Free Republic

Many hundreds of people were on hand this morning to greet 330 new immigrants from North America who flew in on a special chartered plane. The mass aliyah was arranged by Nefesh B'Nefesh and the Jewish Agency for Israel. Interior Ministry officials greeted them on the plane from New York, and began processing their papers and status during the flight. Another 150 immigrants are expected to arrive today from France, Argentina, and elsewhere. The new Israelis were greeted as they came off the plane by hundreds of family members and friends, laughing and crying with great emotion. The very exciting...

Nearly three years of unremitting terror have taken their toll in many spheres of our national life, including the economy. The twin plagues of terror and recession have reduced aliya to a near trickle. It is especially encouraging, therefore, to see an aliya success story from North America, a place from which it is often assumed that Israel cannot attract substantial immigration. In recent years, Israelis have become used to the idea that traditional reservoirs of immigration have dried up. The massive aliya from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s was a tremendous blessing. Since then, rising anti-Semitism in...

Hundreds of American immigrants to Israel landed in their new homeland this morning after an all-night flight from the US. The group, organized by the organization Nefesh B' Nefesh ("Soul to Soul"), comprised about 330 US and Canadian Jews. Shortly before their arrival, Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he was pleased they are moving to Israel without special government assistance. He described the importance of aliyah, "particularly during this difficult time." In New York yesterday, before the flight took off, Tali Berman said she was born in America but was flying home to Israel. "We're Jewish, and it feels like...

Nefesh B'Nefesh and the Jewish Agency have done it again. Tomorrow morning, the first of two chartered EL AL jumbo jets bringing close to 800 North Americans on aliyah to Israel is scheduled to land at Ben Gurion International Airport. Bringing these Jews home to Israel was made possible by the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization, in close cooperation with the Jewish Agency for Israel. Some 500 North Americans came on aliyah in similar flights last year. Prime Minister Sharon, Finance Minister Netanyahu, and Absorption Minister Tzippy Livni will be joining hundreds of family and friends in welcoming the flight. Also on...

Despite the threat of terror and the economic downturn, the number of North Americans making aliyah has been growing since the Palestinian intifada began in September 2000. According to the Jewish Agency, during the last decade about 1,500 North Americans immigrate to Israel each year. Roughly 1,000 of these immigrants make the move during the summer, as is expected for the coming summer months. As of earlier this year, an estimated 500 North Americans have already settled in Israel. In addition, about 300-400 North Americans visiting Israel are expected to gain Israeli citizenship by the end of this summer. Last...

Seventy one-year-old Maria Argushi, her seven children, 14 grandchildren, and 4-month old great-grandson, all of whom arrived in Israel last week, now live at the Jewish Agency’s Tapuz Absorption Center in Nahariya. “Our large family from the city of Conception in Southern Chile was always very careful to lead a strict Jewish life,” says Maria. “We have dreamed of coming to Israel our entire lives.” For many years the dream was put on the back burner, after several of her brothers tried to get to Israel through Argentina, but a few succumbed to the hardships of the trek and died...

Over 2,000 Jews from all over France, and of all shades of religious practice, attended the Jewish Agency's mega-Aliyah Fair held in Paris last Sunday. The event was held under heavy security, due to the recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish institutions in France. The fair featured 45 stands set up by Israeli industries, mortgage banks, municipalities (Nahariya, Ashkelon, and Jerusalem), educational institutions, the Jewish Agency and the government. Visitors received first-hand information on employment, housing, and educational options available to prospective immigrants in Israel. Aliyah (immigration to Israel) from France last year - 2,500 Jews - was more...