Over 230 new immigrants from North America arrive on charter flight to Israel
Published July 25, 2018
The Leopold family of Las Vegas meets Israel’s minister of Aliyah and Integration, Sofa Landver, after arriving in Israel on their aliyah charter flight with Nefesh B’Nefesh. (Photo/Shahar Azran)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Over 230 new immigrants from North America arrived in Israel.
The flight that landed at Ben Gurion International airport early on Wednesday morning included 127 children. Also on the flight was former Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s daughter Hana Lowenstein, her husband and four young children.
The flight carrying new immigrants, olim in Hebrew, from 20 U.S. states and Quebec in Canada was chartered by Nefesh B’Nefesh, in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel and JNF-USA. On board were new immigrants ranging in age from 6 months to 80 years old, including 34 families, 18 singles, three sets of twins, six future IDF soldiers, and 15 medical professionals.
A welcome ceremony was held at the airport following the plane’s arrival.
“Each day that brings new olim to Israel is a joyous occasion, especially when there are one hundred and thirty children on a single Aliyah flight. This is the future unfolding before us,” said Sofa Landver, Israel’s minister of Aliyah and Integration, after the plane arrived. “The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, together with Nefesh B’Nefesh, continues to encourage Aliyah and assist olim from North America. These newcomers, together with the country’s veteran oim, are strengthening Israel’s resilience, economic development and society as a whole.
Some 600 new immigrants arrived in Israel on Monday and Tuesday from the United States, France, Russia, Argentina, Ukraine and Brazil.
