The Nefesh B'Nefesh organization responded to the halting of flights to Israel and the consequences of the move on Jews who planned to immigrate to Israel in the coming weeks.
"Aliyah has and always will be a core value and a vital and strategic goal for the State of Israel, said co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, Rabbi Yehoshua Fass."We obviously are pained by the sudden freeze in Aliyah flights this morning with the closing of Ben Gurion airport, but understand the necessity of this action in light of the increased spread of new strains of COVID-19.
We hope and pray that these actions will be effective and that the incoming flights will resume shortly. As such, together with the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency, we will continue to support, process and expedite Aliyah and prepare the Olim for when the flights return. We salute all the Olim who have arrived despite all the recent challenges of the pandemic and eagerly anticipate welcoming the arrival of those who are patiently waiting for the Israeli skies to open again."
To date, the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization has assisted the immigration of more than 65,000 immigrants from North America and England, while maintaining a rate of more than 90% of their immigrants remaining in Israel.