Over 700 people attended the kick-off of Nefesh B'Nefesh and Jewish Agency's Mega Aliyah Event in New York. Attendees enjoyed an aliyah. fair featuring seminars and workshops, and met representatives from various Israeli government ministries, health funds, hospitals and aliyah service providers. Eyal Gabai, director general of the Prime Minister's Office, and Asaf Shariv, Israeli consul general in New York, met with the potential olim and spoke about the importance of aliyah.

MK Silvan Shalom, vice prime minister, minister of regional cooperation and minister of the development of the Negev and Galilee, attended the New York event to promote a new joint initiative with the Israeli government and Nefesh B'Nefesh and encourage aliyah to Israel's periphery. As an incentive, the Ministry ofthe Development of the Negev and Galilee and the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption will provide increased support for olim who move to Israel's north as part of the Nefesh B'Nefesh Go North Program.

Mega Aliyah events will continue in seven additional locations across North America as part of Nefesh B'Nefesh's goal to assist 5,000 olim in 2010. Visit www.nbn.org.il/megaevent for details.

Hofstra University will honor Rabbi Arthur Schneier, president of the Appeal for Conscience Foundation, and Religions for Peace, a worldwide multi-religious coalition, as co-recipients of the 2010 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize at an awards presentation and gala dinner on April 12, 7 p.m., at the Garden City Hotel. More than 60 individuals and groups were nominated. "This high recognition by Hofstra University will be an incentive to continue my life's work on behalf of religious freedom, human rights and interfaith cooperation," Schneier said, "and hopefully will inspire many others."

Religions for Peace is the largest multi-faith coalition for peace in the world, with 70 inter-religious councils across the globe. "It is especially meaningful for Religions for Peace to receive an award in the namesake of the first ofthe ten great Gurus of Sikhism," said the coalition's secretary General William F. Vendley. "Guru Nank Dev Ji gave shape to the notion of a universal brotherhood, which is genuinely respectful of diverse religious identities."

The $50,000 prize, which is bestowed every two years, recognizes significant work to increase interfaith understanding. Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz will preside over the award presentation. Among the guests at the dinner will be the Hon. Tarlochan Singh, a member of the Parliament of India. The Garden City Hotel is located at 45 7th Street, Garden City, and can be reached at 516.747.3000.