There are various types of aliyah organizations:

• Professional organizations. These organizations are run by the Israeli government or by bodies that are affiliated with the government. You may agree or disagree with their policies, but it's useful to get their help:
  • They can offer assistance
  • They can give you the official line (that's also important)
  • They can offer you government-sponsored financial assistance
  • If they do their job well, they can offer you contacts in Israel
• Organizations that represent political groups, movements, or parties. Yes, they, too, can be as problematic as they sound. If you are affiliated with and active in that party, this option may offer you some protektzia. Be sure to sniff around to determine whether the organization has your interests in mind.
• Grass-roots or ad-hoc organizations for lay people. You'll probably want to join these groups in addition to the others. Depending on the group, they may offer straight answers, they may just be a place to gripe about the system, or anything in between.
• AACA (or its replacement). This organization is sponsored by the government, but its lay leadership is given a great deal of leeway and power.

All of these organizations offer support, assistance, and information. You may want to select the organization(s) that come closest to your organizational, personal, and political affiliation and needs.

The various Zionist organizations all want you to join their groups, in order to strengthen them. They need numbers in order to justify their existence. They want and need you as much as you want and need them.

There is nothing wrong with helping those organizations. However, we're talking about you, and about your aliyah. What is your best direction for you to follow?

You need organizational backing, but not necessarily for the reasons that they will tell you. You need to feel that you are a member of a group of people that will be making aliyah. You need to feel what they feel, understand what they understand, and share their information, worries, concerns, optimism, enthusiasm, and hopes. You want to share your potential success with theirs - despite things that other people may say.

You need to know how and what to respond to people who say that you’re crazy for making Aliyah. Your organization - if it is run well - may share some of these ideas.

By its very existence, the organization will also remind you that you're not the only one making aliyah now. That's also important. Those are the real reasons for joining.

If there is no Aliyah organization in your region, then you might want to consider getting together with a few friends who also want to go to Israel - and creating an organization of your own. Try to do it in coordination with the Jewish Agency, because it is the official body that helps people move to Israel.

Disclaimer

The author of this page belonged to and ran the AACA. There is another Aliyah movement today. I believe that it is called Tnuat aliyah, but many Ashkenazim may pronounce the name as "Tenuous" aliyah.