity: "Here, Jewish holidays are the regular holidays, you feel Shabbat everywhere, and Hebrew is around them. We wanted Israel to become a home for them, and not just a place they visit."

Aliyah to Israel was carried out under the leadership of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the Israela organization, in partnership with Mizrachi, the Jewish Agency, KKL, JNF-USA, and Nefesh B'Nefesh. The thought of moving to Israel accompanied the couple for years but remained a dream until an introductory trip to the country: "We felt that the country was calling us, as if the Holy One, Blessed be He, was speaking to us and saying: the time has come for you to come."

After returning to the USA, it turned out that other families shared similar desires. They decided to make Aliyah together in the summer of 2026 and settle in Ra'anana. The move took a professional and economic toll, but they knew that if they waited for the moment when there would be no financial risk at all, they would probably never make Aliyah.

And then came October 7th

The couple emphasizes that the war did not cause them to flee the United States, but the antisemitism they encountered afterward made the question about their children's future more urgent: "It didn't create the idea of Aliyah, but it definitely made us feel that maybe 'one day' should turn into 'now'."

Eitan, Tracy's brother, and his wife Talia Cohen also built a whole life in New York. "We had no reason to leave. We had everything, but we felt that Israel was calling us. We knew that this is our true home and that this is where we want our children to grow up," they say. Eitan, a computer engineer, has already started working at an Israeli start-up, and Talia is a teacher.

Community Aliyah as a new trend

CEO of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, Dganit Sankar-Langa, notes the uniqueness of this group: "This is a very closed, very Zionist, and established community of about 13,000 people. The 'community Aliyah' model is based on families from the same community who make Aliyah together, live in proximity, and maintain the social framework. From the first moment, they receive the strength of the community." According to her, there is a real shifting of tectonic plates in American Jewry regarding Aliyah as antisemitism makes people rethink their future.

For a year and a half, the families underwent comprehensive preparation including Hebrew studies, education system familiarization, and bureaucracy. Now, the integration phase begins in Ra'anana. In November, 16 more families from the same community are expected to arrive for a study tour. "Once there is a critical mass, it becomes a snowball," says Sankar-Langa.

Minister of Aliyah and Integration, Ofir Sofer, addressed the new Aliyah: "The choice of young families to leave everything and build their future in Israel is a powerful Zionist statement. We are preparing to accompany the families and give them the tools to integrate, establish themselves, and feel at home here."