A chartered flight of new immigrants from North America arrived in Israel on Monday morning. The new arrivals were greeted with a festive welcome ceremony attended by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and MK's Gilad Ardan (Likud) and Yisrael Hason (Kadima).
The flight was the fifth and final chartered planeload of new immigrants this summer organized by the Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN) organization which facilitates aliyah (Jews moving to Israel) in North America and England. Aboard the flight were 235 new immigrants from North America and the UK, and they received their Israeli citizenship upon landing.
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The oldest new immigrant is 86 years old, and the youngest is three months old. Over the course of the summer, more than 2,000 North American and British Jews immigrated to Israel through the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization, on five specially-chartered and eight group Aliyah flights.
Other dignitaries at the welcoming ceremony included: Knesset Members Gilad Erdan (Likud) and Yoel Hasson (Kadima), Director-General of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption Erez Halfon, Director-General of the Jewish Agency's Department for Aliyah and Absorption Eli Cohen, and Nefesh B’Nefesh founders Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Tony Gelbart.
Passport officers board the flight
Stairs positioned for immigrants departure
MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) arrives with immigrants
Immigrants young & old arrive home
91 Singles arrived on the NBN flight
Immigrants expressed lots of joy upon their arrival
Lots of Israeli flags were flying high
One immigrant arrived with a Torah scroll
Blowing the shofar to celebrate the event
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Founder of Nefesh B' Nefesh
Eli Cohen, Dir Gen. of the Jewish Agency's
Depart. for Aliyah and Absorption
Tony Gelbart co-founder of Nefesh B' Nefesh
PM Ehud Olmert attended the ceremony
despite his pressing political and criminal troubles
