300 olim arrive on Nefesh flight by Sam Ser Jerusalem Post August 5, 2004 The reception at Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday morning for some 300 new immigrants from North America - the fifth flight under the auspices of Nefesh B'Nefesh since 2002 - drew a smaller crowd and less media attention than the one that greeted a larger group last month. But it was every bit as spirited. Many of the newcomers were teary eyed when rows of young soldiers called out words of congratulations and encouragement to them as they stepped from the plane to the hangar awaiting them. Zionist youth group representatives and aliya supporters fervently waved Israeli flags and signs welcoming them, and friends and family rushed forward to embrace them. As an IDF Chaplaincy Corps choir belted out songs of national redemption, new immigrants and veterans joined hands and danced in a circle that widened and widened until the last note was played. "Let me make an educated guess," said Knesset Immigration and Absorption Committee chairwoman Colette Avital, recalling her own arrival to Haifa by boat more than 40 years ago. "This moment is one that you will remember for the rest of your lives." After eagerly joining the dancing, Nefesh B'Nefesh cofounder Rabbi Yehoshua Fass addressed the crowd with exultation. "This is the most energetic and enthusiastic of all our groups thus far," he said, adding, "Your joy goes to show that aliya is not merely an antiquated historical vignette." To the contrary, said new immigrant Jan Siegelman, "we are living on the spear point of human history." Siegelman made aliya from Atlanta with his wife Rachel, three teenage children, and their 35-kilogram dog, Brindy. The wrestling coach, massage therapist, and dog trainer is unfazed by the prospect of finding physical and financial security in the West Bank town of Eli. After all, the tree cutting company he left behind was named Out on a Limb. "I'm the kind of person who believes in doing something every day that scares him half to death," Siegelman explained. As his 14-year-old daughter Leora said, their new life in Israel "should be an interesting adventure." The Siegelmans join their two eldest sons, who are currently serving in IDF special forces units. Most other parents on Wednesday's flight brought their children to Israel after yearning for half their lives to do so. Michael and Randi Lipkin, for example, had been thinking about leaving their home in Edison, New Jersey, for at least 16 years, but a series of attachments had held them back. By 2002, though, their parents had all passed away. Then last year, Michael's brother made aliya. And Nefesh B'Nefesh was offering assistance to potential immigrants on several levels. With less and less tying them to their community, the Lipkins made a long-awaited choice. "We said to ourselves, If we don't go [make aliya], who's going to go?" said Randi. The couple already have a few friends living in Beit Shemesh, their new home, and they've found schools for their children. Michael has arranged to telecommute to his Brooklyn job as a product manager for a software company. "I outsourced myself," he joked. Wednesday's group had far more babies than bubbies. But there were also plenty of young singles on the flight. Gary Horowitz returned to Israel two years after losing friends in the Hebrew University cafeteria bombing. That incident frightened his family, said the 29-year-old, but never deterred him from his goal of making aliya. The only trepidation he feels, he said, is over making ends meet. But a Nefesh B'Nefesh grant should help, he said. Also, it is "comforting to be with so many other people making aliya" on the same flight. Tovah Serkin is only two years removed from her undergraduate studies at Harvard, and spent last year working as a Bronfman Fellow at Hillel's International Center. It didn't take long for her to decide to move to Israel. "Each time I go back, I'm thrilled to be there," she said. Now, she added, "Israel has ceased to be a dream. It's my reality."