This past Wednesday, the sixth summer flight organized by Nefesh b'Nefesh (NBN), with help from the Jewish Agency, touched down in Ben Gurion International Airport. Carrying 200 Jewish immigrants from North America, it brought the total number of summer immigrants (olim) from that continent to over 1,800.
Rabbi Fass spoke with IsraelNationalRadio's Yishai Fleisher the next day, in an inspiring conversation that can be heard here. Paraphrased excerpts follow:
Fleisher: "Many people see these planes landing, and start thinking to themselves, 'Hey, me too, maybe I should do something like this myself.' Tell me: Why should people get on a Nefesh B'Nefesh flight and come to Israel?"
Rabbi Fass: "For multiple reasons. For Israel's sake - Israel's life source is Aliyah [Jewish immigration to Israel], and this is the greatest gift one can give to Israel, planting yourself here in this country... and for yourself as well. It's not only the fulfillment of our national dream, but also a distinct honor to be able to receive this gift from G-d after 2,000 years of yearning and dreaming about it. To be able to embrace this is a remarkable gift."
YF: "I told my wife this morning that NBN is like an iceberg, because what you see on top is very little. We see only the planes landing, but really what you do is so much more; NBN works to make people's Aliyah successful. One of the people who came on the plane yesterday said that it was like a portable office, with every kind of governmental ministry there, signing people up for things..."
RF: "... Our approach is that success breeds success; you don't just bring new immigrants here and drop them off. We help them thrive and succeed, and then they'll bring their family and friends. We've had too many horror stories in the past of failed Aliyah that trickle back home and turn people off; if you have an organization of people dedicated to having people succeed in their Aliyah, then it's a great service not only to them themselves, but also to Israel.
"We have a very heavy staff here in Israel, and very few in U.S. They help olim in finding jobs, rewriting resumes, and helping negotiate employment contracts, and we have social workers to find buddy families, and help identify small issues before they blow up into big problems. And we have people helping with educational problems, bureaucratic issues, liaisons with government offices to help them navigate the offices, etc... We just had a meeting this morning with the Student Authority to see how to make it easier for students, and we have advocacy in the Knesset to allow medical re-licensing tests in English, and so on...
"It's not just bringing in more bodies, but rather giving a sense of family and a shoulder to cry on and someone who can give then answers..."
YF. "Has there been a change in perception of Israel, and the idea of Aliyah, in North America, as a result of your work and the increasing Aliyah?"
RF: "100% yes, and across the gamut. It used to be that if you brought up the idea of Aliyah, people thought it was a cause, a phenomenon of Jews running from duress or persecution; they didn't think of it as something that individuals would choose. But now they see it as something positive. It puts Israel in a very strong light - of people and professionals who are thriving here, and who are choosing to build their future here. It also puts Israel in a different light for our enemies as well, who are trying to defeat us and lower our morale - and then they see planeload after planeload coming to Israel, with so many people saying this is where they choose to live...
"People with friends and relatives and neighbors who pick up and make this their optimal choice - it makes a real difference, and we see this change in different congregations across the gamut, and in newspapers as well - the way that Israel is covered now, after all the Aliyah, is very different than the way it was."
Rabbi Fass said that NBN has just unveiled a new marketing strategy for Aliyah: "Until now, we've just been passive facilitators, but now we are about to start an active marketing campaign for Aliyah in the US and Canada..." He explained that this is possible, in part, "because of the great staff of people we have working for us. Everyone who works for us is just in love with what he's doing. Even with all the stress, they all wake up every morning knowing they love it... It's very fulfilling for them, and there's a passion to work, to help make this impact. It's a labor of love and a labor of idealism, which comes with knowing that we're in a very blessed point in history, a confluence of many factors that allow us to really affect history."
YF. "Not every rabbi is as passionate about Aliyah as you are. What's the source of it? Where did it come from - rabbis, parents, somewhere within yourself...?
RF. "It's many factors. It's a factor of reading the Bible and not wanting to repeat history, and knowing that G-d might be calling our bluff historically and weighing our response to this gift of the Land of Israel that He gave us. It's a factor of really reading our prayers and feeling what we're saying. ... I just brought my last remaining sibling here to Israel, so now we all live here; this is the values on which we were raised in our family..."
Rabbi Fass noted at length how modern technology has made it much easier for olim to be in touch with their family and friends, as well as to find jobs both here and abroad.
Regarding future NBN plans, Rabbi Fass ostensibly startled many listeners by saying that he expects no fewer than ten planeloads of olim next year:
"We are in the midst of negotiations with El Al for ten planes next year. We're confident about this. We see already in the pipeline a volume of olim, individuals who are interested in coming, and we see that we were able to pull off six flights within seven weeks, and we see how our staff works; its processing work was remarkable, we have it down pat. Everything is in place, so we can do it week after week for ten weeks straight."
