Aliyah from North America will be unprecedented

Ynet News
http://www.ynetnews.com
July 10, 2007

Over 2,200 Jewish immigrants from North America, UK are expected to
land in Israel this summer, former ambassador Danny Ayalon says 
the numbers will continue to grow significantly over coming years

A specially chartered El-Al flight carrying 220 new immigrants from 
North America landed Tuesday morning in Tel Aviv. The group was 
greeted by 800 Israelis in a festive ceremony held at the airport with 
Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni in attendance. The flight was 
organized by Nefesh B'Nefesh, which is dedicated to increasing 
aliyah from North America and the United Kingdom.

Among the new arrivals is the Jordan family of New Jersey, whose 
maternal grandfather was a Holocaust survivor who fought in the 
Israeli Independence War before moving to the United States in the 
mid-50's. 

When he passed away two years ago the family decided they 
would immigrate to Israel in his honor. His grandson, Ben Jordan, 
wore his grandfather's army jacket from the war and held a sign 
saying 'We're coming back to what you fought for!' 

Nefesh B'Nefesh chairman, former Israeli ambassador to the 
US Danny Ayalon, said he believed immigration from North America 
would only increase over the next few years: "We're at the start 
of an era during which immigration from North America will reach 
unprecedented proportions." 

Over the past five years, the number of olim from the United States 
and Canada has increased by about 80 percent. 

This summer over 2,200 immigrants from North America and the 
UK are scheduled to arrive in Israel through Nefesh B'Nefesh. 
The oldest immigrant is 97, the youngest only two months old. 
Among those expected to arrive are 425 families and 550 singles.