‘It’s time to go home’: After 57 years in America, a Holocaust survivor comes home to Israel

Morton Pancer, 86, and his wife Carole, 82, have decided to move from their home in Maryland to Israel after 57 years of living in the United States. The couple, who were married for 57 years, moved to Israel via El Al flight on August 25, with the help of Nefesh B’Nefesh. They plan to live closer to their extended family and begin a new chapter in their lives.

Morton, a Holocaust survivor born in Poland in 1939, and his wife Carole, who grew up in Pennsylvania, have both spent their entire lives in America. However, the couple feels a strong connection to Israel and believe it is their natural home. Morton's family survived World War II after fleeing to Siberia, and Morton wishes to live on the land that the Jews have a right to call their own.

Carole, who grew up in a family with several generations of roots in the United States, agrees that Israel is the natural home of the Jewish people.

The couple's move coincides with a record level of North American immigration to Israel, with more than 1,100 North Americans making aliyah through Nefesh B’Nefesh last month. The couple's daughters, Jessica Gertel and Shoshana Lerner, made aliyah with their families in the early 2000s and this year, respectively, making them even more motivated to join them in Israel.

Carole and Morton are eager to contribute to their new home of Israel. Carole, an artist, hopes to paint portraits and nature in her homeland, while Morton, a former government employee, hopes to continue his work in financial management systems. The Pancers' move also brings many of their 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren closer to them, as most of them already live in Israel.