Ari Werner is a Wisconsin and Berkshires Ramahnik who made aliyah in 2011. He wrote this about his decision to make aliyah and his experience in Israel:

“I went on a gap year program called Nativ in the year 2009. This was probably the biggest factor in my decision. I spent part of that year living on Kibbutz Ein Tsurim and that was where I made the decision to make aliyah. I realized that just visiting Israel every so often was not enough for me. I needed to contribute so much more to my land and people. Making aliyah and serving in the IDF were what I needed to do, and in a few months, I will draft into the Israeli Defense Force as a lone soldier. Ramah contributed so much to my love for Israel. It was with Ramah Seminar that I first set foot in Israel. I saw Israel from the very North to the South. I fell in love with my country with the help of Ramah. Some of the people I knew from Ramah also made aliyah so it was nice to have them around.”

I have been living in Israel for 2 months on Kibbutz Degania Alef. I am doing all of this on the program Garin Tzabar. They set us up on a kibbutz with about 20 other lone soldiers all of whom become as close as siblings. Without Garin Tzabar this whole process would have been very difficult. They really take care of us and help us navigate our way through Israeli bureacracy. I have been going to Ulpan, getting all of my army things taken care of, and generally enjoying my time here. I draft in a few months and I cannot wait to get started.