Many young people making aliyah serve in the IDF out of love and a sense of responsibility for their biblical homeland, Israel. In fact, Fellowship staff in the Holy Land say that many olim enlist in the IDF before their immigration process is fully complete. They have been planning to come to Israel and defend its people long before their arrival.
Lone soldiers like these come from all corners of the world without family waiting to greet them—only their brothers and sisters in arms. After the first ceasefire in the Iran war, The Fellowship helped 23-year-old Matias make aliyah from Argentina.
Matias grew up in Paraná, home to one of Argentina’s most prominent Jewish communities, which was established by Eastern European Jews fleeing anti-Semitic persecution in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He remembers a childhood filled with Jewish traditions and observances—attending Jewish Sunday school and celebrating holidays with his grandparents.
As Matias explains his decision to make aliyah, “It wasn’t about anti-Semitism, and it wasn’t about my economic situation, but rather, a desire to feel complete living as a Jew in the Jewish homeland.”
He had visited Israel on a tourist trip when he was younger and quickly fell in love with the country. The idea of moving there remained in the back of his mind as he graduated from high school and continued his data science studies in college. After several years, Matias decided to follow his dream. The Fellowship was the first organization he contacted for assistance.
“I was recommended to contact the organization because they told me that it was the best way to make aliyah. They were not wrong at all. The Fellowship allowed me to bring a lot of my belongings that I wouldn’t have otherwise because of airline costs and restrictions. They answered every question I had, gave me everything that I needed and were extremely helpful through the entire process,” Matias said.
His original flight has been delayed due to the war with Iran in March. Once the first ceasefire had been confirmed and the airports reopened, he wasted no time.
Now beginning his new life in Be’er Sheva and learning Hebrew at an absorption center, Matias is set to join the IDF at the end of the year. Thanks to a special program, he will be able to continue his data science studies while serving in the military. He also plans to extend his service beyond the mandatory period and complete at least a few years of volunteer service. Everyone he has met in Israel has been welcoming and eager to help him settle into his new home.
“I hope I can do my best in defending the Jewish homeland. It is the country that defends all of us and where I have chosen to live. Additionally, I know it is a great way to better integrate into Israeli society, meet people from all sectors of the population and establish connections for life. But, above all, I feel it is my obligation and I will fulfill it proudly,” he said.
