What leads somebody who grew up with little Jewish connection to leave behind his or her life in the United States to make aliyah? Like many other unaffiliated young adults, it was on a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip where Jordan Siegel felt a pull towards Israel and an interest in further exploring her Jewish identity. Growing up in what she calls “a very Reform” Jewish family in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Siegel knew few other Jewish people in her hometown. But she always had a Jewish identity, so when she had an opportunity to visit Israel in 2017 with Taglit-Birthright Israel, she registered for the trip.

Like many participants in the program, this was Siegel’s first trip to Israel. She had misconceptions about the social fabric of the country, which were quickly corrected on her visit. She was particularly surprised by the religious diversity of Israelis. But it was Shabbat in Jerusalem that most resonated with her. Siegel was impressed by what she calls “the collective experience” of Shabbat in Jerusalem, regardless of how religious a person is or whether the individual is observing the laws of Shabbat.

“That really hit me, the feeling of togetherness and that we are all Jews—and whether you keep Shabbat or not, it’s still there,” Siegel explained. She was drawn to the small details: the quieter streets, the Friday afternoon craze in the market and shops, and the calm that spreads across Jerusalem as Shabbat is ushered in. Growing up in a home where Shabbat observance was non-existent, Siegel relished in the small moments that set Shabbat apart from the rest of the Jerusalem week.

Upon returning to her college campus following the trip, Siegel worked as a Birthright Israel recruiter for Hillel in order to share her experience to other young Jewish adults. After graduation in 2022, she spent 10 months in Israel on a Masa Israel Teaching Fellows program, where she taught English to Israeli students. Siegel continued to traverse Israel and the United States but following October 7, 2023, she decided to make Israel her home. In 2024, she filed the paperwork to formalize her aliyah process with Nefesh B’Nefesh.

Today Siegel works for an Israeli educational tour operator called Sachlav to support recruitment and programming for internship programs in Israel for young Jewish adults. Her clients are primarily unaffiliated Jews who did not grow up with a strong Jewish or Israel connection. “They have a similar connection to Israel that I did, and I think it’s really amazing that more secular people see Israel,” she explained. “It’s important to see we are all very similar. We just have different beliefs about our Judaism.”

Eight years after her first trip to Israel where she discovered Shabbat in Jerusalem, she is now hosting meals in her Nachlaot apartment that borders the shuk and joining friends at Shabbat dinners in the neighborhood. Her Shabbat
experiences are diverse and range from meals with friends whose cell phones ring during dinner, to large gatherings hosted by a rabbi and his family with multiple courses, singing and prayers. “I like that everybody has their own way of acknowledging the same thing whether you are religious or not,” she said.

Every day in Jerusalem continues to be a learning experience for Siegel. Living there has reinforced what she learned on her first trip to Israel in 2017: “We all have such different upbringings and backgrounds, but at the end of the day, we are all Jews.”

Alisa Bodner is a Fair Lawn native who immigrated to Israel over a decade ago. She is a nonprofit management professional who enjoys writing in her free time.