Alum Makes Aliyah in the late ’60s
In honor of Israel’s 70th year, we asked our alumni in Israel to share their aliyah story. Read Chashi Knobloch’s (’68) story below. Click here to return to the whole page of olim who submitted responses.
What year did you make aliyah and how old were you?
1973 at 22 years old.
Did your experience in high school influence your decision to make aliyah?
Yes. Learning our Jewish history and heritage and having a country to go to made it all possible. Madrichim (in Bnei Akiva) also helped!
What was your path to aliyah like?
Learning אהבת העם ואהבת הארץ על פי התורה.
There was nothing more correct then making the move. Spending the year after high school on a Torah V’Avoda program also made me realize what I wanted to study in college.
What has been the most rewarding about living in Israel?
Even throwing out the garbage has kedusha to it! Planting and watching our own fruit trees produce is miraculous. Who would have thought a city girl could enjoy the country so much?! The most rewarding event so far was at the seder table when our grown children with their own children thanked us for making the right move.
What is the most challenging part of making aliyah?
Letting go of family and friends that stayed in Galut! We arrived in Israel about a month before the Yom Kipper War, and when the war broke out my mother-in-law kept asking, “When are you coming home?” Our answer was that, “We are home! When are you joining us?”
Where do you live now?
We have lived in Ginot Shomron for 35 years. We moved here after living in Raanana for 10 years. We made aliyah to Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, and we had two children there and felt very much a part of Jewish history.
What do you do professionally?
I was a nurse on the kibbutz. When we moved to Raanana, I worked in Beit Levenstein, a rehabilitation hospital with a high percentage of success including in our work with soldiers. In the Shomron I was the public health nurse in the community. It was very exciting being part of a growing country with lots of new developments.
What is your advice for our students today?
Don’t expect thank yous for anything. Know what you want to do and do it! Love what you do, and that’s all the satisfaction you need.