\"This is the most exciting thing in the world,\" said one woman witnessing the deplaning of almost 400 new immigrants (olim) from North America in Ben Gurion International Airport this morning. She was among hundreds of people who came to greet a special El Al flight carrying the olim from North America. This is the largest amount of U.S. olim ever to arrive on one plane. The group was organized and largely subsidized by the now-famous Nefesh B\'Nefesh organization, with the help of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the Jewish Agency, the Israeli Government, AACI (Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel), and Tehilla. Another 1200 Nefesh B\'Nefesh immigrants from North America are expected in the coming year.
The group is comprised mostly of young families, the average age is 35, and about 3/4 of them have decided to live in the Jerusalem and Ramat Beit Shemesh areas... Others of the families will live in Raanana, Gush Etzion, and Rehovot, and two - the Parkers of Denver, Colorado and the Acardis of Monsey, NY - will move to Kokhav Yaakov, between Jerusalem and Psagot/Beit El... The youngest oleh today was a 10-week old baby boy... Sinai and Batya from Teaneck, NJ will live in Ramat Beit Shemesh with their three children... Michael and Peninah from Brooklyn will live in Rehovot with their five children... 70% of the group describe themselves as religious... 35 of the children will study in the Magen Avot school network in Ramat Beit Shemesh...
Among those greeting the group at a special ceremony were also Nefesh B\'Nefesh Directors Rabbi Joshua Fass and Tony Gelbart, and President of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. Rabbi Fass and Mr. Gelbart founded Nefesh B\'Nefesh about a year and a half ago, following the terrorist murder of a 14-year old cousin of Rabbi Fass. The Jewish Agency helped locate suitable candidates and sponsored today\'s plane. The Nefesh B’Nefesh office in Jerusalem will help the olim find housing, employment, adoptive Israeli families and more. Each family received a special allocation ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 each to help ease their first steps in Israel. If they quit Israel during the next three years, they must pay back the allocation - which will then be used for other new immigrants.
Rabbi Simcha Fass, father of the aforementioned Rabbi Joshua Fass, told Arutz-7 that today is \"the beginning, we hope, of genuine aliyah from the United States. Today it was 400, and another 150 are expected in the course of the summer, and Nefesh B\'Nefesh hopes that there will be another such planeload every three months...\" The elder Rabbi Fass explained that most of today\'s olim \"wanted to come on aliyah for a while, but for various reasons pushed it off - and Nefesh B\'Nefesh helped them actualize their plans, by giving the grants, helping in finding jobs, homes, and people to help, etc.\"
Another eyewitness at today\'s welcoming ceremony related, \"There is such a feeling of solidarity here... The olim appear happy and thrilled to be here, and are very moved... We are greeting them in a big hangar-like building, in a very well-arranged ceremony. At this moment, a choir is performing for them. Deputy Absorption Minister Edelstein is here, as is Binyamin Netanyahu [and] MK Tzvi Hendel... There is real joy in the air...\"
The group is comprised mostly of young families, the average age is 35, and about 3/4 of them have decided to live in the Jerusalem and Ramat Beit Shemesh areas... Others of the families will live in Raanana, Gush Etzion, and Rehovot, and two - the Parkers of Denver, Colorado and the Acardis of Monsey, NY - will move to Kokhav Yaakov, between Jerusalem and Psagot/Beit El... The youngest oleh today was a 10-week old baby boy... Sinai and Batya from Teaneck, NJ will live in Ramat Beit Shemesh with their three children... Michael and Peninah from Brooklyn will live in Rehovot with their five children... 70% of the group describe themselves as religious... 35 of the children will study in the Magen Avot school network in Ramat Beit Shemesh...
Among those greeting the group at a special ceremony were also Nefesh B\'Nefesh Directors Rabbi Joshua Fass and Tony Gelbart, and President of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. Rabbi Fass and Mr. Gelbart founded Nefesh B\'Nefesh about a year and a half ago, following the terrorist murder of a 14-year old cousin of Rabbi Fass. The Jewish Agency helped locate suitable candidates and sponsored today\'s plane. The Nefesh B’Nefesh office in Jerusalem will help the olim find housing, employment, adoptive Israeli families and more. Each family received a special allocation ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 each to help ease their first steps in Israel. If they quit Israel during the next three years, they must pay back the allocation - which will then be used for other new immigrants.
Rabbi Simcha Fass, father of the aforementioned Rabbi Joshua Fass, told Arutz-7 that today is \"the beginning, we hope, of genuine aliyah from the United States. Today it was 400, and another 150 are expected in the course of the summer, and Nefesh B\'Nefesh hopes that there will be another such planeload every three months...\" The elder Rabbi Fass explained that most of today\'s olim \"wanted to come on aliyah for a while, but for various reasons pushed it off - and Nefesh B\'Nefesh helped them actualize their plans, by giving the grants, helping in finding jobs, homes, and people to help, etc.\"
Another eyewitness at today\'s welcoming ceremony related, \"There is such a feeling of solidarity here... The olim appear happy and thrilled to be here, and are very moved... We are greeting them in a big hangar-like building, in a very well-arranged ceremony. At this moment, a choir is performing for them. Deputy Absorption Minister Edelstein is here, as is Binyamin Netanyahu [and] MK Tzvi Hendel... There is real joy in the air...\"