A jumbo El Al airliner touched down at Ben Gurion International airport early Wednesday morning with 366 Jews aboard who all packed their belongings, kissed North America goodbye, and now continue their lives as residents of the Jewish State.

The planeload of North Americans was preceded by 23,000 others in the past seven years who made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) through the Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN) organization, a group dedicated to revitalizing Jewish immigration to Israel en masse from North America and the UK.



Video: Over a thousand people welcome olim at Ben Gurion airport (Email readers, click here to see the video footage!)

Olim step off the transport bus and review the thousand strong welcome party waiting for them

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon
 
A Torah scroll makes aliyah

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon
 

The charter flight follows a group aliyah flght (a block of reserved seats in a regular commercial El Al flight) that departed from Canada Monday carrying 48 olim (new immigrants) to Israel. Another group flight will depart later Wednesday from Newark airport, capping off forty-eight hours in which 455 Western new immigrants will be making aliyah through Nefesh B'Nefesh.

The newcomers are among more than 3,000 Western immigrants moving to Israel on 16 flights this summer as part of an ongoing "aliyah revolution" launched by the NBN organization in 2002.

World renowned Torah Scholar Rabbi Ephraim Greenblatt and his son Yitzchak make aliyah

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon
 
All OK for a new Israeli family

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon

Forty-six people from Wednesday's flight will be moving to Israel's northern region as part of NBN's "Go North" program, a historic initiative which encourages Western olim to settle in northern Israel, by providing enhanced financial, employment and social support. "Go North" aims to bring over 1,000 immigrants to Israel's morth over the next few years and will have assisted 32 families by the end of this summer.

Minister of Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edestein told the olim at the welcome reception that he toured towns in the north on Tuesday and heard from local residents of the dire need to bring more Jews to populate the region, which has a large Arab presence. Edelstein opened his remarks saying that it is a sad day for him as Minister of Diaspora Affairs as he now has 366 less people for whom he is responsible in his government portfolio. "But as a Jew and a Zionist, it is a very happy day," he said.

A Mexican? American? Now Israeli!

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon
 
The tenth-grade Bnei Akiva chapter of Kfar Saba greets the immigrants. Counselor Aviad says, "We wanted to end the vacation with something meaningful for our youth group."

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon

Also on board Wednesday's flight are 22 olim who are enlisting into the Israel Defense Forces and five physicians who are a part of NBN's Physician Aliyah Fellowship, a program designed to better integrate physicians into the Israeli medical system.

NBN walks the olim through the aliyah and absorption process by minimizing the financial, professional, logistical and social obstacles of coming to a new land with a new language. Their efforts have borne fruit: 98 percent of the new immigrants over the past seven years have stayed in Israel, compared with a "return" rate of up to one-third in previous years.

NBN provides food and drink for the Israelis who come to the airport to greet the new immigrants.

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon
 
Rabbi Ephraim Greenblatt gives his first blessing as an oleh to a young boy Tovia: "You should grow up to be a big Torah scholar."

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon



Chairman of the Jewish Agency and former Prisoner of Zion Natan Sharansky told the new Israelis an old cynical joke that a real Zionist is a wealthy American Jew who gives money to bring a Russian Jew to Israel. "This is no longer a joke," he said, adding, "There are tens of planes bringing Western Jews from America and South Africa and other places to actually live in Israel."



Director of NBN Rabbi Yehoshua Fass thanked the olim and thanked philanthropist Guma Aguiar for his support of the aliyah revolution. "Guma joined us last year as a supporter," said Rabbi Fass, "and told me then, 'I will make sure that no Jew gets left behind.'"

Philanthropist Guma Aguiar (wearing Yankees cap). "I will make sure that no Jews get left behind."

Fass said that there 128 children on the flight – "It was very loud and noisy, thank G-d," he told the over 1,200 participants of the welcome ceremony.

Some onlookers find it strange that Jews are attracted to a country which is threatened by enemies from the north, south and east. Israel National News asked these first-day Israelis what is motivating them to uproot themselves from their places of birth, and face the hurdles of building a new life in a distant and sometimes dangerous land. Their answers follow:

Dave Teitelbaum (left) and Yosef Kirshenbaum both from New York display big smiles as they step off the plane. Dave: "I came to join the army." Yosef: "I am returning - I am coming back."

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon
 
Elisheva Watson, a teenager from Teaneck, New Jersey, moving to Beit Shemesh: "I came with my family, but I always wanted to. It is a dream I always had."

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon
 


Video above: Ora from Baltimore: "This is the place to be."
 
Thirteen-year-old Rachel Homnick from Manhattan: "We've lived here for 4 years and decided to make aliyah."

Israel news photo: B. Gordon
 
 


Video above: Benny Adler, happy husband to Aviva and father of 8 boys from Teaneck: "Israel is our Jewish homeland..."
Dan Rosenstein and family from West Hempstead, New York moving to Nofei HaShemesh: "We came for quality of life. It's the holy land where my kids can learn Bible and then go on a field trip to see what they learned."

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon



Video above: Andrew "Now Avraham" Doxer from Boston: "I can add a little light to the Land..."

Moshe Rayman from Teaneck moving to Beit Shemesh: "Because this is where the Jewish People live..." Shlomo, 14 (right) will study at a yeshiva high school, Hana, 18, will study at Michlala in Jerusalem, and Shai, 17 (left), will finish high school this year in the US

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon
 
Leah Levitt with daughter Emunah from Brooklyn moving to Nachlaot, Jerusalem: "We spent a few months here and reached the decision that we can't live anywhere else."

Israel news photo: Baruch Gordon