Israel Was Always Home. It Just Took Him 40 Years to Move There.

What happens when your family has roots in Israel going back to the 1600s, but it still takes nearly four decades before you decide to make Aliyah?

This one's personal.

If you've listened to Landings & Layovers, you already know Marty Paz. He's my co-host, one of my closest friends, and someone whose Aliyah story I've only ever heard in fragments. What I didn't realize until he sat down across the microphone for Aliyah Chronicles is that those fragments were really just the trailer.

If you're researching Aliyah, wondering what life in Israel is actually like, or trying to figure out whether moving across the world is a brilliant idea or a terrible one, this story is for you.

Because Marty's journey isn't the polished version people post on social media.

It's the real version.

The paperwork. The bureaucracy. The dogs. The mistakes. The surprises. The moments that make you question everything. And the moments that remind you exactly why you came.

He didn't feel Isreali until October 7. That's when Israel Became Home!

Who Is Marty Paz?

Marty was born in New York, grew up mostly in Las Vegas, and has visited 65 countries because sitting still was never really his thing.

Today he's a real estate investor working primarily along the eastern seaboard of the United States while living in Tel Aviv. As he jokes in the episode, that's a little ironic considering he's somewhat American and based in Israel.

But his connection to Israel didn't begin when he made Aliyah.

His father's family has roots in Israel going back to the 1600s. His father was born during the British Mandate before eventually moving to the United States. Hebrew was part of everyday life growing up, and trips to Israel were a regular part of his childhood.

So when Marty finally made Aliyah in December 2020, he wasn't exactly moving to a completely new place.

In a lot of ways, he was coming home.

Making Aliyah During COVID

When people imagine Aliyah, they usually picture a moving speech, a lifelong dream, or a dramatic moment of inspiration.

For Marty, it was a lot more practical.

Health insurance.

His wife had been laid off. The Aliyah process was already underway. The world felt increasingly uncertain. And as Marty put it during our conversation, Israel looked like one of the few places that wasn't completely falling apart.

So they made the decision.

Marty, his wife, and their two Chihuahua mixes packed up their lives and headed for Israel.

What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a bit, actually.

The Aliyah Process Nobody Puts on Instagram

One of the reasons I wanted Marty on the show is because he's willing to talk honestly about the parts people usually leave out.

The Aliyah paperwork took over a year.

There were issues with citizenship records.

There were name discrepancies.

There were government offices trying to figure out exactly what category he fit into.

At one point, the bureaucracy basically threw up its hands and said, "We're just going to call you an Oleh Hadash and move on."

Which, honestly, feels like one of the most Israeli stories imaginable.

Then there was the surprise discovery that Marty and his wife had gotten married during the process.

Most people would think marriage is good news.

Israeli bureaucracy disagreed.

That status change cost them benefits, paperwork adjustments, and a free SIM card.

Because apparently paperwork waits for no one.

Moving to Israel With Two Chihuahuas

Then there were the dogs.

Originally, Marty and his wife were told they could quarantine in the Aliyah hotel and that soldiers would help care for the dogs.

Which sounds strange enough already.

Then the policy changed.

Suddenly dogs weren't allowed.

Now they needed somewhere else to stay.

They found an Airbnb-style solution near Ben Gurion Airport and adjusted on the fly.

And then lockdown happened.

Again.

But Israel being Israel, there was a loophole.

You could only travel a limited distance from home.

Unless you had a dog.

Then suddenly you had a reason to be outside.

So Marty and his wife grabbed their dogs and spent lockdown exploring Tel Aviv one walk at a time.

As he tells it, Tel Aviv practically runs on dogs.

For a while, having a leash felt like a passport.

One of the Most "Only in Israel" Stories I've Ever Heard

My favorite story from the episode happens before Marty even officially enters the country.

He's sitting on the plane talking to another passenger.

Normal conversation.

Nothing unusual.

Then they realize they've met before.

Turns out the man sitting nearby was Marty's rabbi from Las Vegas when he was a child.

Not only that, but the rabbi was now working at Ben Gurion Airport.

After traveling across the world and arriving in Israel during one of the strangest periods in modern history, one of the first familiar faces Marty saw was someone from his childhood.

You can't plan that.

You can't script it.

That's just Israel.

Life in Israel Is Different Than Making Aliyah

Something we talk about often on Aliyah Chronicles is the difference between making Aliyah and building a life in Israel.

The flight is one day.

The life comes afterward.

For Marty, that meant finding community.

Learning how systems work.

Navigating healthcare.

Understanding cultural differences.

Making friends.

Building routines.

Creating a home.

Those things don't happen when you land at the airport.

They happen slowly.

Over months and years.

And they're often the hardest part.

When Did Israel Finally Feel Like Home?

This was the part of the conversation that stuck with me the most.

When people talk about belonging, they often point to receiving citizenship, getting a Teudat Zehut, finding a job, or speaking Hebrew fluently.

Marty didn't.

For him, the answer was October 7.

Two women who worked at a bar near his apartment were killed at the Nova Music Festival.

People he knew were directly impacted.

People he cared about were affected.

And suddenly, what had happened wasn't something happening around him.

It was happening to his community.

To his neighbors.

To his country.

Marty compared it to how many Americans describe 9/11.

A moment when identity became less abstract and more personal.

A moment when Israel stopped being simply where he lived and became where he belonged.

It's not the answer most people expect.

But it's an honest one.

Advice for Anyone Considering Aliyah

At the end of the episode, Marty shared what might be the most practical advice we've ever discussed on Aliyah Chronicles.

If you're thinking about making Aliyah, go travel somewhere uncomfortable first.

Go somewhere you've never been.

Go somewhere you don't know the language.

Go somewhere the systems are unfamiliar.

Learn how to be uncomfortable.

Learn how to solve problems.

Learn how to land on your feet.

If you can figure things out in Peru, Costa Rica, Argentina, or somewhere completely outside your comfort zone, you'll probably be okay in Israel too.

Because Aliyah isn't really about knowing exactly what you're doing.

It's about trusting that you'll figure it out when you get there.

Listen to the Full Episode

This is one of those conversations where the details matter.

The bureaucracy stories.

The WhatsApp groups.

The dogs.

The airport rabbi.

The healthcare conversations.

The October 7 reflections.

They all add up to something bigger than an Aliyah story.

They become a story about identity, belonging, community, and finding home.

If you've ever wondered what life after Aliyah actually looks like, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of Aliyah Chronicles wherever you get your podcasts.

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Aliyah Chronicles is a production of Briefly Distracted Media, sharing the stories of people who made Aliyah and what happened after the plane landed.