Fresh off the boat

Over the last few years, Aliyah from North America and the United Kingdom has been revolutionized and revitalized. This is in part thanks to an organization known as Nefesh B’Nefesh (Jewish Souls United).

Over the last few years, Aliyah from North America and the United Kingdom has been revolutionized and revitalized. This is in part thanks to an organization known as Nefesh B’Nefesh (Jewish Souls United). Founded in 2002 by Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Tony Gelbart, Nefesh B’Nefesh’s purpose is to help increase and encourage western Aliyah by greatly assisting in the pre and post-aliyah processes. Whether the needs of the olim (immigrants) are related to financial assistance, finding employment, social networking, or receiving advice about the best community for their family to settle in; Nefesh B’Nefesh assists olim in every capacity possible for as long as they need it before and after making aliyah.

However, one of Nefesh B’Nefesh’s most unique and inspiring aspects is how they bring the olim to Israel. By arranging special chartered aliyah flights, anyone from singles, to couples, to families, to retirees, can share their aliyah experience with hundreds of fellow olim. For the few short hours they are en route to Israel, these strangers are unified by the fact that they are taking this final step together as a group.

Having made Aliyah with Nefesh B’Nefesh a little over half a year ago myself, I can definitely say that the most meaningful aspect of my experience was the flight to Israel, and the arrival ceremony that immediately followed it. For thousands of Americans like me who have made Aliyah through Nefesh B’Nefesh, the inspirational journey began at JFK Airport. Near the El-Al counter at the airport was a Nefesh B’Nefesh booth where I and my fellow olim lined up to receive our documents, including boarding passes. After checking our bags, we proceeded to a nearby section of the airport where a goodbye ceremony was held for us.

As the ceremony came to a close, an announcement was made saying that it was now time for us to say goodbye to our families and friends, since we would need to start boarding the airplane. After people huddled with their loved ones for final hugs, kisses, and tears of goodbye, those of us making Aliyah then proceeded through airport security. Immediately after saying my final goodbyes to my own family and getting on the security line, I met the Ghermans. They were a really sweet couple that each wore a blue t-shirt; one which read “Zaide” (grandfather), and the other “Bubbe” (grandmother), since their children and grandchildren would be greeting them upon their arrival in Israel.

After taking my seat on the plane, I could see that Nefesh B’Nefesh had attended to every detail; even the seating arrangements were made in a systematic fashion. In business class sat the retirees, I sat in the middle section with the other singles, and in the back sat the families and young couples. This was done so that we could more easily interact with those who were of a similar demographic to our own. As I had mentioned in my article about Ulpan a few weeks ago, many of my fellow Ulpan students were on the same Nefesh B’Nefesh flight as I was, since it arrived just a few days before the start of Ulpan. As a result, to my right was sitting Cindy who would be in my class, behind me was Eli who would become my roommate in Ulpan, and next to him was Shayna who I had corresponded with through the Nefesh B’Nefesh listserv prior to our meeting at JFK.

Another thing Nefesh B’Nefesh does to help make the Aliyah process a smooth one is to process important paperwork on the plane. During the course of the flight, Nefesh B’Nefesh employees came around with PC tablets so that we could review, correct, and sign the paperwork we needed to obtain important documents such as our Israeli ID card, soon after arriving in Israel, rather than having to wait months and have to go through all the bureaucracy.

But the most meaningful moments for me came upon our arrival in Israel. In order to accommodate the hundreds of olim and guests, the ceremony took place in Ben Gurion Airport’s old terminal. We disembarked from the plane directly onto the tarmac, which was what all arrivals to Israel used to do before the new terminal opened in 2004. As we each walked off the plane, we saw Israel from a different perspective than ever before – this time we entered the land as its citizens.