Volume 7, Issue 11 / Cheshvan 5765 / November 2004

"When I Want Something I Go After It!"

A cup of coffee changed Debora's life!

"When I want something, I go after it!" says Debora Salama. The drive and purposefulness that motivated the 25 year-old native of Buenos Aires to begin a new life in Israel has impelled her to excel in everything she undertakes – with life-changing results.

During a visit to Israel in February 2000, the dark-haired young woman ran into an acquaintance from Argentina who had made aliyah and was studying at the Betsalel Arts Academy in Jerusalem. That very same day, she contacted and met with the head of the graphics design division at the highly competitive institution.

Immediately after returning to Buenos Aires, Debora contacted the Jewish Agency office in that city to learn about the aliyah procedure. In preparation, she began to study Hebrew. She actually spent several months in Israel, before taking the plunge, where she worked in a restaurant, and continued her study of Hebrew in a Jewish Agency ulpan in Rana'ana. "I didn't want to jump into the pool and find it dry," she says. "I wanted first to try out life in Israel and see if it suits me."

It was not easy for Debora to leave her native country, in which her family has deep Jewish roots going back generations: Her grandfather was head of one of the largest synagogues in Buenos Aires. Her father, an architect specializes in building synagogues in Uruguay and Argentina. But the strong Jewish-Zionist education she received at home and in Jewish day schools made aliyah a natural option.

When the economic crisis hit in December 2001, Debora, who had begun studying for a degree at in industrial design at the University of Buenos Aires, thought that this was the opportune time to go to Israel. In March 2002, she made aliyah, together with a group of fellow students on the Jewish Agency's TAKA university preparatory program. "These were the people who became my good friends," she says.

She also made friends among people from other backgrounds. "One of the things I love about Israel is the bond among people who are so different," she says. "There's a common language even the people come from such different backgrounds. "If I ever needed something I could knock on a stranger's door and he would help."

When she completed the TAKA program, Debora continued her study of Hebrew at ulpan. To further improve her command of the language, she took private lessons with the teacher. After her first year at Betsalel, Deborah won a prize at an art exhibition for new immigrants sponsored by the Jewish Agency.

Before the New Year, she called her teacher to tell him the good news and to wish him a Shana Tova. He invited her for coffee - and now the young couple is engaged to be married!

Written by: Shifra Paikin
Photos by: Shimi Nachtailer

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