For thousands of years, Jews across the globe have yearned to make Israel their home, but only in the past 76 years has this dream of making aliyah become a reality. For many, however, the idea of moving to another country, with all the upheaval and complexities involved, still makes it no more than a dream.
Schooling, healthcare, housing, Hebrew, jobs, and so on are just some of the hurdles that have to be overcome to make a success of living in Israel.
Now help is at hand in the form of Belong, the first-ever private company promoting immigration to Israel. The idea for Belong, with its mission “to bring Jews to Israel,” was formed 10 years ago by its founder, entrepreneur Gilad Ramot. More recently, the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7 and the ensuing war have spawned an unprecedented and deeply troubling rise in global antisemitism and ignited a sense of urgency within the company.
“The last few months have kindled feelings of shared destiny among Diaspora and Israeli Jews alike, and heightened the need to unite and connect with Israel,” he explained, adding, “Since the beginning of the war, the importance of Jewish immigration to Israel has never been greater.”
To learn more about Belong, The Jerusalem Post spoke to CEO Eilon Gilad, a charismatic Israeli whose love of the land shone through from moment one. He began by saying that the launch of the company, originally planned for November 1, 2023, had to be postponed, as some of the team, including himself, were called up for military service on Oct. 7.
Clearly on the same page as the company’s founder, Gilad spoke passionately about their shared vision and how Ramot has been instrumental in bringing it to life. “Ramot has been saying for a few years that antisemitism will drive most Jews to come to Israel,” Gilad said. “It’s just a matter of time.”
With that in mind, Gilad described how Ramot started working on the initiative a few years ago, to make sure that Israeli society was ready to accept “those waves of immigration” by making sure that “first of all, society understands and is ready for it.”
What Ramot didn’t imagine, however, was that “it would come so fast and to this extent,” post-Oct. 7. Belong, the “one-stop shop for immigration,” as Gilad referred to it, has worked hard to ensure that all its material is accessible and available to new immigrants.
“We’ve worked hard for the last couple of years to create a website, Belong.co.il, that actually took a lot of information that was scattered across many other sites and made sure that it is available in a way that is easy to access.
With accurate, up-to-date information, the website enables “new immigrants to plan and manage their aliyah project,” Gilad stated, “because in the end it’s a big project and there are lots of steps that you need to plan for.” Currently, the team is working on creating new tools to help immigrants understand their aliyah process, Gilad added.
The team works with other aliyah organizations and private companies to help new immigrants (olim) plan all areas of their aliyah. Help is on hand at all stages of the process. Whether it’s to deal with issues surrounding housing, employment, learning Hebrew, healthcare, finance, kids’ education, welfare and benefits, National Insurance, and more, Belong is there to guide, help, and support with expert advice.
While much of this information is available free of charge on its website, Belong also offers a concierge service in the form of “a personal assistant” who takes care of everything for the new immigrant. Help with form filling, house hunting, or job searching are just some of the things that this service provides. For those who make aliyah with their pets, they can even “hook you up with a vet who will advise on what kind of vaccines are required,” Gilad enthused.We offer “specialized, tailored tools designed to support immigrants, from the most practical bureaucratic tasks to personalized itineraries, employment, and housing assistance,” he said. “Belong is a place where you can start your journey, and it will escort you throughout your immigration journey,” he said reassuringly.
In practice, this service will make life easier for new immigrants, Gilad said, particularly for those who are struggling with the language barrier.
For example, issues that may seem trivial to Israelis, such as “How do I pay my electricity bill?” or “What does the tax authority want from me?” will be immediately taken care of.
“If a document is in Hebrew and you don’t know what it means, this is exactly what our concierge service can help with and help guide you through,” he elaborated. The cost of this concierge service is NIS 1,000 per month for a family making aliyah, although discounts are available for longer periods. Gilad believes that paying for the service is “well worth it,” as “it saves new olim both time and money in the long run.”
He also went on to explain how, although Belong is a private company, “it acts like an NGO, as all the profits remain in the company with a view to investment for the benefit of new immigrants.”
Employing new immigrants, where possible, is something Belong feels is important “because we feel this is also a part of the mission, to make sure that they feel welcome and they are settling in nicely.”
Another important issue for the company involves “encouraging other private businesses to take part in the mission of embracing new olim to Israel to make sure that their landing is soft and they are welcomed with open arms,” Gilad stressed.
To this end, Belong has a strong network of partners who share their vision. “First we make sure they share our vision that Israel must embrace new olim because this is how we will make Israel stronger,” he stated, adding, “It’s in their interest and ours to make sure they [immigrants] will come.”
Encouraging aliyah is something that the Belong team believes is vital to securing Israel’s future: “In order to fortify Israel, we need more Jews. Our enemies want us out of Israel, so we do the opposite and come to Israel and strengthen Israel.”The partners that Gilad and his team choose to work with must first agree to provide tailored assistance to new immigrants in the form of special discounts and projects “simply because they are new immigrants.” Real estate agents, for example, partnering with Belong would be expected to “give reductions in commission for buying a house,” he said.
Further, Israeli tour guides who work with the team would be expected to provide affordable, tailor-made tours to help new olim understand Israeli society.
Moving forward, Belong is planning to enhance its services with the addition of more partners, as well as “creating communities for olim which will support each other,” Gilad said. “We truly believe that getting here is just the start. ‘Belonging’ is the real journey – how you blend into the society is what’s important.”
While Belong is largely geared toward Jews who are planning their aliyah, Gilad is a realist. “We know that it doesn’t suit everybody,” he stated. With that in mind, the team also has a broader objective: “To make Jews from around the world come to Israel.”
To that end, the company is doing its utmost to bring Diaspora Jews, who aren’t considering aliyah, “closer to Israel” in a myriad of ways. Those who want to connect with Israel on a deeper level through studying, investing, volunteering, interning, and so on, can turn to Belong for help, as the website contains an abundance of detailed information for anyone who needs it.
School leavers in the Diaspora, for example, can source information about degree courses in English at Israeli universities, and those seeking a taste of working life in Israel can apply for an internship through Belong.
“We truly believe that once you get here and understand the society, and see how the mutual respect within the society works, you will fall in love,” Gilad gushed. “Israel is yours; Israel belongs to every Jew around the world.”
In short, Belong is the gateway for Jews around the world who want to connect with their homeland, something which, in the current climate, is more important than ever.
“There are those who challenge Israel’s right to exist; our enemies want to destroy us,” declared Ramot, Belong’s founder, before adding these words: “No one can deny the positive impact of immigration on the strength and fortitude of Israeli society, the State of Israel, and the Jewish people as a whole.”>> For more information: Belong.co.il
Belong is sponsoring a session of the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York on June 3.See jpost.com/AC24