aliyot

Aliyah, from the Hebrew word for “ascension,” is a term with two related meanings in Jewish life. In synagogue practice, it denotes the act of being called up to the Torah to recite blessings during a reading (the aliyot). In modern Zionism and Israeli society, aliyah refers to the immigration of Jews to the State of Israel. In both uses, the root idea is movement upward or toward a new, central locus—whether a public ritual or a national homeland.

In the liturgy, aliyah la-torah is the ritual of ascending to the bimah to read from the Torah. A typical weekly Torah portion is divided into seven aliyot, followed by Maftir and the Haftorah. Blessings are recited before and after the reading. Traditional practice assigns the first aliyah to a Kohen, the second to a Levi, and the remaining five to members of the general congregation; in many communities, this sequence is flexible, and modern congregations increasingly allow equal participation by men and women, depending on tradition and policy.

In modern usage, aliyah also means immigration to Israel. Under the Law of Return, Jews and certain Jewish relatives are eligible to immigrate, with newcomers referred to as an “oleh” (plural “olim”). Historical waves of aliyah, such as the First Aliyah (1882–1903) and Second Aliyah (1904–1914), helped establish Jewish settlements and laid foundations for the modern Israeli state.

Today, aliyah remains a central concept in Jewish religious life and Israeli demographic policy. In religious contexts, aliyot are ritual calls at the Torah reading; in national terms, aliyah describes the ongoing movement of Jews to Israel.