Israel welcomes two planes full of enthusiastic North American immigrants
07:31 AM EDT Jul 14

KRISTEN STEVENS

BEN GURION AIRPORT, Israel (CP) - Hundreds of North American Jews packed up their families, filled two airplanes and emigrated to Israel, arriving Wednesday to hundreds of cheering Israelis and enthusiastic government officials, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The planes arrived from Canada and the U.S. a few minutes apart, pulling up to an airplane hangar for a welcoming ceremony.

Joyful tears fell as relatives and friends embraced one another over steel barricades, while others walked around, looking a bit dazed but smiling.

Eli Gherman, 32, moved to Israel with his wife and five children from Long Island, N.Y.

"No other country in the world would bring all of these people out to greet us unless they're your family," Gherman said as the welcoming crowd waved blue-white Israeli flags. "And it's a family that needs us, wants us and cares about us."

Sharon and other cabinet ministers welcomed the 660 North American immigrants at Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv.

Marking only the second time Sharon has greeted arriving immigrants during his term, he told Israel's latest group of newcomers that they are necessary for the good of the country.

"We've always needed you and we especially need you now," Sharon told the group of 480 Americans and 180 Canadians.

The new arrivals received financial support from the American-based organization Nefesh B'Nefesh - Soul to Soul - with a goal of increasing the number of North Americans who move to Israel.

Charley Levine, a spokesman for the organization, said that the amount of financial assistance given to eligible families ranged from $5,000 to $23,000 US per family.

Nefesh B'Nefesh and the Jewish Agency for Israel, a quasi-governmental body that deals with immigration, pledged to help find jobs for about 3,200 North Americans expected to move here this year.

Ira Robinson, a Jewish studies professor at Montreal's Concordia University, says Canadian Jews who identify with the idea of Israel and are committed to growing a homeland have been deeply affected by instability in the region since 2000.

"The recent intefadeh (Palestinian uprising) has made people take stock of themselves, what they feel in their hearts and what their dreams are," said Robinson.

Jewish Agency spokesman Michael Jankelowitz said nearly 4,000 Americans have opened immigrant files so far this year. If these figures hold, this year would see the largest number of immigrants from North America since 1983.

Israel will be home to the world's largest Jewish population for the first time in 2006, surpassing the community in the United States, the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute said in a report Tuesday.

About 5.6 million Jews live in Israel.