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Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel, July 8 – Despite the escalating security situation in Israel, 64 new Olim from the United States made aliyah to Israel today with Nefesh B’Nefesh. The new immigrants hail from Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia. The youngest immigrant is an eight-month-old baby while the oldest, Lottie Herman, is 92. Herman who fled Germany in 1939 to America, will be settling in Jerusalem. Among the other olim who arrived this morning was Becky Kupchan, 26, from Chicago. Kupchan will be moving to Beer Sheva, the capital city of Southern Israel. “Although...

On the eve of Independence Day a group of some 70 new immigrants from the former Soviet Union arrived at the Haifa Port on Sunday aboard the passenger ship "Iris" after sailing directly from Odessa. The new arrivals were greeted with Israeli flags and flowers by members of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, headed by director-general Mirla Gal. "The arrival of new immigrants is always a cause for celebration and excitement," said Gal after the welcoming ceremony. "The fact that they have come on the very eve of Independence Day and at a time when Israel is marking the 70th...

Yet another plane filled with North American Jews immigrating to Israel landed this morning in Ben Gurion International Airport, after embarking yesterday from New York. This is the second such flight within a month, bringing the total number of immigrants sponsored by the Nefesh b'Nefesh (Jewish Souls United) organization this year to close to 650 - and more are expected. Hear coverage of the arrival on Arutz-7's English broadcasts at 9 PM tonight (2 PM Eastern Standard Time) at "http://www.israelnationalnews.com/english/radio/live/Flive.htm". The new Israelis faced an excited and emotional welcoming ceremony from some 700 relatives, officials - such as Shimon Peres...

Last week, 330 new immigrants from the United States landed in Israel. In the evening, I met five of them for the first time. They will be my neighbors for the next year or so, until we move on to the next stage in our aliyah and they continue with their own. They were exhausted, but excited, as they looked over the house that they will rent and their daughters played with our cat. Like this new family, we made aliyah with three small children and were suddenly thrust into registration, kupat cholim decisions, identification cards, buying a refrigerator and...

An unidentified father, part of a group of Immigrants organized by the Jewish Agency, wheels his luggage and his son before they boarded a chartered plane to Israel at JFK Airport in New York. The organization is trying to encourage immigration to Israel. Photo: AP Dori Gould, an educator from upstate New York says goodbye to her five cats and five dogs before they all board a plane to Israel at JFK Airport in New York. An estimated 1,000 North Americans were emigrating to Israel under a program sponsored by the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization to increase immigration to Israel....

When Binyamin Katzman and Tamar Oser met at a rally for Jerusalem two winters ago, they talked about their love of Israel and their shared dream of moving to the Holy Land one day. On Wednesday, Katzman and Oser celebrated their first week of marriage aboard an El Al jet carrying 318 North American immigrants to Israel. The flight - sponsored by Nefesh B'Nefesh, a privately funded organization that provides one-time grants of up to $25,000 to immigrants who stay for at least three years - included secular and religious Jews, young singles and grandparents, newlyweds and parents of 10....

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...

OU Announces Aliyah Fund Drive With the goal of assisting hundreds of families to make aliyah this summer, the Orthodox Union (OU) in the United States is calling on its member synagogues across the United States and Canada to conduct fund-raising campaigns in support of a Jerusalem-based foundation dedicated to bringing North American Jews home to Israel. The drive will culminate on May 7, Israeli Independence Day. The beneficiary organization, Nefesh B'Nefesh (Jewish Souls United), was founded to revitalize aliyah from North America through financial support and other assistance to new immigrants. In July, 2002, its first year of...

Jan. 30, 2003Likud weighs proposal to merge with Yisrael B'Aliya By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFFThe Likud Party of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is weighing the possibility of proposing a merger with Natan Sharansky's Yisrael B'Aliya. It isn't clear whether Sharansky would consider such an idea. Sharansky gave up his Knesset seat on Wednesday to devote his time to rebuilding its party after it won only two seats in Tuesday's national election, down from four in the outgoing Knesset. By adding Sharansky's two seats, the Likud, with 39 seats, could strengthen its hand in its efforts to woo coalition partners...