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370 IMMIGRANTS FROM NORTH AMERICA TOUCH DOWN WITH SONG AND DANCE Aliyah campaign organized by Nefesh B'Nefesh, the Jewish Agency, and the government of Israel; International Fellowship of Christians and Jews contributed $2 million for the olim; The majority are professionals, and most have jobs waiting; 1,500 people are expected to immigrate this year
 A family of new immigrants getting off the plane at Ben Gurion Airport A warm reception awaited the 370 olim arriving at Ben Gurion Airport this week. The sounds of Heveinu Shalom Alechem, the hora, and the national flag greeted the new immigrants from North America, who came to Israel as part of a campaign organization by Nefesh B'Nefesh ("Jewish Souls United"), the Jewish Agency, and the Government of Israel. An additional 160 people are scheduled to come in the near future. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, accompanied the new olim on their flight to Israel. Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Deputy Minister of Absorption Yuli Edelstein and member of the Jewish Agency and WZO executive David Breakstone were present at the ceremony at the airport. Among the first to get off the plane was Florida Rabbi Joshua Fass, founder of Nefesh B'Nefesh. He walked down the gangplank wearing a hat bearing the group's symbol with Heveinu Shalom Alechem blaring in the background. "Our place is in Israel. We came to change the country," said Audrey Hadad from Miami who came with her five-year old daughter, her mother, and her cat. Arlene Abrams, from Long Island, with her husband and five children said, "We always wanted to make aliyah. The pieces finally fit together and now we will continue with our kids happy and living a free and secure life." David Kuhn, from Boston, who holds several Masters degrees and was trained as a teacher said he hopes to teach English in Israel. He already had a job offer from the township of Metar, in the Negev, after he finishes a five-month ulpan at the Jewish Agency Absorption Center in Ra'anana. Cooperating among all factors involved in the aliyah process made it possible to cut much of the red tape : Jewish Agency representatives registered the new immigrants in America; Interior Ministry officials accompanied the immigrants on their flight and processed them while they were still airborne. The new immigrants were fully registered by arrival and received their immigrant's certificate within half an hour. Most of the newcomers will settle in Jerusalem or Beit Shemesh. The number of new immigrants that arrived with Nefesh b'Nefesh is equivalent to one-quarter of the average annual number of olim from North America. Most of the newcomers are professionals: teachers, pharmacists, hi-tech experts, attorney, and physicians. Many already have jobs waiting them; a job fair will soon take place presenting employment opportunities to the others. Nefesh B'Nefesh: new aliyah concept Nearly two years ago, a tragic incident occurred that paved the way for a new organization and concept that will change North American aliyah history. A young teenage cousin of Florida rabbi Joshua Fass was murdered in a brutal terror attack in Petah Tikvah. "After I got over my initial rage, my overwhelming emotion was I wanted to go and stand in his stead," he said. Realizing that the dire situation that Israelis face on a daily basis impacts the Jewish people in the Diaspora, Rabbi Fass wanted to do something to make a difference. He, together with a member of his congregation, businessman Tony Gelbart, created Nefesh B'Nefesh to encourage North American aliyah to Israel. Nefesh B'Nefesh has three basic aims: strengthening Israeli society through increased aliyah, bringing a message of solidarity to Israel from American Jewish communities, and sending a similar message to the international communities. The organization works in tandem with the Jewish Agency, the Ministry of Absorption, the Ministry of the Interior, the Association for Americans and Canadians in Israel, and Tehilla - the religious aliyah movement. The Jewish Agency funded the immigrants' flight to Israel. A tremendous contribution to the success of the operation came from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which gave a $2 million contribution to provide allocations of $5,000- $30,000 - depending on their financial status - to the new immigrants to help facilitate their initial absorption. The immigrants were carefully chosen by aliyah emissaries and an American-based review committee. 531 people were selected for the initial group. Nefesh B'Nefesh has opened an office in Jerusalem and hired a special professional staff whose sole mission is to reduce to a minimum the difficulties associated with immigration. This office will become a second home to immigrants who arrive under this program, helping them find housing, employment and locating adoptive Israeli families. In Israel's 54-year existence, 120,000 people have emigrated from North America to Israel. This year, 1,500 people are expected to arrive. Nefesh b'Nefesh advertises through ads in newspapers and an internet site, on which it is possible to register. According to the organization, close to 7,000 people have downloaded registration forms from the site. Rabbi Fass says that he has received enough applications to keep the aliyah waves flowing until the year 2006.
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