HERE TO SERVE
With music and shofar blasts: The new immigrants are among a total of 2,282 olim expected to arrive this summer
A group of olim newly arrived from North America pose at Ben-Gurion Airport with the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, and Aliyah and Integration Minister Yoav Gallant yesterday. Of the 242 on the Nefesh B’Nefesh chartered El Al flight, 41 plan to join the IDF.
To the sounds of shofar blasts and the cheering of hundreds of Israelis who came to celebrate with them, 242 new immigrants stepped off a Nefesh B’Nefesh chartered el al flight in Ben-gurion airport on Wednesday, arriving from the us and Canada.
The new immigrants, decked out in Nefesh B’Nefesh caps and T-shirts, were among a total of 2,282 olim expected to arrive from the united states and Canada this summer. of the 242 who landed on Wednesday, 41 plan to join the IdF and 103 are under the age of 18.
despite the 6 a.m. arrival, the immigrants were welcomed off the plane to a live band, and by hundreds of enthusiastic and teary-eyed family members, friends and supporters. among the attendees were the wife of the prime minister, sara Netanyahu; aliyah and Integration minister yoav gallant; jewish agency Chairman Isaac herzog; Beit shemesh mayor aliza Bloch; Bat yam mayor Tzvika Brot; and Nefesh B’Nefesh founders rabbi yehoshua Fass and Tony gelbart.
“Today we celebrate the joy. We celebrate the homeland. We celebrate coming home,” Fass told the cheering crowd. “We celebrate you and your determination and your values – and this historic, majestic moment.”
With the flight that arrived on Wednesday, Nefesh B’Nefesh has assisted more than 60,000 immigrants to pick up and move from North america and settle in the jewish state.
“as we celebrate our 60,000th oleh today, we reflect upon how Nefesh B’Nefesh, as an institution, has been privileged to not only help tens of thousands of jews fulfill their aliyah dreams, but has also contributed to building and developing the state of Israel through these olim,” Fass said.
The flight was the 60th chartered flight full of immigrants to have been organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh and was sponsored by heidi rothberg. It was facilitated in cooperation with the aliyah and Integration ministry, the jewish agency, Keren Kayemeth leIsrael-jewish National Fund and jNF-usa.
Netanyahu also addressed the large crowd, focusing her message on the young people who intend to serve in the IdF as lone soldiers.
“you, the lone soldiers, I especially welcome,” she said. “Welcome to Israel and welcome to the IdF. you have left a warm home, family and friends, in order to make aliyah and join the success story of Israel and come here, to your home. all of Israel embraces you today; we are all your family. even if you are called ‘lone soldiers’ – you are not alone: We are always with you.”
The mother of two also offered the young recruits some practical advice.
“remember: every opportunity you have, call your father and mother,” she said. “Tell them about the service and the wonderful country. But most importantly, protect us, protect Israel and protect yourself.”
herzog said that “as the jewish agency marks 90 years since its founding, I am delighted to have hundreds of new olim arrive in the state of Israel. Together with our partners and the Israeli government, we have brought over three million olim, from dozens of countries around the world, and helped fulfill their Zionist dreams to live in their homeland.”
“These olim have built Israeli society and our country,” he said.
The group of immigrants, which included 31 families, hail from Canada and more than 20 american states, and plan to settle throughout the country.
“We view aliyah as a value of utmost importance, especially the olim who plan on serving the country and will one day create permanent homes in Israel,” said danny atar, world chairman of KKl-jNF. “We will do everything we can to give these young olim a stable ground during their military service, while providing the proper tools for integrating into this country to ensure the long-term success of their life in Israel.”