Jerusalem is a dream city for aliyah, and no one knows that better than Eyal Haimovsky, the CEO of the Jerusalem Development Authority.
He’s not an oleh (new immigrant); rather, the work at the JDA is exactly what makes Jerusalem such an ideal city for new arrivals.
The JDA was established to push for “action for the economic development of Jerusalem and coordinate between the government ministries, authorities, and bodies” involved in city development, as well as “consulting and providing information regarding plans and economic enterprise in Jerusalem.”
Haimovsky explained that what they do, in reality, is bring together everyone needed, “around the same table,” so to speak, including aliyah organizations.
“Everybody is bringing their strengths to the table, and we’re working all together, hand in hand, to make the aliyah in Jerusalem easier and more available for those olim who are interested in coming to our city,” he said.
“So we hired especially new olim who are already here in the city… and they are working for us to [present] the city to those people that are looking to make aliyah to Jerusalem, and they are coordinated between the olim and the municipality services if they need school for the kids.”
He explained, “This is the biggest city in Israel, so we have everything.”
He also highlighted the rich academic culture in Jerusalem, with the Hebrew University, Bezalel Academy, Mahon Lev, and more.
Those who receive assistance find that JDA is a “one-stop shop,” with someone accompanying them along the journey of finding a home, a university program, a school, or a job.
JDA travels around the world to major cities where many people are considering making aliyah.
“We are telling them the story of how it’s good to do aliyah to Jerusalem,” Haimovsky said. “We are bringing them all the infrastructure, and then they are meeting… the person who is going to pass all the way to Jerusalem with them, hand in hand. Since then, they are sometimes coming back to see the city to learn a little bit more about it.”
JDA sets up meetings between those considering aliyah and those who have already gone through with it. “They can hear the story of how it’s possible to do that and how it’s easy after that.”
When it comes to the job hunt, JDA’s got their backs.
“People are now looking more for hi-tech and biotech companies,” he explained. “So we are working very closely with the local industry and finding job positions that companies look for employees, and we are doing the match between them and the new oleh.”