YF. "You're not concerned about the rate slowing down, that you're tapping the potential market too fast?"
RF. "Not at all; we're not tapping out anything, we’ve just begun to start... Every year is going to give you your next level of olim, based on their age and time of their lives, so you always have that potential. Then you have success breeding success, people who are touched and influenced by family members. By the end of this year, we expect to have brought close to 7,000 olim - and these people touch close to 50,000 others, including relatives and friends. And then you do a marketing campaign, and thus create even more low-hanging fruit, and even more long-time inspiration and education...
"So I'm not concerned about running out of olim; what I'm concerned about is to make sure that we continue to give them the NBN soul-to-soul treatment, the personal treatment that they need. I also want to make sure that we don't have to grow too large, every year adding more staff until we have 500 employees. We want to think smart, how we give the immigrants this intimate connection and service, but without growing too big. We just created the concept of 'regional reps' all over Israel, who will have seminars at their homes and the like, and they can notice problems or red flags in advance and notify our headquarters to give them professional treatment."
YF. "Rabbi Fass, is Aliyah a form of teshuvah (repentance, return)? Is there a connection between these, in this month of Elul?"
RF. "Teshuvah is usually associated with sin and guilt. But in its literal sense, it means return - so let's discuss it in its more uplifting sense. It is a return to purity, clarity of direction, search for meaning - and this is Aliyah. Fulfilling one's purpose. A person asks himself, 'Where do I see myself fulfilling my purpose? Where can I create a future, playing a pivotal role in history and being connected to my nation and my homeland?' This always results in the answer: Israel - but for some it's contributing money, for some it's marching in a parade, for others it's visiting Israel frequently - but for others, it means investing their future, and picking up and actually moving here for life."
YF. "Amen. That is definitely a positive outlook on teshuvah. So Rabbi Fass, thank you very much, and may you and the entire organization be blessed and inscribed for a happy and successful year, for all of Israel."
RF. "Thank you, and thank you so much for everything - for coming out to the airport with such energy and such warmth every time; every oleh loves to see your face at the bottom of the stairs. And for me, I love it because I always get my hug after a flight... and for future coverage as well, because hopefully together we will see tremendous things happening, please G-d."
Hear Arutz-7's coverage of the arrival of this past Wednesday's flight.
Rabbi Fass spoke with IsraelNationalRadio's Yishai Fleisher the next day, in an inspiring conversation that can be heard here. Paraphrased excerpts follow:
Fleisher: "Many people see these planes landing, and start thinking to themselves, 'Hey, me too, maybe I should do something like this myself.' Tell me: Why should people get on a Nefesh B'Nefesh flight and come to Israel?"
Rabbi Fass: "For multiple reasons. For Israel's sake - Israel's life source is Aliyah [Jewish immigration to Israel], and this is the greatest gift one can give to Israel, planting yourself here in this country... and for yourself as well. It's not only the fulfillment of our national dream, but also a distinct honor to be able to receive this gift from G-d after 2,000 years of yearning and dreaming about it. To be able to embrace this is a remarkable gift."
YF: "I told my wife this morning that NBN is like an iceberg, because what you see on top is very little. We see only the planes landing, but really what you do is so much more; NBN works to make people's Aliyah successful. One of the people who came on the plane yesterday said that it was like a portable office, with every kind of governmental ministry there, signing people up for things..."
RF: "... Our approach is that success breeds success; you don't just bring new immigrants here and drop them off. We help them thrive and succeed, and then they'll bring their family and friends. We've had too many horror stories in the past of failed Aliyah that trickle back home and turn people off; if you have an organization of people dedicated to having people succeed in their Aliyah, then it's a great service not only to them themselves, but also to Israel.
"We have a very heavy staff here in Israel, and very few in U.S. They help olim in finding jobs, rewriting resumes, and helping negotiate employment contracts, and we have social workers to find buddy families, and help identify small issues before they blow up into big problems. And we have people helping with educational problems, bureaucratic issues, liaisons with government offices to help them navigate the offices, etc... We just had a meeting this morning with the Student Authority to see how to make it easier for students, and we have advocacy in the Knesset to allow medical re-licensing tests in English, and so on...
"It's not just bringing in more bodies, but rather giving a sense of family and a shoulder to cry on and someone who can give then answers..."
YF. "Has there been a change in perception of Israel, and the idea of Aliyah, in North America, as a result of your work and the increasing Aliyah?"
