“It’s a real privilege and special moment in time that we have our own state and to be part of that endeavor is something that has always been part of my consciousness,” said Jim Lando, 51, as he sat aboard an Israel-bound plane alongside 232 other North American Jews immigrating to Israel on Tuesday.
Jim and his wife, Leigh, 52, hail from Pittsburgh and are both physicians. They were among new 26 olim from medical professions aboard the Nefesh B’Nefesh charter flight, as well as computer programmers, fashion stylists, aspiring actors and 70 future lone soldiers.
“We’re all on our own journeys and going on our own paths — but we’re all in the same moment at the same time, doing the same exact thing,” said soon-to-be lone soldier, Alexander Hymowitz, 21, of Brooklyn, visibly buzzing with adrenaline.
“It’s better than we ever imagined,” said Phillip Stein, 64, who had been planning on making aliya from New Jersey with his wife Shelly, 62, for decades. They were met at the airport by family and friends, including their son and grandchildren.
“We’re so excited to be here. It’s been so many years in the making and… this is really it!” echoed Chani Goldfeder, 30, who made aliya from New York with her husband, Corey, 34, and their two daughters Reut, four, and Elana, one. Corey has transferred from Google in New York to the Tel Aviv office, and Chani, a postdoctoral fellow of Jamaica Hospital, will seek work in clinical psychology. The young family will make their home in Tel Mond.
In addition to US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman who came to the airport to meet his daughter, and new olah Talia, dignitaries participating in the welcome ceremony included Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.
“A person who makes aliya is a person who makes a decision. It constitutes a deep expression of the soul of the nation,” Lapid told the audience. “Your decision means Israel is not just a place, but a choice. People mistakenly think this is a privilege. It’s not. It’s a duty.”
Wishing them all a successful life in Israel, he added: “We need you. Your love, your brains your energy, we need you because, without you, our family is incomplete.”
“Today’s olim, all from diverse communities and backgrounds, are Israel’s 21st century pioneers, helping to build the country, using their individual strengths and talents,” said Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, Rabbi Yehoshua Fass. “It is especially inspiring to see the young men and women who will soon join the thousands of lone soldiers currently serving in the army, each in their own way fulfilling the dreams of their forefathers and strengthening the Jewish nation.”
The flight was facilitated in cooperation with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, the Ministry of Aliya and Immigrant Absorption, the Jewish Agency for Israel, JNF-USA and Tzofim-Garin Tzabar.
The brand-new olim hail from 19 US states and two Canadian provinces, including 20 families, 64 children and six sets of twins.
Tuesday’s planeload was 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.