A Values Driven Decision: Meet the Levi Family

If you ask Rabbi Elie Levi what finally tipped the scales toward their family’s move to Israel, he won’t give you a one-line answer. He’ll probably smile, pause, and then say something like:

“It wasn’t one big moment… There was no lightbulb epiphany… It was smaller, day-to-day thoughts, subtle deliberations and deeper conversations with my wife Esther that kept us coming back to the same conclusion: what we truly want is to be able to live in Israel.”

That quiet conviction became the heartbeat of the Levi family’s story,  a story that started in Baltimore, where Rav Elie and Esther were both born and raised and then built their life together as a couple for seventeen years, raising their own beautiful family there, surrounded by community, friends, and extended family they adored.

Do we really want to uproot the family?

That is one of the most relatable questions people ask themselves when contemplating Aliya sparks the positive kind of ruminating thoughts.

Moving to Israel had always been a topic in the Levi home, the kind that floats in and out of conversations, never quite landing on a conclusion. “Maybe one day,” they’d say. “When the kids are grown. When things calm down. When the timing makes sense.” Rav Elie & Esther even imagined the “snowbird” model, buying an apartment in Israel for when they retire, spending winters in the sunshine of Eretz Yisrael and summers near family in the States.

But as their kids got older, something about that version of the vision began to feel off.

“If we wait,” they realized, “the kids will settle all over the States, different cities, different lives, and we’ll spend our later years traveling state to state just to see them. We may get to be together just the two of us, but practically speaking, when will everyone be together for Yomim tovim or milestones?” Rarely.

That didn’t sound like the vision of family togetherness they had been brought up with and that they wanted for their kids. The Levis decided that if their dream was to live in Israel and for their family to stay close they couldn’t wait for ‘one day.’ It had to be now.

So, in the summer of 2023, just a few months before the horrific events of October 7th,  they began the process. They gathered paperwork, started conversations, researched schools, made lists, and made more lists.

They were all in.

Then the World Changed

When October 7th happened, their resolve was tested in ways they didn’t expect.

“For some people, it became the catalyst for Aliyah,” Rabbi Levi says. “For us, it was different.  It wasn’t the catalyst because we had already decided on it.  While it was frightening, of course, and we asked ourselves, ‘Do we really want to uproot our kids and bring them to a war zone?’, it was a decision we had already made in our hearts and minds and we were determined not to be deterred.” 

The doubts were real… but so were the values that had driven them this far. They didn’t close the door. They pressed forward, slowly, deliberately, and with faith.

“It was one of those decisions,” they recall, “where you’re torn between two deep loves: our close-knit family and community in Baltimore, and the dream of being part of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael. You can’t have both in full. So we chose the one that would shape our family’s long-term story.”

Leaving was bittersweet. Baltimore wasn’t just a random place; it was their people: parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, community. But the Levis understood something profound; Sometimes you have to give up short-term comfort to build the long-term life you truly want.

New Roots, New Reality

Rabbi Levi, who began balancing a career working with Mortgage Israel and also teaching Torah at Yeshivat Lev HaTorah at night, quickly found his footing. His wife Esther supported him with every major decision and tried to keep the family grounded as they navigated Israeli bureaucracy, new schools, and new grocery experiences.

The younger kids adjusted with the resilience only kids seem to have. For the older boys, though, the transition was harder. Israeli high school life was… well, Israeli. The system felt foreign, the slang incomprehensible, and the social cues… mysterious.

“They’re easygoing, great kids,” Rabbi Levi says, “but it was hard to find peers who really understood where they were coming from.”

And then, as if scripted, Yesodei Yisrael entered the picture.

An Investment Opportunity We Couldn’t Refuse

When the idea of joining a new yeshiva high school designed specifically for English-speaking olim came up, the Levis didn’t hesitate to explore it.

Rav Levi, mortgage broker by day, rabbi by night,  immediately recognized a good investment when he saw one.

“This wasn’t just about academics,” he explains. “It was about environment. About values. About giving our boys and other olim families a place where they could feel at home with friends who share their background, rebbeim who understand their mindset, and a community that celebrates the journey unique to olim families.”

Rabbi Levi decided to partner with Rav Shimon Kronenberg in building this inspirational vision. 

For their older boys, Daniel (16) and Akiva (15), the yeshiva fit felt right from the start. They found themselves in a space where learning was alive, friendships came naturally, and the transition to Israeli life finally felt doable… even exciting.

ROI, the Real Kind

Ask Rabbi Levi today about the return on that investment, and he’ll point to his sons.

“They’re happy,” he says simply. “They’ve found their place. They laugh. They belong. As a parent, there’s no better ROI than that.”

But the dividends don’t stop there. The parent community at Yesodei Yisrael has become an unexpected source of strength and friendship, a built-in network of families who get it. They’re walking the same road, navigating the same milestones, and celebrating the same victories, big and small.

“It’s not just the boys who found their community,” Esther adds. “We did, too. Having people who understand what you’re going through, who are going through it with you, makes all the difference.”

Choosing the Long Game

The Levi family’s story is one of courage wrapped in humility. 

To families considering their own leap:

Maybe your “someday” conversation sounds a lot like the Levis’ used to. Maybe you’re still weighing the timing. The Levis would tell you “you can’t always wait until the idea is easy, because it may never be, but big decisions in life are not always about what’s easy.” 

Esther emphasized that “For us, the timing was right. Making aliya was an ongoing conversation for our family and, until that point, we just didn’t feel like we could do it.” 

In the end, “easy” wasn’t the talking point at the forefront of their choice. They moved because they wanted to build a future worth investing in, one where family, faith, and purpose all live under the same roof. And that decision is so personal.

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Family Spotlight Written by Rebecca Shapiro

Aside from being a proud fellow Yesodei Yisrael mom, Rebecca Shapiro is Yesodei Yisrael's communications and marketing specialist. She is a published author, writer, illustrator, and ghostwriter with over two decades of experience creating content on education, psychology, healthcare and Jewish thought. Her work, both credited and behind the scenes, has been endorsed by world-renowned specialists in their fields. She also provides full service self-publishing support and consulting services in curriculum development, branding, content creation, communications and marketing for individuals, businesses, academic institutions and nonprofits.