RF: "100% yes, and across the gamut. It used to be that if you brought up the idea of Aliyah, people thought it was a cause, a phenomenon of Jews running from duress or persecution; they didn't think of it as something that individuals would choose. But now they see it as something positive. It puts Israel in a very strong light - of people and professionals who are thriving here, and who are choosing to build their future here. It also puts Israel in a different light for our enemies as well, who are trying to defeat us and lower our morale - and then they see planeload after planeload coming to Israel, with so many people saying this is where they choose to live...
"People with friends and relatives and neighbors who pick up and make this their optimal choice - it makes a real difference, and we see this change in different congregations across the gamut, and in newspapers as well - the way that Israel is covered now, after all the Aliyah, is very different than the way it was."
Rabbi Fass said that NBN has just unveiled a new marketing strategy for Aliyah: "Until now, we've just been passive facilitators, but now we are about to start an active marketing campaign for Aliyah in the US and Canada..." He explained that this is possible, in part, "because of the great staff of people we have working for us. Everyone who works for us is just in love with what he's doing. Even with all the stress, they all wake up every morning knowing they love it... It's very fulfilling for them, and there's a passion to work, to help make this impact. It's a labor of love and a labor of idealism, which comes with knowing that we're in a very blessed point in history, a confluence of many factors that allow us to really affect history."
YF. "Not every rabbi is as passionate about Aliyah as you are. What's the source of it? Where did it come from - rabbis, parents, somewhere within yourself...?
RF. "It's many factors. It's a factor of reading the Bible and not wanting to repeat history, and knowing that G-d might be calling our bluff historically and weighing our response to this gift of the Land of Israel that He gave us. It's a factor of really reading our prayers and feeling what we're saying. ... I just brought my last remaining sibling here to Israel, so now we all live here; this is the values on which we were raised in our family..."
Rabbi Fass noted at length how modern technology has made it much easier for olim to be in touch with their family and friends, as well as to find jobs both here and abroad.
Regarding future NBN plans, Rabbi Fass ostensibly startled many listeners by saying that he expects no fewer than ten planeloads of olim next year:
"We are in the midst of negotiations with El Al for ten planes next year. We're confident about this. We see already in the pipeline a volume of olim, individuals who are interested in coming, and we see that we were able to pull off six flights within seven weeks, and we see how our staff works; its processing work was remarkable, we have it down pat. Everything is in place, so we can do it week after week for ten weeks straight."
YF. "You're not concerned about the rate slowing down, that you're tapping the potential market too fast?"
RF. "Not at all; we're not tapping out anything, we’ve just begun to start... Every year is going to give you your next level of olim, based on their age and time of their lives, so you always have that potential. Then you have success breeding success, people who are touched and influenced by family members. By the end of this year, we expect to have brought close to 7,000 olim - and these people touch close to 50,000 others, including relatives and friends. And then you do a marketing campaign, and thus create even more low-hanging fruit, and even more long-time inspiration and education...
"So I'm not concerned about running out of olim; what I'm concerned about is to make sure that we continue to give them the NBN soul-to-soul treatment, the personal treatment that they need. I also want to make sure that we don't have to grow too large, every year adding more staff until we have 500 employees. We want to think smart, how we give the immigrants this intimate connection and service, but without growing too big. We just created the concept of 'regional reps' all over Israel, who will have seminars at their homes and the like, and they can notice problems or red flags in advance and notify our headquarters to give them professional treatment."
YF. "Rabbi Fass, is Aliyah a form of teshuvah (repentance, return)? Is there a connection between these, in this month of Elul?"
RF. "Teshuvah is usually associated with sin and guilt. But in its literal sense, it means return - so let's discuss it in its more uplifting sense. It is a return to purity, clarity of direction, search for meaning - and this is Aliyah. Fulfilling one's purpose. A person asks himself, 'Where do I see myself fulfilling my purpose? Where can I create a future, playing a pivotal role in history and being connected to my nation and my homeland?' This always results in the answer: Israel - but for some it's contributing money, for some it's marching in a parade, for others it's visiting Israel frequently - but for others, it means investing their future, and picking up and actually moving here for life."
YF. "Amen. That is definitely a positive outlook on teshuvah. So Rabbi Fass, thank you very much, and may you and the entire organization be blessed and inscribed for a happy and successful year, for all of Israel."
RF. "Thank you, and thank you so much for everything - for coming out to the airport with such energy and such warmth every time; every oleh loves to see your face at the bottom of the stairs. And for me, I love it because I always get my hug after a flight... and for future coverage as well, because hopefully together we will see tremendous things happening, please G-d."
Hear Arutz-7's coverage of the arrival of this past Wednesday's flight.