“The issue with aliyah and Israel that I have is that most Israelis are not religious. While they mostly end up marrying other Jews and identifying as Jews, secularism and irreligiosity are rampant there. Many Israeli high school kids don’t know ‘Shema Yisrael, H’ Elokeinu, H’ Echad’.”
Where are you getting this information? Far from not knowing the Shema, Israeli high schoolers know Tanach better than many Americans (it’s taught in regular public schools!) They know and understand halacha even if they don’t follow it. They have a strong Jewish identity and feel proud of being Jewish, and a sense of ownership over Judaism. They care. Most strikingly, they care about the preservation of traditional Judaism. In Israel, it is not uncommon to hear secular Jews rebuking Conservative and Reform Jews for not following halacha. Yes, you can say it’s hypocrisy, but I think it’s beautiful to see that halacha and mesora is so precious to them and that even if they don’t personally “buy in” to the system, they support it and hopefully will one day return. Contrast this to in America, where 98% of the population is not even Jewish, and of those who are, many are completely ignorant of the most basic Jewish traditions. At least in Israel you have a starting point.