Wonderful article by International Christian Embassy Jerusalem - please, please see www.icej.org.

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Yemenite Jews make aliyah in the late 1040s. Susan's Blog What Is Aliyah and Is It a Biblical Concept? By Karen Engle, ICEJ Managing Editor Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” —Ezekiel 11:17 What Is the Meaning of Aliyah? Aliyah means “to ascend” or “to go up” in a spiritual sense and originally described the journey the children of Israel made three times a year to Jerusalem for the biblically mandated feasts (“appointments” or “holy days”) of Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot), and Tabernacles (Sukkot). Jerusalem sits on a hill atop Mount Zion, so in ancient times, pilgrims literally went “up to Zion” to celebrate these God-ordained appointments. Psalms 120–134, the “songs of ascent” or “pilgrim songs,” were typically sung by those traveling from near and far to the temple for these festivals. Upon entering Jerusalem, they cried, “Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:2 NIV). But what does Aliyah mean today? Today, the word “Aliyah” is used to refer to Jewish people returning home to their promised homeland, Israel, from the nations where they have been scattered since Rome destroyed the temple in AD 70. A person who makes Aliyah is, in Hebrew, an Oleh (plural Olim), meaning “one who goes up.” There have been several waves of Aliyah, primarily because of persecution and even genocide, starting from around the late 1880s. ICEJ-aliyah-ethiopian_filmstrip 2Ethiopian Jews arrive home in Israel ICEJ-ukrainian_jewsUkranian Jews arrive at Ben Gurion Airport A flight of Ethiopian Jews arrives in Israel Ethiopian Jews arrive in Israel Aliyah giftsBnei Menashe (Indian) Jews arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv French Jews prepare to immigrate to Israel Is the Concept of Aliyah in the Bible? Since that time, the children of Israel have been returning to the land promised to them back in Genesis: Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. (12:7) I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. (17:8) The children of Israel were scattered to Babylon in 586 BC and then throughout the world after the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. But God assured them He would bring them back to the land promised to them in Genesis 12 and 17. Aliyah is evidence of God’s faithfulness to His Word—the fulfillment of His promise to bring His people back from “countries where you were scattered” (Ezekiel 11:17) is evident throughout Scripture. Though there are hundreds of passages promising the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel in the Bible, what follows is a condensed list: Deuteronomy 30:1–5 2 Chronicles 30:6–9 Psalm 14:7 Psalm 106:44–48 Psalm 126:1 Isaiah 11:11–12 Isaiah 14:1–2 Isaiah 27:12–13 Isaiah 43:5–6 Isaiah 44:26 Isaiah 49:11–12, 22–23 Isaiah 51:11 Isaiah 56:8 Isaiah 61:4–7 Isaiah 62:1–7 Isaiah 66:8–10 Isaiah 66:8–10 Jeremiah 3:14–18 Jeremiah 7:1–7 Jeremiah 3:14–18 Jeremiah 16:14–16 Jeremiah 23:3–8 Jeremiah 24:4–7 Jeremiah 29:11–14 Jeremiah 31:8–36 Ezekiel 11:16–17 Ezekiel 36:8–12, 16–28 Ezekiel 37:21–25; 39:25–29 Joel 2:32–3:2 Amos 9:14–15 Micah 2:12–13 Micah 4:6–7, 10 Zephaniah 3:17–20 Zechariah 8:7–8 Zechariah 10:6–12 Zechariah 12:6–10 Ezekiel 20:41–42 Ezekiel 28:25 Ezekiel 34:11–13 You can help Jews from around the world return to Israel today—give to the ICEJ Aliyah fund. 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