Born in Israel to Argentinian parents who later spent 14 years in Mexico on shlichut (emissary work), Aliza Goldberg always knew she wanted to return to Israel and make aliyah.
“All my siblings came to Israel at different times,” she recalls. “When I moved, I couldn’t understand why everyone else didn’t.”
At 18, she arrived in Israel and spent a year at a women's seminary. Having visited Israel many times before, she knew the country well and had a wonderful experience. But she quickly noticed a gap: there were no programs designed for Spanish-speaking girls whose Hebrew was limited or who were unfamiliar with Israel.
It was then that her idea of creating a seminary program for Spanish speakers began to form, although at that point, it remained only a dream.
After completing Sherut Leumi (National Service) as a madricha in an ulpana and earning an undergraduate degree in educational consulting, Aliza married an Argentinian and continued working in Jewish education, including teaching converts in an ulpan. For about a year and a half, she and fellow olim (new immigrants) from Mexico would gather on Motzei Shabbat to socialize and share Divrei Torah (Torah insights).
Still, the dream of starting a Spanish-speaking program never left her. “I kept thinking, what do we do when people get here?” she says. But she was only 24 years old at the time and did not believe that she could do it - until others encouraged her. “Who better to open a seminary than you, an olah who knows Israel?” they told her.
So, Aliza began exploring options. Midreshet Lindenbaum, recognized the need and opened their doors for her, welcoming her initiative on a trial basis: if she could recruit 12 students, the program would move forward. Within months, she had recruited enough students and the rest is history.
The AMLAT program takes shape
Midreshet Lindenbaum’s AMLAT (América Latina) program is unique: it offers young women from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America the opportunity to study Torah intensively in a full-time, structured framework. Participants spend either a semester or a year living on the midrasha's Chana and Yaacov Tilles Campus alongside peers from Israel and the Diaspora. Their studies include Judaism, basic Hebrew, halacha, Jewish thought, Tanach (24 books of the Hebrew Bible), and Mishna, along with educational tours around Israel.
From the start, Aliza focused on strengthening the students’ connection to Israel and Zionism. “Many students from South America aren’t very Zionist,” she explains. The goal was never to push aliyah but to help them learn about Israel and develop a genuine love for the Jewish homeland. Over time, the program began shaping young women’s futures: many chose to make aliyah, while others stayed connected to the growing AMLAT community.
As the program expanded, a WhatsApp group for bogrot (graduates) grew into a network of 120 active members. In its 18 years, more than 450 girls have participated, with about 30% eventually making aliyah. The seminary now organizes learning days, evening classes, and events throughout the year.
Donations have been essential, says Aliza. For two years, they were even able to rent apartments near the seminary where 18 girls lived, attended classes twice a week, and stayed for Shabbatot. Remarkably, 15 of them made aliyah, and 14 are now married.
Shlichut
Aliza views her work as shlichut. “Every day you wake up knowing you are a shlicha,” she says. Beyond helping girls consider aliyah, she supports them in finding direction, purpose, and community - and even assists with shidduchim (matchmaking).
“A lot of religious girls want to make aliyah but don’t have a comfortable place to live, a space where they feel surrounded by peers,” she notes.
She also guides students through Sherut Leumi, drawing on her own experience to help them navigate the challenges. Having a good apartment, good roommates, and a supportive rakezet (coordinator) is crucial, she stresses.
“Every 18-year-old girl coming to Israel needs someone to listen, to think with her about goals, and about what she can contribute to the world.”
Despite the challenges of working with teenagers, Aliza finds strength in seeing the bogrot thrive and hopes to help even more young women. “If only I had more space. This is something we still have to work on - to create a proper framework.”
As she continues her work, she envisions bringing in more olim, securing more support, and perhaps one day opening another apartment for new arrivals - a place to grow, connect, and truly feel at home.