#Meet_the_Oleh Simcha Brodsky

Aliyah Date: October 2020

Made Aliyah from Monsey, New York

Currently living in Tel Aviv

Simcha is one of the newer Olim in the country -- in fact, he was the 16,000th person to make Aliyah in 2020! Keep reading to find out what else makes his story special!

Originally from Monsey, New York, Simcha has actually lived all over America -- Miami, San Francisco, Dallas, Queens, and he even attended high school in Israel! Really, his Aliyah journey is just beginning, but it's been a long road to get here.

Simcha is still settling into Israel, so he is giving both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv a shot to see where he prefers to put down his roots. He is a musician and DJ, as well as a music producer. So it's really important for Simcha to build connections and find people to work with, and investigate the field.

Simcha wanted to be in Israel since he was a young child. He has a VHS tape from when he was in first grade where everyone dressed up as what they wanted to be when they grow up, and he of course dressed as an IDF soldier. He came here for the first time at 16 and went on an exchange program for high school in Israel.

He came to Israel for the second time in January. He was sitting on the plane and struck up a conversation with someone who was also a music producer. The man started telling him about his military experience, and Simcha was so moved, he swears he wanted to make Aliyah just from this interaction. He says, "It wasn't necessarily logical, but the second I landed I started uploading documents to apply for Aliyah." Then, he got cold feet for a few months but started the process again, and now here he is!

Simcha's career path is 100% entrepreneurial. He has been in the music industry since he was much younger. When he was 17 he started producing Jewish music. Then he started working with this company for five years producing all the big concerts for all the big Jewish performers in New York. He has experience with live concert production, running a crew, and the logistics of a show. He's spent six years gaining experience in amphitheater or arena concerts. It’s always been simple for him.

There might not be much happening in the entertainment industry right now, but we hope after Corona there will be. Simcha knows it's going to be a real hustle to succeed here. In New York, he was able to bring out 500-700 people to a party in New York. Of course, Corona changed this a bit. He wants to build up his fan base and credit in Israel and to start his own business.

Simcha loves people and loves when people are in good spirits. He's not necessarily business-oriented, he loves to meet people and so he has to approach the industry differently, in Israel too!

Simcha's advice for those making Aliyah

"Put one foot in front of the other and trust G-d. There are no rules, it's different for everyone. Just look up to the sky, thank G-d, and let yourself be guided. Oh, and take some time to meditate!"