Translating from Hebrew "Aliya" means renaissance, rise. Professional musicians who has got an opportunity to gather to play music due to the rise of the national Jewish movement in Russia see their main task in the renaissance of the Jewish culture.

The Klezmer ensemble "Aliya" was established in 1989 on the initiative of a general conductor of the Brass Band Mark Kogan. He is a permanent artistic director of the ensemble. And today "Aliya" has already been having a packed house at its concerts for more than ten years. 

The task of the ensemble is a renaissance of the klezmer music as a genre. Its credo is "Enlightenment through entertainment." In 1990 "Aliya" took part in the Vilnius Jewish Music Khanuka Festival. In September of the same year it performed four concerts in Moscow. They were held in the Shalom Theatre and in the Pushkin Theatre. In 1991 "Aliya" took part in the Jewish Art Festival in Riga "Baltya-91". In 1992 "Aliya" performed in "Khanuka in Siberia" and "Maccabiada-92" in Vilnius where it was awarded the diplomas. The ensemble is a four-time participant of the International Jewish Art Festivals in Biribidzhan in 1990,1991,1999 and 2003 where it had got the diplomas and memorable signs. "Aliya" is a four-time participant of the Jewish Art Festival "Shalom" in Orenburg, where it also was awarded. 

"Aliya" is a diplomant of the first Klezmer Ensembles Competition in Moscow (1999) At the same festival Mark Kogan had got a diploma "For the Artistic Personification". In 2000 the ensemble won the second prize "Golden Mikhoels" (the first was not awarded at all) and the name of a laureate at Solomon Mikhoels' II International Art Festival in Moscow. The first audio recording was made in 1993 and the second one in 1997. The first CD was recorded while going on tour in Germany in 1999 and the second one in 2000. In 1999-2002 "Aliya" took part in the folk festivals in Rudolstadt, Leipzig and Stelzen. Kogan M.L. and his klezmers has been the participants of Saint Petersburg and Kiev klezfests since 2000. In 2003 Mark Kogan conducted a lesson of arrangement for the real staff in Kiev.

In 2002 "Aliya" was on tour in Germany in Munich, Nuernberg, Stutgart, Leipzig, Koblenz. In 2004 the ensemble also visited Germany, Luisenburg where it successfully took part in the Luisenburg Festival and got an invitation for the festival in 2005.