Muriel and Georges C from Strasbourg

Muriel tells their story:

We feel good in Israel, it's our country. Despite the problems of insecurity, we feel safer than in France, it is paradoxical.  Every time we are in Israel, we feel that we belong.

My husband wants to study in Israel. My four children want to continue their higher education in Israel. I have wanted to live there since my first youth trips to the Land. Finally, it’s happening!  In 2008-2009, we had already met a school director for the children. We visited apartments. In 2015, we opened the aliyah file. The project has had time to mature.

I hope that everything goes well: that the children are well integrated, that they quickly learn the language that they already know a little or a lot depending on their age. I wish they had good friends. The older ones are happy to be able to study separately for girls and boys, which does not exist in France. For us adults, I hope that we will soon speak Hebrew very well and that we will live like Israelis. I also hope to have the opportunity to do a lot of chesed around me.

Ezra France helped us enormously:  on a financial level it was huge for us. We were wondering how we were going to pay for the 2 shuttles that will take us to Frankfurt airport, which is a 2.5-hour drive away. It was too expensive for us. We were nervous about having to pay so much.  Ezra France also helped us with additional costs, application fees at the Jewish Agency, costs for creating passports, etc. It’s a real material relief.  It is also moral support. When we know that people (as kind as Maria) are listening and trying to help us, it gives us strength.  And, above all, Ezra France helps future olim quickly, without asking them to fill out an entire file. They trust us. If we call on Ezra France, it’s because we need them. Maria, from Ezra France, is kind, smiling, pleasant, discreet regarding our private life. With her, we start our aliyah well!

On the question of anti-semitism we have not experienced it directly, but we heard a lot of bad things around us.

The most difficult thing about leaving France is leaving our friends.

Many thanks. Well done. Continue. Be blessed!