Last month, Fellowship staff attended an aliyah seminar in Argentina at the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) building. In Buenos Aires, aliyah seminars are held here to help educate and guide Jews on immigrating to their biblical homeland of Israel. Argentina is home to the largest Jewish population in South America, having seen significant growth as European Jews looked for a new home after the Holocaust.
For many, the aliyah process can be long and costly. Some come to Israel with nothing. The Fellowship strives to make sure olim (immigrants)to the Holy Land not only immigrate, but also settle in to be full, productive citizens in their new home. Valentina Flores hopes to be one this month.
The Fellowship met Valentina at the seminar in Buenos Aires. She plans to make aliyah in the coming weeks. From a young age, she had to support herself as her family struggled. She said she works long hours, up to 12 hours a day and six days a week, for little pay. However, her dreams are anything but small as she hopes to study medicine and become a doctor.
“My grandfather was a doctor, and I always looked up to him with pride. I’ve wanted to follow that path since I was a child. However, life here has made it nearly impossible,” said Valentina, “That’s one of the reasons Israel represents hope for me. I believe there I’ll have the chance to both work and study in a way that makes sense. My greatest goal is to become a doctor so I can give back, just as the community has always supported me.”
