Nefesh B’Nefesh is hosting multiple aliyah events across North America to enable prospective new immigrants (olim) to be as prepared as possible for their move to Israel.
The tour started on Sunday with Nefesh B’Nefesh’s annual “Mega Event,” which was held in New Jersey for the first time.
The tour will visit Florida and Canada before heading west on March 12 and March 13, where “Aliyah Fairs” are scheduled for Los Angeles and California’s San Fernando Valley.
At the opening event in New Jersey, Keren Kaymeth LeIsrael/Jewish National Fund chairman Daniel Atar unveiled its “Project Israel 2040,” aimed at bringing 1 million new citizens to Israel’s south and 500,000 new residents to the north.
“In the coming years, the organization plans to transform the Negev and Galilee into high-tech centers at an international level, attracting a strong and varied population from a wide range of professions. The presence of the incredible young men and women at this event attests to their desire to be a part of the State of Israel and take part in realizing the great challenge of Zionism in the coming decades. They will be joining the many Jews who have come to Israel since its founding, from all corners of the world, to help complete the vision of an independent state for the Jewish people.”
He did lament that “a catastrophe threatens the small Jewish people,” saying “a majority of the Jewish people in the United States, about 65 percent, choose to disengage from the Jewish people. There is an increase in anti-Semitism and a high level of assimilation; therefore, we are concentrating our resources in order to bring as many olim as possible.”
“Personally, I feel that we have not done enough,” he said. “There is no reason why Jews from France and Belgium should move to Canada and not to Israel. If Israel worked enough, everyone would come to it. We have more to offer them.”
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, said “it has been an amazing experience for us to have hosted our first “Mega Event” in New Jersey. Nefesh B’Nefesh is constantly striving to create accessible ways for potential olim to explore their options and take those additional small steps towards fulfilling their aliyah dreams.”
The parallel “MedEx” conference provided the chance to meet with top representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Health Licensing Division, the Israeli Medical Association, Israeli health funds and representatives from hospitals in Israel. Professionals in various medical fields were able to start the process of transferring professional licenses on the spot.
Since its inception, Nefesh B’Nefesh has helped 615 physicians with the process. In 2018 alone, it assisted 58 North American physicians, which on average is equivalent to 10 percent of the overall Israeli medical graduates per year.
The events are co-hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL) and the Jewish National Fund-USA.