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After 41 years in Scarsdale and two flights canceled due to security tensions, Tom and Adina Kraus refused to give up on their dream.
This week, they landed in Israel on a rescue flight with ten suitcases and big smiles: “I’m an Israeli who was stuck abroad for 65 years, it’s time to come home.”*
While the skies over Israel experienced tense days of sirens and threats, one moment this week at Ben Gurion Airport stood out as a victory of the Zionist spirit.
Tom and Adina Kraus, a retired couple in their 70s, walked through the arrivals hall not as tourists, but as new immigrants coming to settle in their new home in Jerusalem.
For 41 years, the couple built a full life in Scarsdale, New York. Tom worked in IT, Adina ran a Judaica business, and together they raised three children and now have ten grandchildren. But, they say, their hearts were always here.
“Our thoughts were always connected to Israel,” she says. “We built a life in the United States, education, marriage, children, grandchildren. And now the time has come to fulfill the dream.”
The road to Jerusalem was not immune to the security situation. The war with Iran led to repeated flight cancellations, but the Kraus couple refused to give up.
After two flights were canceled at the last minute, they managed to board a third, this time, a rescue flight. “For us, it wasn’t a rescue flight, we were simply making aliyah,” Adina says with a smile. “When they canceled our flights, I briefly thought about telling them I’m an Israeli ‘stuck’ abroad for 65 years, but that didn’t really help.”
When asked how it feels to arrive in Israel דווקא now, during wartime, their answer is clear: “There is always a threat. If you let that stop you, you’ll never take the step. You’ll never move forward. I love the phrase: ‘Jump, and the net will appear.’ We never gave up on the idea of immigrating, and we never considered postponing it.”
Unlike typical immigration flights in normal times, this landing was quiet, no balloons or festive ceremonies due to safety guidelines.
“This is a time of war, and everyone needs to stay safe. It’s not just about us, it’s about everyone,” they say with understanding.
From there, they continued directly to Jerusalem, a city that for them has always symbolized the perfect blend of past and future. “Jerusalem has its own unique pulse. Beyond the history, the biblical stories, and the meaningful sites, there is also a beautiful mix of old and new. There is great respect for our heritage alongside a striving for a bright future.”
The Immigration and Absorption Authority of the Jerusalem Municipality has been accompanying the Kraus couple from the early stages in the United States through their integration in Jerusalem.
Representatives were available to them throughout the uncertainty of the flight cancellations, and are now assisting with their smooth landing in Israel, from resolving bureaucratic issues to providing personal guidance in all aspects needed to turn their new apartment into a home. As early as this coming Thursday, they are scheduled to meet with absorption coordinator Emily Leitstone to continue their integration process in the city.
*Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon said:* “Tom and Adina are an inspiration to us all. Making aliyah to Jerusalem at the height of a war is Zionism at its finest.
The Jerusalem Municipality, through the Immigration and Absorption Authority, is accompanying them step by step, from the moment their flights were canceled in New York to their integration into their new home in the capital. We are here to ensure them and all new immigrants a soft landing and a warm embrace, because in Jerusalem, no new immigrant walks alone.”
Who is like the nation of Israel? ❤️🇮🇱✡️🔥🙏💪
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