It didn't take long for Tess Sevelow-Lee to make good on her promise to make waves amongst the Israeli male population upon her arrival in Israel. Within hours after disembarking from Nefesh B'Nefesh's first summer aliyah charter flight recently, the 24 year-old Chicago native made her way to one of Tel Aviv's trendy beaches, where a slew of hunky Israeli men were more than ready to welcome the perky blonde to the singles scene.

Her adrenalin-filled determination not to waste a second of her time in order to make a shidduch, also caught the attention of Israel's Channel 10 TV News, which recorded her 'nice to make your acquaintance' stroll along the beach.

"I've always wanted to date and eventually marry an Israeli guy because Israeli men are more upfront and honest about what they are looking for without the head games," she said. "Plus, there's so much to do in Tel Aviv from a cultural and social aspect. I just feel so much more comfortable being around people in Tel Aviv."

Sevelow-Lee was among the 51 American singles who decided to pick up their belongings and make aliyah, along with nearly 200 other new immigrants from across the United States, including 103 children.

For Sevelow-Lee, finding a nice Israeli guy was not the overriding issue in her decision to leave the Midwest for the Holy Land. Her Zionist quest was kindled nearly eight years ago when she spent a one of her formative high school years on Kibbutz Tzuba (located just outside Jerusalem), as part of the Reform Movement's Eisendrath International Exchange program.

"I loved the kibbutz and relished living in Israel. For me it was a life altering decision and I knew then that I would be coming back at some point. My mom also knew it (aliyah) was coming, because I had written her an elaborate letter from Kibbutz Tzora that this (Israel) was the place for me. From a personal point-of-view, making aliyah now was the perfect decision because I am not bound by a relationship etc., though my older sister is having a bit of a hard time dealing with my leaving."

Sevelow-Lee also severed ties with her professional career back home. "I had a good job as a social worker working within the Illinois prison system, but as interesting as that job might have been, it didn't fulfill what I was ultimately searching for."

She said that her immediate goal is to enroll in a master's degree program (social work) at either Tel Aviv or Hebrew University and then put her intellect and amiable personality to work within an Israeli-based non-profit, communal outreach organization.

"The best way to make aliyah at this age is to go without any expectations," she said. "Yes, in my case I'm going back to a 'community' based on the relationships I've nurtured since my days at Kibbutz Tzora, but discovering new adventures and people is part of aliyah. And Nefesh B'Nefesh has made the entire aliyah process so much easier by cutting through the bureaucracy, creating post-aliyah events, job fairs etc. that it's no surprise to me that so many singles from all walks of life are interested in making the move. It's fascinating and exciting to do this with other people."