233 North American Jews from over 20 states to become Israeli citizens

Jerusalem Post
08/13/2017	

On Monday, 233 olim from 19 US states and one Canadian province gathered at JFK Airport 
to take a flight to the Promised Land.

The El Al Boeing 777 will be chartered by Nefesh B'Nefesh, in cooperation with the Ministry of 
Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund 
and JNF-USA.

The passengers include 21 families, 75 children, six sets of twins, and people working 
in a range of professions, including 26 medical professionals. The oldest is 79 years old, 
and the youngest is eight and a half months old. Thirty-two of the immigrants are moving 
to the periphery, as part of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund's Go South and 
Go North programs.

More than a quarter of the olim (68 people) plan to join the IDF over the coming months 
as lone soldiers, in the country without close family to help them. An additional four women 
are set to join the national service as volunteers.

The flight will be landing in Ben Gurion airport on Tuesday morning local time and the 
new citizens will be met by a slew of VIPs including Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, 
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky and Chief Rabbi David Lau.

Nefesh B'Nefesh co-founders Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Tony Gelbart will also be on hand 
to welcome the newcomers.

Tuesday's planeload is the second of two Nefesh B'Nefesh charter flights this summer, 
which, along with 11 group aliya flights, and olim arriving independently, will bring more than 
2,000 olim making aliya through Nefesh B'Nefesh this summer from North America.