Israel’s not the only promised land...
zona in particular — for its climate, its beauty and, yes, its Jews. My family love America too — indeed, last summer our son Arron took up a place to study political science at Berkeley University. But our move isn’t predicated on a need to be near our boy (and anyway, Arizona is a flight away from California).
Of course it won’t be easy to go. I’ve lived my entire life in Manchester, a city with a broad, bustling Jewish community — though my wife Honey is no stranger to the role of wandering Jew. The daughter of a prominent Persian mother, as a 12 year-old girl she fled Iran at the height of the revolution, to live first in London and then in Manchester.
I accept that, on many levels, it would be so much easier to move to Israel. Thanks to the ancient Law of Return, as Jews we are not only welcome but of course entitled to live there.
By comparison, getting a visa, and ultimately a Green Card, to the States can sometimes be challenging. It took me two years to find the most costeffective and least problematic route, eventually settling on a little-known scheme called the EB-5 Visa. The scheme awards a Green card to those who either invest in projects in rural areas or those of high unemployment; in my case, I am making a fiveyear loan to help fund a large hotel development in Vermont.
That’s the thing about America. There are bountiful business opportunities. Quite different from going to Israel, where the way to make a small fortune is to go with a large one.
But there’s another aspect to consider. Is it really desirable for every Jew on the planet to live in the Holy Land? Are we not better protected if we strengthen our presence and numbers in strategic places throughout the world?
I sincerely hope that the future will be peaceful and secure for British Jewry. But I’m not prepared to take a chance. By moving to America, I can offer my family a fresh start, live comfortably among a large Jewish community and expand my business interests too.
Can a land get much holier than that?