Nefesh Bnefesh, an organization promoting aliyah (immigration to the Zionist state), released the following announcement this week:

The Jewish Agency is introducing a new pilot program called “Aliyah House Calls”. This innovative and unique program brings Aliyah Shlichim from the Jewish Agency right into the homes of families with children who are interested in finding out more about Aliyah and life in Israel but do not have the time to visit with an Aliyah Shaliach at the office.

The choice to make Aliyah with your family is a very big one. At the Jewish Agency we want to make that choice easier, and clearer, every step of the way. The ‘Aliyah House Calls’ program brings a highly trained Shaliach to your home, at your convenience, to discuss the issues that are important to you.

This is a free, no obligation service for families with children in the New York and New Jersey area. For more information about this program or to arrange your own visit please contact the Aliyah Service Center, toll-free at 1-866-835-0430 or our NY office at 212-339-6063.

Next week, on Sunday, January 17 and Monday, January 18, Nefesh Bnefesh plans presentations in two of London’s ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, Hendon and Stamford Hill.

Jews Against Zionism’s London branch is posting the following sign to warn community members:

BEWARE!

Zionist Aliyah Promoters Are Coming to London!!!

In an unprecedented step, the Zionist aliyah organization Nefesh B’nefesh has taken aim at the Chareidi Jewish communities of London. In full-color ads, they have announced informational sessions to be held in Hendon on January 17 and in Stamford Hill on January 18.

The advertisement shows a picture of yeshiva-type young Jews, wearing white shirts and black jackets. One of them is wearing a black hat. On their shirts they sport stickers that read “Oleh Chadash” – meaning new immigrant. In the background is an El Al airplane.

Dear fellow Jews of London! We must not be silent in the face of this attempt to deceive religious Jews who oppose Zionism by dressing it up as “living in Eretz Yisroel”. Nefesh B’nefesh is an arm of the infamous Jewish Agency for Israel, the Zionist organization that works throughout the world to promote immigration to the State of Israel in order to boost the State in its struggle for demographic control of the Holy Land. They are now capitalizing on the fact that many Orthodox Jews, although they have heard from their rabbis that Zionism is against the Torah, do not know exactly what Zionism means. Many of them believe that Zionism merely means secularism. They fail to understand that masses of Jewish settlers coming to the State of Israel mean more Jewish lives staked upon the great sin that the state constitutes, and more obstacles to peace and security for Jews throughout the world.

Moving to Eretz Yisroel in our time: What did the gedolim say?

Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik zt”l, Rav of Brisk

The Zionists attract Jews to their movement by dressing it up as “the mitzvah of settling in Eretz Yisroel.” Eretz Yisroel is indeed the Holy Land. But consider: a synagogue is a holy place; nevertheless if it is a Reform synagogue, it is forbidden to go inside. Who knows if it will not come to the point where, despite its holiness, Eretz Yisroel will be ‘reformed’?” (Uvdos Vehanhagos Leveis Brisk, v. 4 p. 206)

Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapiro zt”l, Munkaczer Rebbe:

Nowadays, since the Zionists have made living in Eretz Yisroel the center of their ideology, even the Ramban (who says it is a mitzvah) would agree that we should not put effort into this mitzvah. This is comparable to the one-stone altar called a matzeivah, which was used by the Avos and was beloved to Hashem at that time, but later became forbidden because the idol worshippers had begun to use it (Rashi on Devarim 16:22). (Minchas Elazar 5:16).

Rabbi Menachem Munish Babad zt”l, Rav of Tarnopol

However, in our time, when unfortunately wicked people have come and desecrated the land, there is no mitzvah to live in Eretz Yisroel, until Hashem once again has mercy on us. (Shailos Uteshuvos Chavatzeles Hasharon v. 2 siman 7)

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ehrenreich zt”l, Samloyer Rav

The Third Aliyah, which we hope will be soon, will happen only at Hashem’s command through His prophets, Moshiach Tzidkeinu and Eliyahu, not as those heretics say, who call the current immigration of many Jews to Palestine the “Third Aliyah.” That is not a aliyah – it is a yeridah. The aliyah will be at the command of Hashem through Moshiach and Eliyahu. (From his letter of approbation on the book Tzavei Yeshuos Yaakov)

Rabbi Yaakov Yechezkia Greenwald zt”l, author of Vayaged Yaakov

They encourage immigration to their state, saying "me'od naalah" – let us put great effort into aliyah. But the very fact that they stress this mitzvah so much and at the same time treat lightly the other 612 mitzvos is the proof that they are not acting for the sake of G-d, and the whole thing is no more than a ploy of the Satan to get Jews to sin. This is a general rule we have learned from our teachers, that when we see a man who is very enthusiastic about a certain mitzvah and feels no resistance to doing it, we must suspect that it is the work of the evil inclination, for if he were truly doing a good thing, the evil inclination would be trying to cool down his enthusiasm. (Bracha Us'hilah on Tehillim, p. 175)

Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik zt”l, the Brisker Rav:

When the Brisker Rav came to Eretz Yisroel [in 1941] they asked him if he planned to go back or to stay. He replied, “Do I plan to go back?? I plan to run away!!”

After the Brisker Rav came to Eretz Yisroel someone remarked to him, “The Rav is certainly happy now that he merited to fulfill the mitzvah of living in Eretz Yisroel.” He replied, “If not for the great destruction that the Germans, yimach shmam, have brought on the Jews of Europe, I would have stayed there until the coming of Moshiach. I had no specific desire to come to Eretz Yisroel. Only need and desperation brought me here.”

Reb Yaakov Rosenheim visited the Brisker Rov and discussed with him the situation in Eretz Yisroel. The Brisker Rav said that one must leave the State because it is a place of danger. “Isn’t there a mitzvah to live in Eretz Yisroel today?” asked Rosenheim. “There definitely is, but from such a state one must flee,” said the Brisker Rav. He then quoted the Rambam in Hilchos Deos (6:1): “The nature of man is that his character traits and actions are influenced by his neighbors, friends and the people of his country. Therefore… if one is in a country whose practices are bad, and whose citizens do not walk in the straight path, he should go to a place whose residents are righteous and follow proper practices.” (Uvdos Vehanhagos Leveis Brisk v. 4 p. 207)

Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum zt”l, Satmar Rebbe:

There is no doubt that whoever strengthens the root of heresy (the Zionist state) in any way – whether through money, honor or words of any kind – is worse than one who gives honor to money or encouragement to idolatry. Admitting to partial belief in the root of heresy is worse than admitting to idolatry. For those who live there, it is obviously very hard to be careful of this, and the trials are tremendous. Everyone has many opportunities to commit this sin, because he needs things from them, and everything is in the hands of the government. People give them encouragement and praise in different ways, sometimes unwillingly and sometimes willingly. It is hard to withstand a situation in which almost every day, and sometimes every minute, there are questions of sins for which one must give his life rather than transgress. Who then is the authority in our generation who can take on his shoulders the responsibility of ruling on such serious questions? (Vayoel Moshe, Maamar Yishuv Eretz Yisroel, Siman 153)