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Just a week and a half before Passover, Tiffany and Yaakov Schatz landed at Ben-Gurion Airport with their three children — Noa, 14, Caleb, 8, and Eli, 6 — fulfilling a long-held dream to immigrate to Israel, or make aliyah. The Jewish-American family from Pennsylvania will celebrate the holiday of freedom this year in Israel — for the first time as olim.
The idea of moving to Israel wasn’t new. The couple had already submitted all the necessary paperwork last year. Tiffany, a general and thoracic surgeon with extensive experience in robotic procedures, had attended the MedEx conferences in New Jersey in 2023 and 2024, part of a national initiative to recruit Jewish doctors to Israel amid a growing shortage in the health care system.
“We started thinking seriously about it back then,” she recalled. “But life got in the way, like it always does.”
Then came the October 7 Hamas attack. The massacre in southern Israel, the ensuing war and the sense that Israel needed all the help it could get pushed the Schatz family to act. “After October 7, Yaakov and I felt we had to stand with Israel and contribute our skills to the country,” Tiffany said.
“We wanted to volunteer and help. I reached out to Soroka Medical Center, where I trained as a young doctor, but the director told me: ‘We appreciate it but we don’t need people for two weeks — we need doctors who’ll stay.’ That was the turning point. We realized this wasn’t just an opportunity — it was a responsibility.”
Within just six weeks, the family packed up their lives in Pennsylvania and moved to Israel with the support of Nefesh B’Nefesh, in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael,and Jewish National Fund-USA. Tiffany closed her private clinic, Yaakov left his start-up team and the entire family relocated in a fast and unconventional aliyah.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” she admitted. “We have kids, routines, a whole life — but something in us knew: if not now, when?” Despite the challenges of moving mid-school year, they hoped the timing would allow for a smoother adjustment.
“Our main concern was our daughter, who's already in 9th grade,” said Tiffany. “But she was excited — we didn’t need to convince her. She just wanted to be here.”
They intentionally chose Be’er Sheva as their new home. “I did my medical training at Soroka,” said Tiffany. “I have a professional network here, connections and a sense of home. I wanted to return to a place where I wouldn’t have to start from scratch.”
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She plans to attend a Hebrew language ulpan this summer and join the hospital’s surgical team in September. “Until then, I’ll volunteer and maybe do clinical rounds — just to stay sharp,” she said.
Yaakov faces a different kind of challenge. A tech entrepreneur, he had developed a product that reached advanced marketing stages. When he told his team he was moving to Israel, they all quit.
“It was a shock — but also liberating,” he said. “Now everything’s up to me but I feel more in control. I’m looking for connections, investors and believers. Be’er Sheva has an amazing tech hub with tons of opportunities I want to explore.”
Their first days in Israel weren’t easy — but were filled with kindness. “We landed with 22 suitcases, two kids in wheelchairs and nothing set up in our apartment — not even hot water,” Tiffany laughed. “But within hours, neighbors showed up with food, balloons, signs and supplies. The welcome was unforgettable.”
Despite the difficulties, their dominant feeling is relief. “The kids slept well the first night, no jetlag. It’s not a given,” Tiffany said. “Noa’s excited for her new school. Caleb and Eli are curious and enthusiastic. They’ve already started collecting Hebrew words.”
Asked about the impact of recent events on the U.S. Jewish community, Tiffany said reactions have been split: “Some people are standing up for Israel, defending it with words and actions. But others — including extended family — have bought into the media narrative. Some just don’t understand why we did this. For us, we felt we had no choice. This is where we belong.”
While the family didn’t notice a significant spike in antisemitism after October 7, they say existing sentiments intensified. “Our daughter was already getting picked on before October 7 — it only got worse afterward,” Tiffany said. “Yaakov has a visibly Jewish appearance and often got comments — sometimes unintentionally offensive. Over time, it just stopped feeling like home.”
This year they have celebrated the Passover holiday in Israel for the first time as citizens. “It’ll be a completely different experience,” Tiffany said. “In the U.S., there’s a sense you can cut corners. Here, you can truly celebrate. We’ve gotten so many invitations — we’ll be busy all week. It feels like we’ve found our place. Like waking up from a dream and realizing it’s real.”
They say some friends back in the U.S. are already thinking of following their lead. “We hope to be an inspiration,” Tiffany said. “There are so many Jews who dream of aliyah but fear and the unknown hold them back.
“If that’s really what they want, nothing should stop them — not timing, not jobs, not kids. Sometimes you just have to take the leap to make the dream come true. We jumped — and thank God — we landed exactly where we were meant to.”
“The Schatz family is a powerful and inspiring example of values-driven, professional aliyah,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and CEO of Nefesh B’Nefesh. “They chose to move to Israel out of a deep sense of mission and desire to contribute.
"We’re proud to accompany them in this journey and confident they’ll make a meaningful impact. By settling in Be’er Sheva, they’re helping fulfill David Ben-Gurion’s vision of making the Negev flourish. Their first Passover in Israel will be especially symbolic — marking both their freedom and a new chapter in their lives.”