Israel welcomed another group of immigrants from North America, who join some 2,000 people immigrating to Israel through NBN this summer from North America.
By: United with Israel Staff
239 North American Olim, immigrants, including 57 future Lone Soldiers, arrived in Israel on Wednesday on a special Aliyah flight chartered by Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN).
According to NBN, the passengers on this flight include dozens of Jewish communal leaders and 27 medical professionals, as well as a diverse group of individuals from 24 US states and three Canadian provinces.
On board the flight were 30 families, 90 children, and three sets of twins.
A special welcome ceremony for the new Olim was held at Ben Gurion Airport upon the flight’s arrival and included more than one thousand guests, friends, family members and Israeli dignitaries, including Aliyah and Integration Minister Sofa Landver, an imiggrant from Russia, and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Michael Oren, an immigrant from the US.
This specially chartered flight was generously sponsored by Denver, Colorado local Heidi Rothberg in coordination with Jewish National Fund-USA and facilitated in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah & Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel (KKL), JNF-USA and Tzofim-Garin Tzabar.
The group arrived on the second of two charter flights of the year, which, along with eight group Aliyah flights and Olim arriving independently on a daily basis, will bring more than 2,000 people immigrating to Israel through NBN this summer from North America.
Last month, 232 new immigrants, including 27 children under age 17, 34 families, 18 singles, three sets of twins, six future IDF soldiers and 15 medical professionals arrived on the first NBN flight.
Earlier in the year, Israel chose an emblematic way to celebrate its 70th independence anniversary by welcoming 700 newcomers who arrived from France, Russia, Argentina and Brazil.
Over the past year, Israel has welcomed over 28,000 new immigrants. Some 3.5 million people have made Aliyah (immigration to Israel) since 1948, making up 42 percent of the total population.
In 2018, over 70 years after the Holocaust, the world’s largest Jewish population lives in Israel. This figure represents 43 percent of world Jewry.