Israel is a country that likes to greet new immigrants, and it will have a chance to do so in a large way tomorrow. Over 400 new olim (immigrants) will be arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport to begin their new lives at home in Israel. They will be flown in on a special flight of the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization, and will be greeted by hundreds of well-wishers, media representatives, and public officials such as the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Absorption Minister, and the Chairman of the Jewish Agency.
The flight is scheduled to land at 10 AM, and the new olim (immigrants) will be met with a festive welcoming ceremony. The immigrants' paperwork will begin on the plane, and enhanced Absorption Ministry staff will be on hand in the airport to expedite the process. Most of the families will start out in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh.
This is the third consecutive year that Nefesh B'Nefesh is sponsoring such a mass homecoming from North America, and each year the numbers increase. The sole flight in 2002 brought 519 olim, while two planes last year brought 1,000 new immigrants. This year, three and a half flights are scheduled - today's will be the first - for a total of some 1,500 new Jews in the Land of Israel. Over 500 olim have already arrived this year from the U.S.
Nefesh B'Nefesh provides the new immigrants with grants of up to $20,000 - depending on the size of the family and its economic status. It is funded by the Jewish Federations in North America, the Jewish Agency, and private donations. Olim who remain in Israel for at least three years need not return the grants.
As one new immigrant last year said in an emotional speech, "My grandfather wore a yellow star in Europe - and now I am here, holding an Israeli teudat zehut [identity card] in the Jewish State!" A film clip of the reception for one of last year's Nefesh B'Nefesh flights can be seen here.
New immigrant Nathan Gessner plans to Hebraize his name upon Aliyah (immigration to Israel), becoming Natan Gesher on his Israeli identification card. Aliyah activist Pinchas Orbach asked Gessner, who was waiting on line to check his bags at New York's JFK airport, how it feels. “I’m making Aliyah!” declared the new oleh with pride. “It feels like the weight of the world is being lifted off of me. I’m becoming a real person!”
Orbach described the scene at JFK to Arutz-7's Ezra HaLevi: "The entire airport is filled with emotion. There are lots of smiles, hugs and kisses along with tears - as loved ones wave goodbye." Orbach also said that he saw an overwhelming number of children and young singles getting ready to board the plane, as well as one man who carried a Torah scroll with him as he embarked on his journey "home to Zion."
The flight is scheduled to land at 10 AM, and the new olim (immigrants) will be met with a festive welcoming ceremony. The immigrants' paperwork will begin on the plane, and enhanced Absorption Ministry staff will be on hand in the airport to expedite the process. Most of the families will start out in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh.
This is the third consecutive year that Nefesh B'Nefesh is sponsoring such a mass homecoming from North America, and each year the numbers increase. The sole flight in 2002 brought 519 olim, while two planes last year brought 1,000 new immigrants. This year, three and a half flights are scheduled - today's will be the first - for a total of some 1,500 new Jews in the Land of Israel. Over 500 olim have already arrived this year from the U.S.
Nefesh B'Nefesh provides the new immigrants with grants of up to $20,000 - depending on the size of the family and its economic status. It is funded by the Jewish Federations in North America, the Jewish Agency, and private donations. Olim who remain in Israel for at least three years need not return the grants.
As one new immigrant last year said in an emotional speech, "My grandfather wore a yellow star in Europe - and now I am here, holding an Israeli teudat zehut [identity card] in the Jewish State!" A film clip of the reception for one of last year's Nefesh B'Nefesh flights can be seen here.
New immigrant Nathan Gessner plans to Hebraize his name upon Aliyah (immigration to Israel), becoming Natan Gesher on his Israeli identification card. Aliyah activist Pinchas Orbach asked Gessner, who was waiting on line to check his bags at New York's JFK airport, how it feels. “I’m making Aliyah!” declared the new oleh with pride. “It feels like the weight of the world is being lifted off of me. I’m becoming a real person!”
Orbach described the scene at JFK to Arutz-7's Ezra HaLevi: "The entire airport is filled with emotion. There are lots of smiles, hugs and kisses along with tears - as loved ones wave goodbye." Orbach also said that he saw an overwhelming number of children and young singles getting ready to board the plane, as well as one man who carried a Torah scroll with him as he embarked on his journey "home to Zion."