I never imagined that a 10-day trip would change my entire worldview. In 2017, as a college student from Long Island, I joined a Birthright trip to Israel. I expected some history, hummus, and desert hikes. Instead, I found something much deeper: a connection I had never experienced before – to the land, to the people, to a part of myself I didn’t know was missing.
That sense of belonging only deepened when I returned to Israel as a photographer and videographer for the Dead Sea Revival Project.
During my time there, I was taken to the communities near the Gaza Strip to document the damage caused by incendiary fires. I met families who had lost everything. I watched firefighters work tirelessly to protect their communities. For the first time in my life, I realized: This is my country, and these are my people. I felt connected, not as a visitor but as someone who had a role to play.
Aliyah at 21
I made aliyah in 2019 at the age of 21. I enrolled in Bar-Ilan University’s International Program to study political science and communications. I joined a global community of students who, like me, wanted to live their values, not just talk about them.
In recent years, as I’ve watched Israeli society grow more fractured, and as liberal voices seem to lose ground in the public sphere, I keep coming back to a single truth: The future of Israel cannot be left only to those who were born here. It must also include those who chose to be here.
That is why I believe so deeply in Belong.
Belong is a vision. A quiet but powerful idea: that the demographic story of Israel isn’t finished. That liberal, democratic values can, and must, be reinforced through participation, not just protest. That Jewish people around the world who believe in a democratic Israel don’t have to stand by; they can be part of shaping it.
There are more than 18 million people eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. If even one percent chose to engage, whether through citizenship, aliyah, or simply voting, it would represent a game-changing shift in Israel’s political and civic landscape.
I know this sounds bold. Maybe even Utopian. But here’s the thing: I’ve already lived it.
Today, I work in the Belong team helping others find their own path to belonging. I speak with people who are disillusioned with their local communities, who are watching the global erosion of liberal values and asking themselves, “Where can I have an impact?”
Many of them don’t know that they are eligible for Israeli citizenship. Even fewer realize what that could mean, not only for their personal identity but for Israel’s democratic resilience.
Belong isn’t about numbers. It’s about meaning.
It’s about saying “If you care about Israel, you can do more than donate.”
This matters now more than ever. Since October 7, Israel has entered a prolonged state of political and emotional crisis. Trust in public institutions is declining. Polarization is at a peak. More than 80,000 Israelis left the country in 2024. And in the face of these challenges, the liberal majority is being outpaced, not in ideas but in engagement.
Strengthening the base
We need to ask: What if the solution doesn’t lie in fighting harder from within but in strengthening the base itself? What if part of Israel’s future lies in those who haven’t arrived yet?
Belong offers a hopeful answer. Not by demanding ideological purity but by building bridges. Not by preaching but by inviting. And most importantly, not by ignoring complexity but by embracing it.
Israel is complicated. So is Zionism. So is democracy. But that doesn’t mean we give up. It means we dig in, we engage, we shape the outcome, not only for ourselves but for the generations to come.
For those reading this abroad, I want to say this: If you feel alienated from the conversation, it may be time to become a part of it. If you care about liberal values, pluralism, and equality, Israel needs your voice.
You don’t have to move tomorrow. But you can begin a process of connection, of citizenship, of ownership.For me, it started with a camera, a fire, and a conversation. It continued with a choice. A commitment. A feeling of belonging.■
Jessica Scalisi, a Long Island native, serves as a content strategist at Belong – a private organization dedicated to linking the Jewish Diaspora with the new Zionist movement through aliyah and integration efforts.