Ben Blass made aliyah from Westfield on July 4 as a lone soldier through Garin Tzabar. He spent July in Ra’anana at an Ulpan for future soldiers where he met young people from throughout the world. This week he moves to Kibbutz Erez where he will remain until he is officially drafted into the IDF in December.

Bass credits his aliyah to the close relationships he formed at summer camps where he met Israelis and learned a great deal about the country for the first time. As a college student at Rutgers, he was very involved in the Jewish community and made four trips to Israel, each one affording him more confidence in his decision to make aliyah. His parents and three dogs miss him terribly but are very supportive of his move. Bass’ message to New Jersey is that his home state was very much of a factor in his deciding to live in Israel through the strong Jewish life it provided. He also urges parents to send their children to Jewish camps, which he feels were the greatest influencers of his Jewish identity.

By Pearl Markovitz