Mission accomplished! Great Neckers have arrived
Their parents fled Iran decades ago to build a comfortable life in the United States. Now, seven families from what one of the olim described as a “very, very, very tight-knit” community in Great Neck have arrived in Israel, leaving Long Island behind to build their futures in the Jewish state. An eighth family is expected to arrive soon.
In Great Neck, Mashadis live with generations of relatives nearby, creating a close-knit extended family that provides many of the comforts and institutions of Jewish life, according to Jordan Karmily, 42.
“It’s a bit of an earthquake in our community, because people don’t leave,” he said.
Karmily was born and raised in Great Neck and has lived there his entire life. He and his wife, Joyce, 37, have six daughters, ages 2 to 14.
His family and others in Great Neck trace their roots to Mashhad, Iran. His parents’ generation came to the United States some 50 years ago, before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and built what has become a community of more than 7,000 people.
Great Neck “has everything a community offers,” he said.
Karmily’s parents, siblings and cousins live within walking distance. For years, he and others had discussed moving to Israel, but the idea remained more of a dream than a concrete plan.
“It was always a topic of conversation,” he said. “Like most life plans or big life plans or ideals, we kind of just keep it at arm’s distance.”
That began to change after Oct. 7, 2023. Karmily said he became consumed by the events unfolding in Israel and found it difficult to focus on his life in New York while Israelis were facing rocket attacks.
“Oct. 7 definitely kicked a nerve,” he said. “I felt like I was missing out on everything that was going on.”
The families also received assistance from Nefesh B’Nefesh, which helped take the prospective immigrants on a pilot trip to Israel. They visited schools and met with municipal officials, giving them a chance to experience the practical realities of living in the Jewish state.
Karmiliy said that the trip helped turn the idea of immigration into something more tangible.
The families made aliyah with the assistance of Nefesh B’Nefesh, in cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and Jewish National Fund-USA.
They rented homes in the same neighborhood, plan to send their children to the same schools and will pray at the same synagogue.
“We’re approaching this as a community project,” he said.
Raising his six daughters in Israel is a central part of the decision.
“I never had a dream of retiring in Israel. I wanted to raise a family there,” he told JNS. “I wanted my future offspring, G-d willing, to be planted in Israel.”
He acknowledged Israel is not perfect, and the move will come with challenges, but said that he believes it offers something he wants for his children.
Karmily hopes other Persian families in Great Neck who have considered making aliyah will see it is possible.
“More than Israel needs money, more than Israel needs to be supported from afar, I think the Jewish people, they need us,” he said.
“We lack nothing here” he said, referring to life in Great Neck. “We have community, we have our family, we have parks and schools and it’s safe and everything is good.”
“But it’s not where we’re supposed to be,” he told JNS.
Chaim Broyde, mayor of Ra’anana, welcomed the families and praised their decision.
“We warmly welcome the new families joining our community and are deeply moved by this inspiring step, which embodies Zionism and faith,” he said. “Raanana is proud to be one of Israel’s leading cities in the absorption of new immigrants, serving as a home to olim from dozens of countries and bringing together diverse communities.”
Looking ahead, Karmily hopes his children will understand that their parents made a deliberate choice to build their family in Israel.
“As long as they know that there was someone in their lineage, one of their parents, grandparents, who didn’t need to move but chose to move,” he said.
Ultimately, he believes the moment for Jews to return to Israel should not be viewed as something that will happen only in some distant future.
“It’s time for the Jews to come home,” he said. “Those days that we waited for and prayed for have come, and we just need to open our eyes and hear the call.”
